Lamb korma
A familiar staple of Indian restaurants around the world, korma is more than a dish — it is a cooking style. Put simply, it consists of marinated meat or vegetables that are cooked with ghee or oil, then braised with water or stock, yoghurt or cream (or sometimes all of these).
Ingredients
1kg lamb leg meat
1 onion, chopped
1 onion, sliced
2 tsp grated ginger
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cardamom seeds
¼ tsp cloves
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
3 long green chillies, deseeded and chopped
2 tbsp ghee or oil
2½ tbsp tomato paste
125g (½ cup) plain yoghurt
125ml (½ cup) coconut cream
50g (½ cup) ground almonds
toasted slivered almonds, to serve
Method
Step 1
Trim any excess fat or sinew from the lamb, cut into 3-centimetre cubes and put in a large bowl.
Step 2
Put the chopped onion, ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, cardamom seeds, cloves, cinnamon, chilli and ½ teaspoon salt in a food processor, or in a mortar with a pestle, and process or pound to a smooth paste. Add the spice paste to the lamb and mix well to coat. Leave to marinate for 1 hour.
Step 3
Heat the ghee or oil in a large saucepan, add the sliced onion and cook, stirring, over low heat for 7 minutes, or until the onion is soft. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the lamb mixture and cook, stirring constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the lamb changes colour.
Step 4
Stir in the tomato paste, yoghurt, coconut cream and ground almonds. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, or until the meat is very tender. Add a little water if the mixture becomes too dry. Season well with salt and pepper, and serve garnished with the slivered almonds.
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