Kashmiri Lamb
Description
This lamb curry features green and red chiles, dried coconut, and almonds in a saffron-yogurt sauce. It's an example of the rich cooking style of Kashmir, worthy of the Moghul emperors — or your dinner guests! Serve it with basmati rice or crusty breads.
Ingredients
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4 dried red chile peppers (such as cayenne)
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3 long, green fresh chile peppers (such as Indian Jwala)
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1 teaspoon cumin seeds
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1 teaspoon Kashmiri garam masala
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1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
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5 cloves garlic, crushed
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1/4 cup dried unsweetened coconut
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3 tomatoes, chopped
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6 tablespoons vegetable oil
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2 large onions, thinly sliced
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2 pounds lamb meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
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salt to taste
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1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
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1 cup plain yogurt
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1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
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20 whole blanched almonds
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1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
1
Place red chiles, green chiles, cumin seeds, garam masala, ginger, garlic, grated coconut, and tomatoes into a blender; pulse several times to chop, then blend into a smooth paste.
2
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and continue cooking and stirring until the onion is very tender and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more.
3
Stir the spice paste into the onion and cook and stir until the oil separates from the mixture, about 3 minutes.
4
Stir in lamb pieces and salt. Cook, stirring frequently over medium-high heat, until the lamb pieces are browned on all sides, about 8 minutes.
5
Mix in yogurt, saffron, and blanched almonds until well combined.
6
Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the meat is tender and the gravy is thick, about 1 hour.
7
Garnish the curry with chopped cilantro before serving.