Ingredients

• 500 gm. leg of lamb, cut into cubes, including bones. Do not use cheap meat cuts if you want good results

• Marinade:

• 1/2 cup thick yoghurt* or dahi

• 3 green cardamom seeds, crushed or 1/2 tsp. cardamom powder

• 1 cinnamon stick of approximately 2 inches, powdered or 1 level tsp. powder

• 2 tsp. coriander powder

• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. chilli powder, adjusted to taste

• 1 tsp. sweet paprika powder (for colour)

• 1 level tsp. cumin powder

• 1 level tsp. turmeric powder

• 1 tsp. 'sonf' or fennel powder

• A few strands of saffron, soaked in a tbsp. of warm water

• For cooking:

• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

• 1 tbsp. grated ginger

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled

• 3 tbsp. ghee or clarified butter or oil

• A large pinch of asafoetida or hing powder

• 1 tea cup chopped or tinned tomatoes

• Salt to taste

• 1 tsp. Garam Masala

• A handful of chopped coriander leaves

Instructions

1. Place lamb and all marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix. Keep overnight in the fridge* in an airtight container.

2. Grind onion, ginger and garlic together.

3. Heat the ghee in a heavy bottomed pan or a pressure cooker. Add asafoetida powder and fry onion, garlic, ginger mix, until onion is golden.

4. Stir in lamb and its marinade and stir fry on high. When the meat looks sealed/browned, add tomatoes and salt. Stir-fry on high for 8-10 minutes.

5. Add 1/2 cup water, cover and cook on medium heat, until meat is tender. This takes 30-45 minutes. Cooking time varies according to the cut /quality of lamb. Keep stirring from time to time. Also, check water, adding more if necessary. Finished dish should have thick gravy that sticks to the meat.

6. Cooking in a pressure cooker: Start as in step 3. At step 5, close pressure cooker lid and bring to full pressure. Reduce heat to medium-low, to maintain even pressure, and cook for 10 minutes. Better the quality of lamb, lesser time it takes to cook it. Mutton may take longer.

7. Allow to cool before opening. Check to make sure that the lamb is tender. If it is not tender, cook for another 5 minutes. If there is too much liquid, a quick boil without the lid will make the gravy thick.

8. Adjust seasoning and add garam masala, give it a quick stir and close the lid. This will allow the flavours of garam masala to infuse.

9. Add chopped coriander leaves and stir them in. Save a few for garnish just before serving.

10. Serve hot with Chapatti, Nan, Tandoori Roti 1 or Boiled Rice.

Notes

• You can add 1/2 cup of double or sour cream and 1 tbsp. chopped or flaked almonds to the marinade, to give it a richer taste.

• You can add 2 tbsp. dry methi leaves to the marinade to give it a different flavour.

• This dish can be cooked with mutton, if you like mutton. It will take longer to cook.

• Don't worry about the amount of ghee used for cooking. Once the dish is ready, you can remove the excess ghee/fat from the top.

• *Tips for cooking with yoghurt:

• Always use full fat yoghurt, if possible. Skimmed milk yoghurt sometimes curdles during cooking. If you wish to use low fat yoghurt, add 1 heaped teaspoon of plain or corn flour per cup of yoghurt.

• Make sure that the dish you are cooking is at room temperature. If yoghurt is cooked straight from the fridge, it may curdle.

• When adding yoghurt during cooking, take out a few tablespoons of the hot food in a bowl, mix yoghurt, warming it a bit and then stir it back into the hot dish.

• Substitute sour cream for yoghurt, using only half the amount.