Recipe - Lamb Curry With Cardamom Cashew Rice

900 g Lamb, minced
3 tablespoon Vegetable oil
2 Lamb stock cubes
75 ml Natural yogurt
1 Lemon, juice of
225 g White basmati rice
1 tablespoon (rounded) whole cardamom
pods
75 g Golden sultanas
100 g Cashew nuts
Salt and freshly ground
black pepper
For the Marinade
2 md Onions, peeled
and cut into 5mm dice
1 Clove garlic, peeled and
crushed
2 One half Cm fresh ginger, peeled and
grated
1 teaspoon (rounded) cinnamon
1 teaspoon (rounded) garam masala
15 Cardamom pods, seeds
removed, lightly toasted
And crushed
One half teaspoon (rounded) mild chilli powder
To Garnish
1 md Red chilli, deseeded thin
cut or sliced up
1 md Green chilli, deseeded thin
cut or sliced up

A simple, fragrant, very mild curry recipe.

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and brown the
lamb a few pieces at a time, until all the meat has been used up. Add
another tablespoon of oil if necessary, to prevent the meat from sticking
to the pan. Then put the browned lamb, along with the marinade ingredients,
into a medium sized bowl. Stir well to coat thoroughly, cover with
clingfilm and leave until cold. Refrigerate overnight to allow the spices
to flavour the lamb.

The next day, bring 1 pint (570ml) of water to the boil in a mediumsized
pan with the stock cubes. Stir to dissolve. Add the lamb and the marinade,
bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook gently
for 1 One half hours.

While the lamb is gently simmering away, mix the yogurt and lemon juice
together in a small bowl, cover and put aside.

Start preparing the rice about 2530 minutes before the lamb is cooked.
Bring a mediumsized pan of salted water to the boil, add the rice and the
cardamom pods and boil for about 8 minutes.

Test to see if the rice is cooked by splitting a single grain in half with
your fingernail; if it has a tiny white speck in the centre it is al dente
and is just right for eating.

Add the sultanas to the rice 1 minute before the end of cooking time, so
that they are plump and juicy. Drain the rice in a colander. Heat the
remaining tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the
cashews briefly, until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper. Transfer the
rice to a bowl and remove the seeds from about half the cardamom pods for
extra flavour, discarding the husks. Stir the seeds into the hot rice,
along with the fried cashews. Season well and cover with foil to keep warm
while you finish off the lamb.

Remove the lamb from the heat, stir in the yogurt and lemon, check the
seasoning and spoon on to 4 warmed plates. Carefully spoon the hot rice on
top and garnish with the red and green chilli slices.

Suggested Wine: Sainsbury's Jumilla £3.69

Recipe by: Sainsbury's Mag July 1997, Cooking for a Summers Day w Meat
Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #656 by Kerry Erwin kerry@north.org on Jul
06, 1997