Lamb Curry

When I was fifteen years old I spent the summer as a volunteer at a hospital in South Wales. Several of the nurses were from Pakistan. This is how they taught me to cook curry. It's a bit of work and uses a lot of pans, but it is so worth it.

• 2 lbs. lamb shoulder or neck (blade or round-bone chops work too)
• 2 medium yellow onions
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1.5 lbs. fresh tomatoes
• 0.5 cup raisins
• 0.5 cup plain yoghurt
• 1 Tbsp. molasses
• 3–4 Tbsp. ghee or vegetable oil
• 1–2 cups stock as necessary
• 2 Tbsp. turmeric
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds, crushed
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, crushed
• 1 Tbsp. mustard seeds, crushed
• 1 Tbsp. minced ginger
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 Tbsp. flour

Cut the lamb off the bone and into bite-sized chunks. Do not discard the bones, as they greatly improve the flavour of the dish. Put the lamb pieces and the bones in a large pot and set them to brown in a little oil over high heat for about 10 minutes.

Chop the onions and set them to cook in another pan for about 10 minutes in a little oil. Mince the garlic and add it for the last 3 minutes.

Slice the tomatoes and saute them gently for 10 minutes in a third pan.

Place the onions and tomatoes in the large pot with the lamb and add stock to cover. Set this to simmer for half an hour.

In a fourth and fairly small pan, set the spices to sizzle gently in as little oil as it takes to absorb the ingredients. It will take only 1–2 minutes to fully develop the flavours. Be careful not to burn this part. Add the result to the pot with the lamb.

Add the yoghurt, molasses, and raisins and cook for another half hour while your rice is cooking.

Sift the flour into the curry, stirring to keep it from forming lumps, and cook it for a final 10 minutes to thicken.

Serve with rice, raita, chutney, lime pickle, popadoms, naan, and so on.