ROGAN JOSH
2” piece of rootginger, finely chopped
8 cloves garlic
4 tb plus 275ml water
10 tb olive oil
900g lamb meat (shoulder is good), cut into 1” cubes
10 whole cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
10 whole peppercorns
1” cinnamon stick
200g onions, finely chopped
1 tsp ground coriander seed
2 tsp ground cumin seed
4 tsp paprika
¼ – 1 tsp cayenne pepper – adjust to suit
1 ¼ tsp salt
6 tb plain yogurt
¼ tsp garam masala
freshly ground black pepper
Put ginger, garlic and the 4 tb water into a blender and blend to a smooth paste.
Heat oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat. Brown lamb in several batches and set aside. Put cardamom, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon into the same hot oil. Stir once and wait until the cloves swell and bay leaves begin to take on colour. This takes just a few seconds. Add the onions. Stir and fry 5 minutes or until they turn a med-brown colour. Add the ginger and garlic paste and stir for 30 seconds. Add coriander, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt and stir fry for a further 30 seconds. Add browned lamb and any accumulated juices. Stir 30 seconds. Now add yogurt 1 tb at a time, stirring between each addition. When all added, stir and fry another 3–4 mins.
Add the 275ml water. Bring to a boil, scraping in all the browned spices from the sides and bottom of pot. Cover and turn heat to low and simmer for about an hour or until lamb is tender. Give the meat a good stir every 10 minutes or so and when tender, remove lid, and boil away some of the liquid. You should end up with tender meat in a thick, reddish-brown sauce. Finally, before serving, sprinkle on the garam masala and black pepper and mix in.