Vivek Singh’s traditional Rajasthan curry recipe is steeped in nomadic tribe history. Feel free to try sub-in goat for lamb if you’re feeling tribal and can find any…
750g boneless lamb shoulder meat, trimmed and cut into 2,5cm cubes
6 tbs ghee (clarified butter) or vegetable oil
12 cloves
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 bay leaves
2 onions, finely chopped
6 green chillies, slit lengthways
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbs garlic paste
200g sweetcorn kernels, either frozen or canned is fine
250g plain yoghurt
125ml lamb stock or water, plus extra, if necessary
6cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
50g fresh coriander leaves and stalks, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Method
To start making the curry heat the ghee to smoking point in a heavy-based pan and add the cloves, black mustard seeds and bay leaves. When they crackle, add the onions and cook on a medium heat until golden. Add the green chillies, salt, ground coriander, cumin and turmeric and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the garlic paste and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes. Now add the lamb and cook, moving it around on a high heat, for 4-5 minutes, until lightly browned all over. Stir in ¾ of the sweetcorn kernels and gradually add the yoghurt, stirring well after each spoonful. If you add it too quickly, it will split and make the curry grainy.
Once the yoghurt is incorporated, continue stirring and allow the mixture to come to the boil. Add the lamb stock, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sweetcorn is creamy and soft and the sauce has thickened. Add the ginger, fresh coriander and the remaining sweetcorn kernels, pour in a little more lamb stock or water, if required, and continue simmering over a low heat for 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and finish by squeezing in the lemon juice. Serve the curry hot with rice or with chickpea breads. SERVES 4
What’s the best side dish to serve curry with?
Rice, as it’s great to soak up the sauces with. Basmati rice is best – the least labour intensive and you can cook large quantities in one go.
