OK, here's the recipe. I'm writing it as it is in the cookbook, with my notes in parentheses. This recipe always takes me about 2 hours, and it's worth every minute.
Lamb Korma
Madhur Jaffrey, "A Taste of India"
2.5 lb boneless lamb meat cut into 1.5 inch cubes (I trim off the large, hard ring of fat from the edge but leave most of the fat alone. It will cook away.)
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 large black cardamom pods
5 Tb vegetable oil (I use less than this)
2 medium onions, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and then cut crosswise into fine half rings (most of the carbs in the dish come from this, reduce as needed)
3 whole cloves
5 whole black peppercorns
3 green cardamom pods
1.5 inch cinnamon stick
4 cups plain whole milk yogurt, lightly beaten with a fork or whisk
5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed (I usually reduce this to 3 cloves)
black pepper
1/4 cup washed, stemmed, finely chopped fresh green coriander (i.e. cilantro)
Put the lamb in a saucepan with the turmeric, salt, black cardamom and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer about an hour or until meat is tender. (I always leave it simmering until the yogurt is ready.)
Meanwhile heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy, wide pan. Add the onions. Stir and saute them, gradually reducing the heat so they cook to a crispy reddish brown without burning. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Leave as much oil in the pan as possible.
Add the spices to the oil in the pan. Stir once and add the yogurt and garlic. Turn the heat back up to medium-high. Keep stirring until the mixture has reduced to a thick, white sauce. Oil should begin to show thrugh along its edges. (You really do need to stir almost constantly and the yogurt always separates (curdles?) as it boils. I've never figured out how to prevent that or even if I need to. The recipe doesn't say whether curdling is bad. I guess if you cooked it down very slowly, without boiling, you could keep it from curdling. But that would take hours.)
When the meat is tender, strain it and save the stock (broth). Add the meat to the yogurt sauce. Stir and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. The white sauce should cling to the pieces of meat and turn a bit golden in spots.
Now add all the stock (broth). Continue to stir and cook until the liquid is reduced and comes about a third of the way up the meat. You can spoon off extra fat if desired. Just before serving, crumble the onions and sprinkle them over the meat. Add black pepper to taste, and the coriander, and stir it all together. Be sure not to eat the whole spices. (I usually stir in the coriander and leave the onions separate, so people can top their portion with as much or as little as they want.)
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She has a couple of versions of Lamb Korma and Butter Chicken.
Hybrid Mode
