ROGAN JOSH

ROGAN JOSH (RED MEAT CURRY)

two 2.5cm cubes of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped	2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled	1 teaspoon coriander seeds
4 tablespoons water	2 teaspoons ground cumin seeds
10 tablespoons vegetable oil	1 teaspoon salt
2 lb (900 g) boned leg or shoulder of lamb or blade of beef cut into 1" cubes	4 teaspoons red paprika mixed with ˝ teaspoon cayenne pepper
10 whole cardamom pods	6 tablespoons plain yoghurt
2 bay leaves	˝ teaspoon garam masala
6 whole cloves	freshly ground black pepper
10 whole peppercorns
a 1" (2.5cm) stick of cinnamon

Put the ginger, garlic and 4 tablespoons of water into a blender and process to a smooth paste.

Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over a medium-high flame. Brown the meat in several batches and set aside. Put the cardamom pods, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon stick into the same oil and stir for a few seconds. Now add the onions and stir-fry for about 5 minutes or until onion turns a medium-brown colour. Put in the ginger-garlic paste and stir for 30 seconds. Then add the coriander, cumin, paprika-cayenne, and salt. Stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Add the fried meat cubes and their juices and stir to combine with the spices. Now put in 1 tablespoon of the yoghurt. Stir until the yoghurt is well blended. Add the remaining yoghurt, a tablespoon at a time, in the same way and cook for another 4 minutes.

Now add ˝ pint (275ml) of water if you are cooking lamb and ž pint (425ml) if beef. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil, scraping in all browned spices from the sides and bottom of the pot. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for an hour (lamb) or 2 hours (beef), or until the meat is tender. Every 10 minutes or so, give the meat a good stir.

When the meat is tender, remove the lid, turn the heat up to medium, and boil away some of the liquid. You should end up with tender meat in a thick, reddish-brown sauce. Sprinkle the garam masala and black pepper over the meat before serving and mix them in.