Laal maas Fiery lamb curry

Laal maas Fiery lamb curry
as the name suggests, this is a very hot dish, not for people with a weak constitution.
It is by far the hottest dish in this chapter, and is one of the few Indian dishes that
contains heat in every sense—both “chili hot” and “spice hot.” You can decide the
amount of heat you’d like in your finished dish—discard most of the seeds from the
chilies if you want to reduce the heat, or keep them in if you want it really hot. I
think this is perfect for cold winter evenings or even a Friday night gathering. You
can use either lamb or goat—they are interchangeable.
                                                                      ingredients
25–35 dried red chilies, stems removed
chili hot
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 oz (150 g) ghee or vegetable oil
9 oz (250 g) plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
2 tsp cumin seeds, roasted
1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp red chili powder
2 tsp salt
3 cinnamon leaves or bay leaves
6 green cardamom pods
5 black cardamom pods
1/2 oz (75 g) garlic cloves, finely chopped
9 oz (250 g) onions, finely chopped
1/4 lb (1 kg) leg of lamb or goat with bone,
chopped into 1-in (2.5-cm) cubes
3 cups lamb stock or water
                                                                      2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro leaves
method
set aside 3 or 4 of the dried chilies to use later; put the remainder to soak in
1/2 cup water. also put aside 4–6 of the cloves and 1 tbsp of the ghee.
Mix the yogurt with the cumin seeds, ground coriander, chili powder, and salt in a bowl. set aside.
heat the rest of the ghee in a heavy-based pan. add the remaining cloves, the cinnamon leaves,
and the green and black cardamoms. When they begin to crackle and change color, add the garlic.
sauté for 2 minutes or until the garlic begins to turn golden. add the onions and cook for
10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring constantly.
stir in the meat and cook for 2–3 minutes. Drain the soaked red chilies and add to the pan.
Continue cooking for 10–12 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated and the meat starts to
brown slightly. Now add the spiced yogurt and cook for another 10–12 minutes or until the liquid
from the yogurt has evaporated.
add the stock or water and bring to a boil, then cover the pan, reduce the heat, and simmer until
the meat is tender. adjust the seasoning. remove from the heat and keep warm.
to prepare the
tadka, or tempering, which boosts the flavors, heat up the reserved ghee or oil in a
large ladle over a flame (or in a small pan) and add the reserved cloves and dried red chilies. Cook
for 1–2 minutes or until the ghee changes color and the spice flavors are released. Pour the
contents of the ladle over the lamb curry, sprinkle with the chopped cilantro, and serve.