Lamb Karahi is one of our favourite lamb curry dishes, and we're
telling you now, it is well worth the time and effort to make.
Why is it our favourite? The combinations of ingredients make a flavour that's
hard to resist. It has a good amount of heat, while the sweet tomatoes, combined
with the thick, rich, gravy-like sauce, is pretty moreish.
We also love it because you can use cheaper cuts of lamb, which lends itself
perfectly to the longer cooking time, meaning you're left with tender pieces of
meat at the end.
Where is Lamb Karahi from?
Mughlai Karahi Gosht gets its name from the deep, circular pots it's
traditionally cooked in (like a wok with two handles). It's particularly popular
in North Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani cuisine (although ingredients will
always differ).
It's essentially a fragrant, slow-cooked lamb stew made with a rich tomato,
garlic, green chilli and garam masala curry base.
What other meat can be used in a Karahi dish?
Chicken karahi is another popular meat, while mutton is also frequently used.
What do you serve Karahi with?
This slow-cooked lamb curry is perfect on top of a bed of fluffy rice, while the
sauce lends itself perfectly to a side of roti or naan. Your choice!
MAKES:
4
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CURRY BASE
15 g ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp. cumin powder
1/4 tsp. coriander powder
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. salt
1 plum tomato, roughly chopped
80 ml vegetable oil (reserve 2tbsp)
600 g diced lamb
4 cm piece ginger, skin removed
1 whole bulb garlic, peeled
400 ml water
1/2 tsp. dried fenugreek
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. chilli flakes
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. coriander powder
1 green chilli sliced lengthways
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. black onion seeds
1/2 Garam masala
4 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
50 g fresh coriander, finely chopped
DIRECTIONS
TO MAKE THE CURRY BASE
Heat 375ml water in a large saucepan. Add all the curry base ingredients apart
from the tomato and simmer covered for 45 minutes until the onions become very
soft. Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and blend to a smooth consistency in a blender, or with a hand
blender. Set this curry base aside until needed.
Begin by braising your meat. In a food processor, blitz the garlic and ginger,
adding a little water if needed to loosen and turn into a paste.
In a karahi, or heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the
lamb pieces and fry for 3-4minutes, until browned. Next add the garlic and
ginger paste from the blend and cook for a further two minutes.
Next add the fenugreek, black pepper, chilli flakes, cumin powder, coriander
powder and green chilli, along with the water, and simmer for approximately 1
1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Keep checking the water and top up if
needed, by the end of cooking there should only be a small amount of water left.
Remove lamb and set aside, and clean out pan. Return to a medium heat and add
the reserved 2tbsp oil. Add diced onion and cook for 5-6minutes, or until
lightly browned. Add onion seeds and garam masala and cook for a further two
minutes.
Next, add diced tomatoes and cook for 2-3minutes until the tomatoes have broken
down a little.
Finally, add the curry base and the lamb back to the pot and allow to simmer for
10-15minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken and coat the lamb.
Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with rice, naan and mango chutney.