Royal Persian Lamb

Jorge&Dellie's Note:

A slight variation on Madhur Jaffrey's Royal Lamb or Beef with a Creamy Almond Sauce also known as Shahi Korma. Having travelled a little in current day Iran this style of curry was not to be found anywhere. Although Lamb is ever popular the closest "curry" style dishes are the Beryani dishes from the Esfahan region. It is likely that these and others were more heavily spiced as the cuisine moved south through Pakistan and India where the delights of Kashmiri, Biryani and Korma style curries were perfected. That's my guess anyway - Enjoy, this is a special one for lovers of silky spiced creme sauces.

• Total Time: 2 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 8 garlic cloves , peeled
• 1 piece gingerroot , 2 . 5 cm cube (peeled & coarsely chopped)
• 50 g blanched almonds , slivered
• 6 tablespoons water
• 7 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 kg boneless lamb shoulder (In 2.5 cm cubes)
• 10 cardamom pods , 10 pieces
• 6 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick , 3 cm long piece
• 200 g brown onions , finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
• 300 ml single cream
• ½ teaspoon garam masala

Directions:

1. Put the garlic, ginger and almonds and 6 tablespoons of water into the container of an electric blender. Blend until you have a paste.
2. Put the oil in a wide, heavy, preferably non-stick pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in just enough meat pieces so they lie uncrowded in a single layer. Brown the meat pieces on all sides, then remove them with a slotted spoon and put them in a bowl. Brown all the meat this way.
3. Put the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon into the hot oil. Within seconds, the cloves will expand. Now put in the onions. Stir and fry the onions until they turn a brownish color.
4. Turn the heat down to medium. Put in the paste from the blender as well as the coriander, cumin and cayenne. Stir and fry this mixture for 3-4 minutes or until it too has browned somewhat.
5. Now put in the meat cubes as well as any liquid that might have accumulated in the meat bowl, the salt, the cream and 120 ml of water. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn heat to low and simmer or cook in a preheated oven (180 C), for 1.5 hour until the meat is tender. Stir frequently during this cooking period. Skim off any fat that floats to the top. Sprinkle in the garam masala and mix.
6. Note: The whole spices in this dish are not meant to be eaten.
7. Persian Curries are served traditionally with flat bread only but we have found that it is perfect with rice or a delicate alternative would is freshly buttered cus cus.