Lamb in an Almond Sauce
Lamb in an Almond Sauce is a perfect example of the layered flavors found in Indian cooking. It’s as impressive as anything you’d find at an Indian restaurant. The recipe is adapted from “Madhur Jaffrey’s Spice Kitchen” by Madhur Jaffrey.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
8 whole cloves
1 to 2 dried hot red chiles
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
8 cardamom pods
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon unsweetened, dried, shredded coconut
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped blanched almonds
1 ½ tablespoons coriander seeds (1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon ground)
1/3 whole nutmeg (scant 1 teaspoon ground)
1 (½-inch) piece of mace (½ teaspoon ground) 6 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 (1-inch) cube of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds boneless meat from shoulder of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes (see note)
2 medium onions, peeled and finely minced
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
½ cup canned tomato sauce
1 ½ teaspoons salt
Combine cloves, chiles, peppercorns, cardamom pods, cumin seeds, coconut, almonds, coriander seeds, nutmeg and mace in a heavy skillet over medium heat (if using ground coriander, nutmeg or mace, leave those spices out). Stir until all spices are lightly toasted, about 5 minutes (at this point, add the ground coriander, nutmeg or mace and stir a few more seconds). Let spices cool a bit in a separate bowl, then grind finely in a spice grinder, blender or with a mortar and pestle.
Put garlic, ginger, turmeric and ½ cup water into a blender and blend until smooth.
Heat oil in a wide, heavy pot over fairly high heat. When hot, put in 7 or 8 pieces of meat at a time to brown. When each batch is brown on all sides, remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Continue to brown all the meat this way and set aside.
Put onions into same pot and cook over high heat, stirring and scraping up the juices about 5 minutes, or until they turn dark in spots. Then lower heat to medium and add paste from blender as well as the ground spices. Stir-fry 5 minutes, gradually adding yogurt as you do so, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Add tomato sauce and ½ cup water. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat and simmer gently 15 minutes.
Add meat and all accumulated juices to sauce. Add salt and stir. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer gently 1 hour. Stir a few times as it cooks.
Note: If you can’t find meat from the shoulder of a lamb or lamb stew meat, use beef stew meat. The taste will be different, but it will still be excellent. Don’t worry about authenticity – beef is eaten in some regions of India.
Per serving (based on 4): 625 calories, 16g carbohydrate, 36g protein, 47g fat (13g saturated), 119mg cholesterol, 1,100mg sodium, 4g fiber.