Authentic Indian Curry Recipe

To put it simply I love curry and Indian curry is my absolute favourite. I have tried to cook many different recipes but never seem to achieve the same as some of my favourite restaurants in Mumbai or Varanasi. There are many reasons for this – not using ghee and not being in India springs to mind but I will persevere. This recipe I got from my pukka mate Rajan and although it doesn’t taste as good in Joburg as it does in Jaipur it is still good. Lamb Curry

You can replace the chopped tomatoes with one medium pot of plain yoghurt if you prefer a creamy curry.

5cm of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
4 cloves chopped garlic
1 cups water
Oil (or ghee)
750gm lamb cut into bite size cubes
6 whole cardamom pods (remove seeds and discard pods if you like prefer)
1 bay leaf
5 whole cloves
Fresh ground black pepper
5cm cinnamon stick
1 medium onions, peeled, finely chopped
1 heaped teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoons ground cumin (or seeds if you prefer )
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon chilli powder (this isn’t to hot in my opinion, I use 3 teaspoons)
Salt to taste
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1 dash fresh ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a suitable pot and brown the lamb cubes in several batches then set aside. Heat more oil / ghee if needed and add the cardamom, bay leaf, cloves, pepper and cinnamon and stir fry for a few seconds. Add the onions to the pan and cook slowly until translucent. Add ginger and garlic cook for 1 min. Stir in the coriander, cumin, chilli powder and the salt mix in ground spices until they soak up the oil / ghee. Add the lamb cubes and stir. Add the chopped tomatoes and slowly bring to the boil. Add water to the curry until it reaches the consistency you prefer. Cover the pan and cook on a low heat for 20 minutes or until lamb is tender stirring occasionally.

If you would prefer a creamy curry then replace the chopped tomatoes with one spoon of yoghurt and blend in to the dry curry. Add the rest of the yoghurt and cook over a low heat for 3 minutes. Add water until the curry reaches your preferred consistency and slowly bring curry to the boil and cook on a low heat for 20 minutes or until lamb is tender.

Just before serving add the garam masala and stir into the curry

Of course you cannot beat the real thing so why not enjoy an authentic Indian curry on an authentic Indian adventure!

What are you waiting for? Dream, Discover, Explore!

Travel Light Reading
There is only one Goddess of Indian cookery and that's Madhur Jaffery

Simple Indian Cookery: Step by Step to Everyone's Favourite Indian Recipes
Madhur Jaffrey is renowned as an international authority on Indian food. In Simple Indian, now available in paperback, she shares her knowledge and her passion, bringing us classic dishes from this hugely popular culinary region.