Beetroot gives this lamb curry a dramatic colour and thickens the sauce. The slightly sweet earthy beetroot taste works well with the tender lamb. Mango powder is an important spice here - its acidic flavour offsets the sweetness of the beetroot. You could substitute tamarind paste if you can’t obtain mango powder.
Ingredients (serves 2)
300 - 350g lamb neck fillet
1 heaped tbsp plain yoghurt
1 tbsp ginger & garlic paste)
A pinch of salt
1 medium onion
1 tbsp ghee or oil
6 cardamon pods
1 small stick of cinnamon
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
5 cloves
1 Indian bay leaf
5 small dried Kashmiri chillis (or use ground chilli to taste)
1 heaped tsp mango powder
150g grated raw beetroot
100 ml water
Salt to taste
Plain yoghurt or kefir to serve
Method
Ingredients (serves 2)
300 - 350g lamb neck fillet
1 heaped tbsp plain yoghurt
1 tbsp ginger & garlic paste)
A pinch of salt
1 medium onion
1 tbsp ghee or oil
6 cardamon pods
1 small stick of cinnamon
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
5 cloves
1 Indian bay leaf
5 small dried Kashmiri chillis (or use ground chilli to taste)
1 heaped tsp mango powder
150g grated raw beetroot
100 ml water
Salt to taste
Plain yoghurt or kefir to serve
Method
- Cut the lamb into large chunks (it shrinks in size when cooked) and place in a bowl with the yoghurt and ginger/garlic paste and a pinch of salt. Turn well to coat the lamb and leave to marinate for an hour or longer if you wish.
- Roughly chop the onion and fry gently in the ghee or oil until it becomes translucent. I use a flat bottomed wok which is large enough to contain the whole curry.
- Add the spices and fry over a higher heat for 10 to 15 seconds.
- Add the lamb with its marinade, the beetroot and approximately 100ml of water. Mix everything together well.
- Allow to simmer very gently for 40 minutes or until the lamb is completely tender. Add more water as it cooks, if the sauce dries out. Add salt to taste.
- Serve topped with yoghurt or kefir. I also added some poppy seeds and onion seeds fried in oil until they began to pop, as a topping.
