Prep Time: Minutes

Cooking Time: Minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients: 1 tsp Garam Masala 2 tsp turmeric 2 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 2 lbs boneless lamb from the shoulder or leg, trimmed of fat and cut into 2 inch cubes Spices for Roasting: 1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds 1 tbsp cumin seeds 2 tbsp fenugreek of fennel seeds 6 whole cloves Seeds from 6 cardamom pods 2 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee (clarified butter) 3 medium onions, thinly sliced 3 tbsp minced garlic 2 tbsp minced fresh ginger 1 tbsp ground dried chiles 2 tsp Garam Masala 1 tsp turmeric 2 bay leaves 1 c. plain lowfat yogurt 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1/3 c. tomato puree 1 10 oz bunch of cilantro, stems finely chopped, leaves coarsely chopped and kept separate 2 small dried red chiles OR 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional) 1 c. water Salt and pepper

Directions: Combine all the rub ingredients in a small bowl. Smear the mixture all over the lamb cubes to coat them thoroughly. You can let the lamb marinate in the spices for up to 2 hours at room temperature or proceed with the recipe immediately. To prepare the roasting spices: Heat a small heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Put in the spices and shake the pan and stir until they are fragrant but have not begun to brown, about 3 minutes. Put them into a mortar and pulverize them to a coarse powder or grind them in a spice grinder or an electric coffee grinder reserved for that purpose. Heat the oil or ghee in a deep, heavy pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Put in the lamb and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove the lamb and set aside. Pour off all but about 2 tbsp of fat from the pot. Add the onions, garlic and ginger. Stir well, cover and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the roasted spices along with the ground chiles or paprika mixture, garam masala, turmeric and bay leaves. Stir well to coat the onions and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the lamb, yogurt, lemon juice, tomato puree, cilantro stems and the optional chiles or cayenne. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the lamb is completely tender and the sauce is nicely thickened. If the sauce gets too thick, add more water. Degrease the sauce and remove the bay leaves. If it's not thick enough, remove the solids and boil to reduce. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the meat, vegetables and sauce with basmati rice and garnish with the chopped cilantro leaves.

Fat: 26.0g

Calories: 527.0

Cholesterol: 138.0mg

Sodium: 1720.0mg

Copyright by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly, 1998. Houghton Mifflin Company.