A fantastic rich aromatic curry that will leave you wanting more, the lime leaves and cardamom give a fragrant undertone while all the flavour from the lamb renders down slowly in the clay pot that ensures the most succulent fall of the bone lamb infused madras masala curry.
Hands on time 20 minutes / Cooking time 3 hrs
Ingredients
The Curry Masala
(makes enough for 4 recipes)
2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
5 whole cloves
1 tsp black pepper
First gently toast all the seeds not the turmeric in a dry pan until warm, then place all the spices in a pestle and mortar and grind to a powder, using the pestle and mortar preserves the flavour of the spices.
Masala Curry Sauce
(serves 4 people)
4 large lamb shanks
2 onions
1" ginger
2 red chilli
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp ghee
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
12 kaffir lime leaves
500ml beef stock
10 green cardamom pods slightly crushed
1 stick of cinnamon
2 fresh bay leaves
2 tsp tamarind pulp
(home made recipe below)
salt and pepper
3 tbsp fresh coriander to garnish
1 tbsp garam masala
In a shallow non stick pan heat the ghee and brown off all the sides of the lamb shanks, remove to your clay pot or casserole dish and leave to rest. In a blender blitz the onions, ginger, chilli, and garlic and then in the same pan add the ghee and gently cook the onions for 5 minutes, add 2 tbsp of your curry masala powder stir in, add your bashed cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, bay, lime leaves and tamarind pulp, stir well, then add the tomatoes and beef stock and pour your sauce over the resting lamb shanks and pop on a snug lid.
Cook in your wood fired oven at around 150 degrees or pop in your oven for 3 to 4 hrs. The curry is ready when the meat is ready to fall off the bone. I like my sauce to be medium thick, therefore I often take the lid of for the last 30 minutes of cooking time to help reduce the sauce. To finish the curry stir in the garam masala, taste and season with salt and pepper if needed and sprinkle over the chopped coriander.
Home Made Tamarind Pulp
You can buy tamarind pulp already made or you can source whole and dried tamarind seed pods as shown below, I like to make my own tamarind water, all you have to do is peel off the outer shell, place the tamarind in a bowl, pour over some boiling water crush the pod after a few minutes releasing the pulp from the seed, leave to infuse for ten minutes or so and then pass through a seive and collect the pulp.
Home Made Garam Masala
1 tsp whole cloves
20 cardamom seeds only
tsp black peppercorns
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp corinader seeds
1 whole nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 inch cinnamon bark
Place all the whole seeds ingredients, not the nutmeg or cinnamon in a dry pan and gently heat until they are toasty warm, remove and place in a coffee grinder or pestal and mortar and grind to a powder. Surprisingly the nutmeg is easy to bash into small pieces with the end of a rolling pin then grind to a powder and add to the rest of the powdered spice mix. That's it use as your recipes require, keep in a ball mason jar and use within three months ensure the freshest flavours.
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