Lamb Curry


Lamb Curry on Simply Recipes
What a blessing it is to have friends, and parents of friends, who cook. I had this dish at my friend Elizabeth Abbott’s parent’s house and begged her mother Maria for the recipe, which, thankfully, she gave me. I changed it ever so slightly – added some raisins to the mix, and upped the spices. When at their house again recently, I showed Maria her recipe on the site. Delighted yet also surprised, she remarked, “But I don’t use raisins!,” and then added, “but that’s not a bad idea.” Whew. Saved by the spirit of experimentation. Maria is one of those people who is such a good cook, you are inspired to learn how just by being around her. Thank you Maria!
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Lamb Curry Recipe

  • Cook time: 3 hours
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INGREDIENTS

  • 2 lamb shanks AND 2 lamb shoulder steaks (yielding about 2 lbs of meat without the bone)
  • 1 large onions, chopped, about 3 1/2 cups
  • 3-5 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2-3 Tbsp ghee (clarified butter) or 1 Tbsp olive oil with butter
  • 2-3 Tbsp curry powder
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 Tbsp cumin
  • 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1 tsp thyme, dried
  • 1/2 Meyer lemon sliced (with rind)
  • 2 peeled and chopped apples (tart green granny smith if possible), about 2 cups
  • 1/4 cup of raisins (my addition to Maria's recipe)
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth*
  • 8-12 small potatoes, quartered, about 1 1/2 pounds
  • Chutney, yogurt, rice
*If cooking gluten-free, use homemade chicken stock or gluten-free packaged broth.

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 300° F. On stovetop, add the ghee or the butter-and-oil mixture to a large covered pot or Dutch oven and turn the burner to medium-high. Brown the meat well and remove it from pan.
2 Add curry powder to the ghee or oil, turn the heat down to medium and cook gently for a minute or two. Add onions and garlic and cook 5 minutes. Return lamb to pan.
3 Add coriander, black pepper, cumin, rosemary, thyme, sliced lemon, apples, raisins, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Cover the pot and put it in the oven. Cook for 2 hours. Check at 2 hours to see if the meat is falling off the bone. It should be starting to do so. Add the potatoes and cook for another 45 minutes.
4 To serve, you can pull the meat off the bones or leave it on. Taste for salt and add some more curry powder or cayenne if you want things spicier. Serve over rice with chutney and yogurt.