Ingredients
|
Quantity
|
Cooked spinach
|
3 cups
|
Vegetable oil
|
6 tbsp
|
Lamb
|
3 pounds
|
Onions – thinly sliced
|
3 ½ cups
|
Fresh garlic – finely chopped
|
1 ½ tbsp
|
Fresh ginger – finely chopped
|
3 tbsp
|
Ground cumin
|
1 tbsp
|
Coriander
|
2 tbsp
|
Turmeric
|
1 tsp
|
Tomato
|
1
|
Green chillies – minced
|
3
|
Plain yoghurt
|
3 tbsp
|
Cinnamon stick
|
1
|
Cardamom – green
|
12
|
Whole cloves
|
9
|
Bay leaves
|
3
|
Salt
|
1 tbsp
|
Garam masala
|
4 tsp
|
Finely puree spinach, using a food processor or electric blender.
Break the cinnamon into three pieces and crumble the bay leaves.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Chop tomato finely. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large
frying pan over high heat until very hot. Pat the meat dry on paper towels (or
it will not brown), and add. Brown the meat, turning and tossing the pieces, until
nicely seared on all sides. (This is best done in batches so that the frying
pan is not overcrowded. As each batch is browned, transfer to a heavy bottomed casserole.)
Add the remaining 4 tablespoons oil to the frying pan, and add onions. Reduce
heat to medium-high, and fry until they turn caramel brown (about 25 minutes), stirring
constantly to prevent burning. Add garlic and ginger, and fry for an additional
2 minutes. Add cumin, coriander, and turmeric, and stir rapidly for 15 seconds.
Add tomatoes and chilies, and continue frying until the tomato is cooked and
the entire mixture is turned into a thick pulpy paste (about 3 minutes). Add
yogurt, and immediately turn off the heat. When slightly cool, puree in an
electric blender or food processor, and add to the meat in the casserole.
Place a double layer of cheesecloth, about 6 inches square, on the
work surface. Put cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaves in the center, bring
up the four corners of the cheesecloth to wrap the spices, and tie them to form
a bag. Crush the bag slightly with a wooden mallet or any heavy tool to break
up the spices. Add the spice bag to the casserole.
Add 4 cups boiling water along with the salt, and stir to
distribute the meat into the sauce. Place a piece of aluminum foil on top of
the casserole, and cover tightly with the lid. Bring the contents to a boil on
top of the stove.
Place the casserole in the middle level of the oven for 2 ½ hours.