Lamb Stewed in Coconut Milk
This is a meal in itself: a kind of Indian Lancashire hotpot that requires only rice – or a good crusty bread – on the side. I always serve something green as well. The cooking time in a saucepan would be about 70 minutes and you would need to add 150ml (5fl oz) water before starting to cook.
Ingredients
- vegetable oil
- 12 fresh curry leaves if available, or 3 bay leaves
- 5 cm 2in cinnamon stick
- 6 cardamom pods
- 8 cloves
- 15 black peppercorns
- 75 g 3oz onions, peeled and chopped
- 675 g 1½lb boned shoulder of lamb, cut into 4cm (1½in) chunks
- 450 g 1lb potatoes, peeled and cut into 4cm (1½in) chunks
- 2 medium carrots peeled and cut into 3 pieces each
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 –2 fresh hot green chillies
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 x 400g 14oz tin coconut milk
Instructions
- Put 3 tablespoons oil in a pressure cooker and set over medium–high heat. When hot, put in the curry leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves and peppercorns. Stir once and add the onions. Sauté for 1½ minutes or until the onions are soft. Add the meat, potatoes, carrots, turmeric, coriander, chilli powder, green chillies, salt and 250ml (8fl oz) of the well-stirred coconut milk. Cover securely with the lid and, on high heat, bring up to full pressure. Turn the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Lower the pressure with the help of cool water and remove the lid.
- Cook, uncovered, over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring gently as you do this. Add the remaining coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat.