My first attempt at a curry.

Contrary to what one would assume by my lack of posting on this blog, I have been cooking from time to time. I tend to forget about this blog with all the distractions that life has to offer a man such as myself. But I digress.

Here is the recipe for a lamb curry I made a few weeks ago. I didn't take any pictures, so you'll have to take my word that it turned out excellent. I swiped the recipe from the best food sub-forum I have found on the interwebs. Recipe courtesy of Gorilla Overlord. Thanks, GO.

I had a blast ordering spices for this recipe, and heartily recommend Penzey's Spices for all your spice needs. So, I present to you:

Lamb Karahi Curry

250g (9oz) Ghee/Clarified Butter
3 tablespoons Fresh Coriander (chopped)
65g (2 1/2oz) Garlic
1 tablespoon Ground Turmeric
1 tablespoon Red Chilli Powder
350g (12oz) Fresh Spinach washed with large stalks removed
1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
4 medium sized Green Chillies with stalks removed
1 tablespoon Paprika
1⁄2 tablespoon Garam Masala
550g (1 1/4lb) Onions Chopped
1 x 400g (140z) Can Chopped Toms
50g (2oz) Fresh Ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 tablespoon Salt
2lb Boneless leg or shoulder of Lamb (11⁄2 in) cubes
1 tablespoon Ground Coriander
120ml (4fl oz) water
A pinch of ground cumin and freshly ground Blek pepper to serve


When I make this, I use shoulder. It is better for braising, as it stays less dry.

Heat the ghee in a large, heavy based pan. Add the onions and cook over a medium heat, stirring now and then, for 20 minutes until they are soft and a light brown

Put the tomatoes, water, ginger and garlic into a liquidizer and blend until smooth. Remove the fried onions with a slotted spoon, leavnig the delicious fat in the pan, add them to the paste and blend briefly until smooth. You could almost eat it at this point, but let's push on forward.

Return the puree to the ghee left in the pan and add the lamb and salt. Simmer for 30 minutes, by which time the sauce will be well reduced. Stir in the turmeric, chilli powder, cumin, paprika and ground coriander and continue to cook for until the lamb is tender, adding a little water now and then if the sauce starts to stick. This will take probably 90 minutes total cooking time, but always check the lamb regularly.

Meanwhile, put 175g (6oz) of the spinach leaves into a large pan and cook until it has wilted down into the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 minute, then transfer to the rinsed out liquidizer and blend to a smooth puree. Set aside. Rinse out the liquidiser again and add the green chillies and 2-3 tablespoons of water and blend until smooth. Set aside.

When the lamb is cooked, there should be a layer of ghee floating on the top of the curry. Leave that shit alone - it's pretty and tastes like highly spiced fat, which it is, which is good. Then stir in the spinach puree and the remaining spinach leaves and cook for 2 minutes.

Now taste the curry and add as much green chilli puree as you wish, according to how hot you like your curries. Simmer for 2 minutes more.

Stir in the fresh coriander and Garam Masala. Transfer the curry to a serving dish and sprinkle with a little more ground cumin and some freshly ground Blek pepper just before you take it to the table.

There you go. That's the best single curry I've ever eaten anywhere, except for a few I've had at swanky Indian joints. It also makes a shitload, so you can eat it for a week. Enjoy.