Another weekend another dinner party. While Princess Lottie whirred and purred away on her fabulous KitchenAid mixer to turn out her marshmallow white chocolate rocky road cupcakes. I decided it was time to tackle one of our favourite curry dishes again.
A fresh and light starter in preparation for the curry feast. Grilled asparagus wrapped in parma ham. Served with garlic coated grilled vine tomatoes and dressed with olive oil, balsamic, chopped olives, basil, seasoning and a squeeze of lemon.
Mains: I’ve always approached Peter’s Lamb Curry (from Jamie Oliver) with a bit of trepidation. Its not that it’s a difficult dish, but rather it’s quite ‘aromatic’. But as long as you love the smells and delights of a good curry (and you can open a window or two!), this is well worth it.
Peter’s Lamb Curry
serves 82 tablespoons butter
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
285ml/1/2 pint stock or water
1.5kg/3 1/2lb leg of lamb, diced
1 handful of chopped mint and coriander
285ml/1/2 pint natural yoghurt
salt and freshly ground black pepper
lime juice to tasteHot and Fragrant Rub Mix -
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1/2 tablespoon fenugreek seeds
1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 clove
1/2 a cinnamon stick
2 cardamom pods
salt and freshly ground black pepperCurry Paste Ingredients -
5cm/2 inches fresh ginger, peeled
2 tennis-ball-sized red onions, peeled
10 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 fresh chillies, with seeds
1 bunch of fresh corianderPreheat your oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
Lightly toast the fragrant rub mix in the oven or under the grill. Chop the curry paste ingredients roughly, add the rub mix and puree in a food processor.
In a large casserole pan, fry the curry paste mixture in the butter until it goes golden, stirring regularly. Add the tomatoes and the stock or water. Bring to the boil, cover with kitchen foil and place in the oven for one and a half hours to intensify the flavour. Remove the foil and continue to simmer on the stove until it thickens. This is your basic curry sauce.Fry the lamb in a little olive oil until golden, then add to the curry sauce and simmer for around 1 hour or until tender.
Sprinkle with chopped coriander and mint and stir in the yoghurt. Season to taste and add a good squeeze of lime juice. Serve with spiced breads, steamed basmati rice and lots and lots of cold beer.
Feel free to vary the curry by using diced chicken, prawns or paneer, or vegetables like Swiss chard, spinach, peas, cauliflower, fried aubergine, okra, boiled potatoes, chickpeas or lentils.
Paratha
325g wholemeal or chapati flour, plus some flour for dusting
170/250ml water approx
Sunflower or corn oil for cookingMix flour and 1 tbsp. oil in a bowl. Add water gradually and knead it at the same time until a soft dough is formed.
Divide the mixture into 6 equal sized balls. Dip one ball in the dry flour and roll out to 4 inch diameter. Apply a little oil on top of the rolled out portion. Fold in half.
Apply a little oil again on the top and fold in half again so that you have a triangular shape. Now dust some dry flour on the surface and roll out to ½ cm thick triangular shape. Now put it on a hot griddle pan. Turn it over after 20 to 30 seconds and cook the other side for 20 to 30 seconds.
Now apply a little oil on the top and turn it over. Apply a little oil on the other side as well and cook both sides until you see some brown spots on both sides.
Take it out and put it on a kitchen towel. Repeat the process with rest of the balls. Serve warm with any curry.
To keep it soft and warm, wrap it in foil. Can be warmed in a microwave or in a hot pan for few seconds just before eating.
Delicious.
Desert: These Marshmallow Rocky Road cupcakes are from Not Quite Nigella.
) xxx (DELISH!!)
