This wonderfully spiced curry is influenced by the Lucknowi lamb chops recipe posted back in June. I’ve taken the leftovers to work on a couple of occasions, prompting a number of requests for the recipe. Julie and Elaine ……this one is just for you.

Don’t like lamb? See below.

Serves 4 (generous portion)

800g lamb neck fillet, cubed.

For the marinade:

2 tsp red chilli flakes

20 mls lemon juice

4 heaped tlb natural yogurt

2 tsp garam masala

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp crushed black peppercorns

4 -6 crushed garlic cloves (start with 4, taste and add more if desired)

2tlb grated fresh ginger

A good pinch of salt and pepper

For the curry sauce:

2 onions – 1 diced and the other thinly sliced

2tlb coconut oil

2 crushed garlic cloves

1tlb grated fresh ginger

1 tsp red chilli flakes

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cinnamon

400g tinned tomatoes plus 1 tin of water

1tlb tomato puree

Chicken stock cube

1 sachet coconut cream

Handful of freshly chopped coriander leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

For the paratha:

150g chapatti flour

½ tlb sunflower oil

Pinch of salt

80mls water

200g frozen peas

1tsp salt

1/2tsp cumin seeds

Pinch of chilli powder

Coconut oil for cooking

 For the chutney:

½ cup coriander leaf

1 tsp mint sauce

1 red chilli (de-seeded if you don’t want it too spicy)

½ ball of crystallised ginger

1 tlb lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

,Method:

Mix together all of the marinade ingredients. Add the cubed lamb and ensure that it is well coated. Cover and leave to marinade in the refrigerator for at least four hours, but ideally overnight.

To make the curry,  pre-heat the oven to 120°c. Sauté the onions, garlic, ginger and dry spices garlic in 1tlb coconut oil for five minutes, until the onions are soft and golden. Place the onions into a lidded casserole dish – if you don’t have a dish with a lid, don’t worry, just cover with tin foil.

Shake any excess marinade from the lamb before browning  in batches in the remaining coconut oil. Add the meat to the casserole dish. Add the tinned tomatoes, water, tomato puree and stock before putting in the oven. Slow cook for five to six hours until the lamb is soft and unctuous. Add the coconut cream for the last thirty minutes of cooking. Stir in the coriander leaf just before serving and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To make the chutney, put all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor, blitzing until you have a paste. Add a little water if necessary. Check the balance of flavours. Add more lemon juice for greater piquancy, more ginger for sweetness or more chilli for heat. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Any remaining chutney will keep for a week or so in a sterilised jam jar in  the refrigerator.

To make the paratha, mix the flour, salt, oil and water and knead for five minutes until you have a firm dough. Add the water gradually as you may not need it all. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

To make the filling, cook the peas in salted boiling water for five minutes, before draining. Mix the peas with the remaining ingredients and smash with a potato masher until crushed and well combined.

Divide the dough into four even portions. Roll out each portion of dough on a floured surface into a circle with a diameter of approximately 7.5cm.

Add a portion of the pea mixture to the centre of the dough. Fold over to enclose the dough, before rolling again to a diameter of approximately 15cm.

Repeat for the remaining paratha.

Just before serving, heat the coconut oil in a frying pan and fry each individual paratha for 1-2 minutes per side  until crisp and golden.

Serve the curry in bowls with the paratha and chutney on the side. For a more substantial dish add a portion of boiled rice.

Don’t like lamb? Swap the lamb for four chicken breasts, marinading as per the recipe. Pan fry until browned, and remove from the pan. Cook the curry sauce in the pan, returning the chicken and cooking for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.  Stir through the coriander leaf just before serving.