Rajasthan laal maas
2 HOURS 20 MINUTES + MARINATING | SERVES 6 EASY |
A trip to Udaipur in Rajasthan was made really special by meeting locals from the region and discovering this stellar recipe for a traditional laal maas – a slow-cooked lamb curry with bone marrow, chillies and spices.
LC
garlic 8 cloves, roughly chopped
ginger 5cm piece, roughly chopped
lamb shoulder 750g, excess fat trimmed, cut into bite-sized pieces (see cook’s notes) kashmiri chilli powder or mild chilli powder 11/2 tsp (see cook's notes)
whole dried kashmiri chillies 10, soaked in 400ml of warm water (see cook’s notes)
vegetable oil 8 tbsp
onions 4, thinly sliced chapattis or naans to serve
LAAL MAAS
ghee 3 tbsp
whole dried red kashmiri chillies bay leaves 3
ginger 2cm piece, cut into slivers
tomato purée 1 tbsp lamb stock or water 600ml
garam masala 1/2 tsp
coriander chopped, to serve
• Blend the garlic, ginger and 2-3 tbsp of water to a smooth paste. Put 1 tbsp in a large mixing bowl with the lamb and chilli powder. Mix and leave to marinate for 2-3 hours or overnight.
• Blend the whole chillies to a paste with 3 tbsp of their soaking liquid.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the onions for 45-50 minutes stirring often, until the onions brown evenly. Drain in a sieve and set aside.
• Heat the ghee in a large heavy pan over a medium heat. Fry the whole dried chillies and bay leaves for a few seconds, then add the cooked onions and stir for a minute. Add the lamb and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring well and scraping the bottom of the pan as you go. Add the ginger slivers and the remaining garlic-ginger paste, along with the kashmiri chilli paste, and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the stock or water, season and add the lamb bones, if using. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
• Add the tomato purée and simmer for a further 40-45 minutes over a medium heat with a lid on, stirring halfway through, until