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Lamb dopiaza plus
Serves 4-6 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 6tbsp sunflower oil
- 1.3kg boneless lamb shoulder cut into 3cm chunks
- 650g sweet onions, peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced
- 3 bay leaves
- 8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 4cm piece ginger, peeled and chopped
- 3 long red chillies, deseeded and chopped
- 4 cardamom pods, bruised
- ¼-½tsp chilli powder
- 1¼tsp turmeric
- 1½tsp garam masala
- 400g tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
- 400g small onions or shallots, peeled and broken into lobes
For the topping
- 3tbsp sunflower oil
- 3 onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
to serve
- plain boiled basmati rice
Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºf/ Gas 4. Heat 2tbsp of the oil in a heatproof casserole and fry the meat in batches until browned on both sides, then transfer to a bowl. take 400g of the sliced onions and add to the casserole, stir and add the bay leaves and cook for 5 minutes over a low heat, then add to the lamb.
Meanwhile, put the rest of the sliced onions in a blender with the garlic and ginger and pulse to a fine purée. Heat 2 more tbsp of oil in the casserole over a low heat, add the chopped chilli, cardamom and all the dry spices and fry for 1 minute. Increase the heat and add the purée, then fry until dry and cooked, for about 5 minutes, stirring often to prevent it burning.
Put the lamb and sliced onions back into the casserole and add the tomatoes with 150ml cold water. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir well. When almost simmering put on the lid and place in the oven to cook for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the last of the oil in a pan and fry the small onions or shallots until golden. Add them to the casserole and continue to cook for a further 30 minutes until the lamb is really tender. Meanwhile fry the onions for the topping: heat the oil in a frying pan (not non-stick for crisp onions) over a medium heat and fry the onions slowly until wilted. Increase the heat and fry until golden. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper.
Serve with a tangle of crisp onions and plain basmati rice.
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