Never hurry the lamb curry

Jun 7 2009 by Catherine Welford, Sunday Sun

I LOVE cooking Indian food, but sometimes the long list of ingredients needed can put me off, especially at the end of a long day.

But there’s something satisfying about creating a curry from scratch, by which I mean mixing your own spices rather than using curry paste.

This recipe is quick and easy to throw together, yet there are enough ingredients to make it feel like proper cooking, rather than just ripping open a ready-made sauce.

It also has the advantage of being far lower in fat than any curry you could buy from your local Indian takeaway.

Although the dhansak can be assembled quickly, it needs long, slow cooking to bring out all the flavours and tenderise the lamb, so it’s probably best done at the weekend. Alternatively, you could make it in the morning and let it cook slowly in a slow cooker to be served in the evening.

LAMB AND PUMPKIN DHANSAK

SERVES: Four

INGREDIENTS:

100g (3 1/2 oz) red lentils

500g (1lb 2oz) butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled weight, cut into chunks

1 onion, chopped

1 x 400g (14oz) chopped tomatoes

1tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

4 cardamom pods

1 tbsp root ginger paste, from a jar

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp chopped red or green chillies, more if you like it hot, from a jar

400g (14oz) diced lamb leg

Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

METHOD:

V Place the red lentils and the squash or pumpkin in a saucepan, along with the onion and canned tomatoes.

V Half fill the tomato can with water and add to the saucepan. Sprinkle in the turmeric and 1 tsp of salt, then simmer for around 20-30 minutes, until the lentils are tender and starting to go mushy. Set aside.

V Heat a large frying pan until very hot, then dry fry the lamb for five minutes, until it is browned on all sides.

V Turn down the heat. Sprinkle the lamb with the cumin and cumin seeds and coriander, and add the cardamom pods. Cook for a further minute, then scoop the fragrant lamb into the saucepan along with the lentil and tomato mix.

V Over a low heat, add the ginger, chillies and garlic to the frying pan in which the lamb was cooked. Stir for two minutes, then add 200ml of water.

V Stir well with a wooden spoon, making sure you scrape up all the spicy residue from the lamb on the bottom of the pan.

V Bring the mixture up to the boil, then pour over the lamb and vegetables in the saucepan.

V Stir well, then bring the pan to the boil. Turn down the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 1hour 15minutes, stirring from time to time.

V Remove the lid and continue to simmer for a further 30 minutes, until the lamb is tender and the sauce has thickened.

V Serve with boiled basmati rice.