Lamb, saffron and apricot curry
This fragrant, sweet and spiced lamb curry is magnificent enough for a celebration like Eid or a Ramadan dinner party where you want to impress. But it's also really easy.
Don’t be scared of the amount of fat in this recipe, it really is necessary for authenticity. You can also use chicken thighs instead of lamb if you wish.
Ingredients
- 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh root ginger, grated
- 650g/1lb 7oz boneless lamb, cut into cubes
- 100g/3½oz ghee or butter
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp nigella seeds
- 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 200g tin plum tomatoes, finely chopped
- 350ml/12fl oz warm lamb stock
- pinch saffron
- 200g/7oz dried apricots
- salt, to taste
For the garnish
- handful finely chopped coriander
- 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
- finely sliced mild green or red chilli (optional)
Method
Rub the garlic and ginger into the cubed lamb and set aside in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the ghee or butter in a large, wide heavy-based pan. Add the onions and fry over a medium heat for around 15 minutes, or until they are a deep golden-brown colour. If you don’t achieve the right colour at this stage, it will affect the result of the entire end dish.
Add the turmeric, garam masala, cumin seeds, nigella seeds and chilli powder to the onions and stir well. Now add the lamb cubes, stirring well to make sure the meat is browning slightly, but that the spices and onions don’t catch.
Add the chopped tomatoes to the lamb with the stock and bring the whole mixture to the boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, over a low-medium heat for about 45-60 minutes, or until the lamb is meltingly soft. Most of the liquid will have evaporated from the pan and oil will start bubbling up to the surface. If you find that the lamb is not yet completely soft, add a little warm water and continue to cook for another 15 minutes (the varying age of the lamb and size of your lamb cubes influences the cooking time.)
While the lamb is cooking, put the apricots in a small bowl, cover in boiling water and leave to soak for 15 minutes
Grind the saffron in a pestle and mortar, pour over a few tablespoons of boiling water and leave to steep for 20 minutes.
In the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the oil starts to split and separate out, add the soaked apricots and the saffron water to the lamb and season with salt, to taste.
To serve, garnish with extra chopped coriander, pomegranate seeds and slices of a mild green or red chilli if you wish.