Lamb & mango curry

You can’t beat a big warming curry for a crowd. If you make it ahead, it’ll taste even better reheated the next day. Serve a bowl of chopped green chillies alongside for those who like their curry on the spicier side.

■ Serves 6 ■ Prep 10 mins plus resting ■ Cook 2 hrs 45 mins

2 onions, quartered thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

5 garlic cloves

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 heaped tsp turmeric

2 heaped tsp ground cumin and ground coriander

1 tsp mild chilli powder

5 cardamom pods

2 tbsp tomato purée

800g trimmed lamb shoulder, cubed

400g can reduced-fat coconut milk (save 2 tbsp for serving)

200g chopped tomatoes from a can

2 ripe mangoes, sliced handful of coriander rice, chutneys and pickles, to serve

1 Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/ gas 3. Put the onions, ginger and garlic in a food processor and blitz to a paste. If you don’t have a processor, just chop very finely. Heat the oil in a deep flameproof casserole dish and fry the paste for 10 mins. Add some salt, the spices and tomato purée, then fry for 2-3 mins more until aromatic.

2 Stir in the lamb and cook for a few minutes until it changes colour all over – it doesn’t need to brown. Tip in the coconut milk, chopped tomatoes and 100ml water, and bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid, leaving a gap for some steam to escape, and transfer to the oven for 11/2 hrs.

3 Stir in half the mangoes and cook for 1 hr more until the lamb is melting and tender. When it’s ready, let the curry sit for 10 mins, then spoon off any excess fat from the top. Partly stir in the remaining mangoes, scatter with the coriander and drizzle with the reserved coconut milk. Serve with rice, chutneys and the pickles of your choice.

PER SERVING 421 kcals, fat 23g, saturates 11g, carbs 18g, sugars 15g, fibre 3g, protein 34g, salt 0.4g