Indian Food!

Saturday I picked up my half lamb order from Back Forty Acres. I had decided a couple of days earlier that I wanted to use some of it for an Indian lamb dish. I had never made anything more complicated than saag in my kitchen (as far as Indian food is concerned). After some Internet sleuthing, a quick inventory of my existing ingredients, and a trip to the grocery store, I was ready to cook. I had the Engineer to assist me, which saved a great deal of tedious chopping time. The Engineer is very meticulous about his chopping, and when I say "cut this onion into 5mm cubes," I know I will get a prep bowl full of perfect 5mm medium diced onion.

I decided to use the meat from the lamb chops I received instead of cutting up my only shoulder roast. The chops were on the small side and I didn't know what else I could use them for. I went to work with my boning knife and eventually I had a bowl with about 1.5 lbs of lamb meat in it.

Fast forward an hour and my Dutch oven was bubbling with fragrant lamb, there were red lentils in another pot, and a large bowl of chopped spinach standing by for saag. My kitchen was redolent with curry, cumin, and coriander. I couldn't wait to eat!

The lamb dish (rogan josh) was AMAZING. It was the clear standout of the meal. The red lentils (dal) could have been spicier and needed more time in the pot to thicken. I will have to tweak the recipe in the future. The saag was not as good as the saag I have made in the past; it was too watery. Fortunately, I made some basmati rice to serve as an absorbent substrate, so it was all good. Oh, was it ever good!

My house still smells like curry.

Yum.

Rogan Josh (Indian Lamb Stew)

1/4 cup canola oil
2 lbs boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
Kosher salt
2 onions, thinly sliced (3 cups)
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp hot Madras curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
14 oz tomato puree (I pureed a can of diced tomatoes)
1 cup plain yogurt
2 cups water
1 tsp garam masala
Chopped cilantro leaves

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil. Season the lamb with salt and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is browned, about 12 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate to drain.

Add the onion to the pot and cook over medium heat until lightly browned, 4 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, curry, turmeric, cayenne, and bay leaves and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato puree, yogurt, and water. Bring to a boil and season with salt.

Return the lamb to the pot. Cover partially and simmer over low heat until the lamb is tender, 1 hour. Stir in the garam masala and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve, garnished with cilantro.