Day four of curry week and Liz is back with Lamb Meatballs Curry with Basmati Rice recipe adapted from James Martin on Saturday Kitchen.
Liz says ‘’I did this recipe but did a little cheat – I bought minted lamb meatballs instead of the lamb fillet (well, I am a busy working parent!) and I halved the recipe because the meatballs came in a 400g pack. One tiny note though – I used home grown green chillies from the allotment which must be super charged… my poor teenager drank A LOT of water with this curry…. I served it with mango chutney with calmed it down a tad too and left out the pomegranate.’’
Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
900g/2lb lamb fillet, cut into 3cm/1in cubes (or lamb meatballs!)
2 onions, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1½ tbsp garam masala
1½ tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp plain flour
6 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
400ml/14fl oz coconut milk
600ml/1 pint chicken stock
250g/9oz baby spinach leaves
1 pomegranate, seeded
200g/7oz plain yoghurt
salt and freshly ground black pepper
steamed basmati rice, to serve
Method
- Heat a large saucepan and add one tablespoon of the vegetable oil and then the lamb. Cook over a high heat for 3-4 minutes, or until the lamb is golden-brown all over, then remove and set aside.
- Reduce the heat and add the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the onions, garlic, chillies and ginger and fry for 2-3 minutes, until golden and softened.
- Add all the turmeric, garam masala, cumin and chilli powder and fry, stirring well, for one minute.
- Add the flour and cook for a further minute.
- Add the tomatoes and coconut milk and heat to bring to a simmer.
- Add the lamb and enough chicken stock to just cover the lamb. Stir well, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze and release any residue at the bottom of the pan.
- Heat the mixture until simmering, then cover and cook on a low heat for about one hour, or until the lamb is tender and cooked through.
- Skim off any excess fat from the surface of the sauce, then add the spinach and pomegranate. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until the spinach has wilted.
- Add the yoghurt, season to taste and stir well.
I served this with Basmati rice, green beans and mango chutney to cool it down slightly!
Liz’s top tip – always taste a tiny bit of your fresh chili before adding it so you know how hot it is!
