I make - Lamb Pasanda

After several rounds of would-rather-forget beef brisket dishes (including the most recent beef curry), I've decided that the best meat this country has to offer is lamb. I didn't like lamb until I arrived in the UK and it took me a few years before I realized how good lamb is. The meat is always tender, succulent and rich but not bold. I just love it. Lamb shoulder is my favorite cut. It roasts so well seasoned minimally, not fussy about temperature or time (although low and slow is hard to beat) and always with great outcome. Recently I also tried lamb rump, the part of the animal just before the hind legs. I grilled mine on the stove top after marinating in soy sauce and shaoxin wine. What can I say, tender, juicy and very flavorful. We both wished we had more to share that night.

Then it was lamb pasanda. So far, I would consider Butter Chicken is my signature curry dish but tonight's lamb curry deserves to go on my repertoire. It's a gentle curry enriched with yogurt and cream, mildly spiced and with the great British lamb. Here is my version based on Curry Guy's recipe.


My Lamb Pasanda

Lamb and the marinade
- 900g (2lbs.) lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 4 tablespoons of yogurt
- 1 teaspoon of mixed powder (or use chicken masala or tandoori masala powder)
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 tsp salt

Pasanda gravy
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoon rapeseed oil/ghee
- 4 green cardamom pods, bruised
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon of grated ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek powder (or 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds)
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon tandoori masala
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 tomatoes, chopped (or use 1 cup of canned tomatoes or 3 tablespoons of tomato paste)
- 1 large red bell pepper, in 1cm dices
- Water (enough to cover)
- 1 tablespoon of almond butter from a jar (or use 2 tablespoons of puree from cashews which have been soaked in hot water and drained)
- 100ml Greek yogurt (5% fat)
- 50ml single cream
- 1 tsp sugar
- Salt to taste
- Coriander leaves to decorate

Marinade lamb shoulder chunks at least 2 hours with all ingredients listed under Lamb and the Marinade.

To prepare the gravy, saute the chopped onions in oil or ghee until golden brown. Add in ginger, garlic, cardamon pods, fenugreek powder/seeds, cinnamon stick and two masala powders. Cook the spices and the aromatics in the oil for 30 seconds to release the aroma. Dribble some water to prevent from sticking or burning.

When the pan is almost dry (no visible water pools), cook the marinated lamb chunks in the same pot. You may need to grill the lamb in two batches, depending on the size of your pan. You want light brown crust to form under each lamb chunk.

After all lamb chunks are lighted browned, add in chopped tomatoes and bell peppers. Stir well and add water just enough to cover the top (it's ok to see a few chunks). Bring the pot to a rolling boil, cover and bring the heat to low. Cook for 45 minutes.

In the meantime, mix Greek yogurt and cream in a bowl and set aside at the room temperature. This minimizes the chance of yogurt splitting in the hot curry.

After 45 minutes, remove the lid and stir the curry lightly to prevent anything stuck on the pan. Stir in almond butter and the yogurt/cream mixture. Season with 1 teaspoon of sugar. Cook for another 15-20 minutes uncovered at low heat until the lamb is tender. Taste, season with salt and scatter coriander leaves on top.