DRY CURRY OF LAMB AND BRINJAL

SERVES 4-6 PREPARATION: 15 MIN COOKING: 2 HOURS, PLUS SOAKING 1,4kg lamb ribs salt and freshly ground black pepper 20ml (4t) vegetable oil 15ml (1T) butter 4 baby brinjals, coarsely chopped 2 onions, finely diced 30g tamarind pulp, soaked in 200ml warm water for 10 minutes 2 tomatoes, diced 2 cracked cardamom pods SPICE PASTE 10ml (2t) fennel seeds 10ml (2t) coriander seeds 10ml (2t) cumin seeds 15 small dried red chillies, soaked for 3 hours in warm water, drained 6 fresh curry leaves, plus extra to serve 3 garlic cloves, crushed 3cm piece ginger, crushed in a mortar and pestle 5ml (1t) garam masala 5ml (1t) turmeric TO SERVE salt and pepper plain yoghurt steamed basmati rice 1 Season the ribs with salt and pepper and steam over a saucepan of boiling water until tender, about 30 minutes. 2 Spice paste Dry-roast the whole spices in a small frying pan over low heat until fragrant and grind along with the remaining spices in a mortar and pestle to a smooth paste. Set aside. 3 Heat the oil and butter

in a casserole dish over high heat, add the ribs and brinjals and turn occasionally until the meat is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the ribs and brinjals and set aside. 4 Add the onions to the same pan and stir-fry until golden brown, add the spice paste and stirfry for a further 5-7 minutes. 5 Strain the tamarind water into a bowl and add the pulp to the pan along with 125ml (½c) of the water, the tomatoes, cardamom, ribs and brinjals. Cover and simmer until the lamb is tender, about 1 hour. 6 To serve Season with salt and pepper and serve hot with the yoghurt and steamed basmati rice.