The Food of Love
Try this and scores more recipes from my cookbook Urban Rajah's Curry Memoirs BUY IT NOW!!
Uncle Stanley glimpsed his future every day. It felt so close yet elusively unobtainable.
He’d been wounded deeply by a dart from cupid’s bow and the object of his desire was an angelic vision of Cockney charm with high cheekbones, an East End brogue and razor-sharp wit. He worked the line at Black & Decker and she was office staff. His charm offensive consisted of Hai Karate aftershave, slicked hair, flared collars and a movie-star moustache. Stan wasn’t alone in his admiration for Doreen Crew’s looks and character, but he fought valiantly in the battleground of love until he captured her heart. They were soulmates for over thirty years, competing against ugly looks from strangers, whose eyes questioned their mixed-race union. Many doubted that this cross-cultural marriage could work, but in the end their devotion to each other silenced the cynics.
I remember my aunt as a woman with joie de vivre. She had a taste for curry and a weakness for quality rum, both of which she enjoyed until her early departure from us all. She acquired a voracious appetite for Stan’s curry, and amongst her favourites was an old classic: korma. Unlike the insipid impostor on many an Indian take-away menu, this dish didn’t contain cream or nuts and come with a ‘mild’ rating. Instead its intense deep flavours and rich sauce set off a round of delightful fireworks, as if our taste buds were celebrating some auspicious occasion. I call it ‘kismet korma’ (which means it’s ‘meant to be’), because for my auntie Doreen it truly was love at first bite and it's an easy Indian lamb korma recipe.
How To Make Lamb Korma
Serves 4–6
- 2 onions, sliced
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1kg boneless mutton, diced
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 2 tsp fennel seeds, pounded into powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 8 cloves
- 8 peppercorns
- 1½ tsp salt
- 400g natural yoghurt
- 5 green chillies
- 250g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 500ml water
- 1 tsp kewra (aka screwpine or pandanus water) or rosewater
- Coriander leaves, chopped
-
Cook this the night before you want to eat it.
Fry up the onions in the oil until crispy and golden, then set them aside on kitchen towel to dry out. Keep the oil. In the same pan, using the onion oil, brown off the mutton, adding the cardamom, fennel, cumin, coriander and chilli powder. When the mutton is browned, drop in the cloves, peppercorns and salt and cook over a low heat for around 30 minutes, until the meat has started to cook in its own juices and the mix is looking darker. Blend the yoghurt, chillies, reserved fried onions and tomatoes, turning it into a paste. Add the paste into the pan and swish the ingredients around until everything is coated. Turn up the heat to medium and cook for a further 1½ hours, making sure you stir frequently. To stop the ingredients drying out and sticking to the bottom of the pan, add the water at intervals. The curry shouldn’t be too runny. Just before serving, add a teaspoon of kewra or rosewater.
It takes time but classics like these shouldn’t be rushed. Serve this Indian lamb korma recipe with rotis or rice and garnish with chopped coriander.
Try this and scores more recipes from my cookbook Urban Rajah's Curry Memoirs BUY IT NOW!!
The Food of Love
Try this and scores more recipes from my cookbook Urban Rajah's Curry Memoirs BUY IT NOW!!
Uncle Stanley glimpsed his future every day. It felt so close yet elusively unobtainable.
He’d been wounded deeply by a dart from cupid’s bow and the object of his desire was an angelic vision of Cockney charm with high cheekbones, an East End brogue and razor-sharp wit. He worked the line at Black & Decker and she was office staff. His charm offensive consisted of Hai Karate aftershave, slicked hair, flared collars and a movie-star moustache. Stan wasn’t alone in his admiration for Doreen Crew’s looks and character, but he fought valiantly in the battleground of love until he captured her heart. They were soulmates for over thirty years, competing against ugly looks from strangers, whose eyes questioned their mixed-race union. Many doubted that this cross-cultural marriage could work, but in the end their devotion to each other silenced the cynics.
I remember my aunt as a woman with joie de vivre. She had a taste for curry and a weakness for quality rum, both of which she enjoyed until her early departure from us all. She acquired a voracious appetite for Stan’s curry, and amongst her favourites was an old classic: korma. Unlike the insipid impostor on many an Indian take-away menu, this dish didn’t contain cream or nuts and come with a ‘mild’ rating. Instead its intense deep flavours and rich sauce set off a round of delightful fireworks, as if our taste buds were celebrating some auspicious occasion. I call it ‘kismet korma’ (which means it’s ‘meant to be’), because for my auntie Doreen it truly was love at first bite and it's an easy Indian lamb korma recipe.
Got a particular ingredient or dish in mind? Try searching for it...
