Ingredients

2 to 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 (3/4-inch piece) cinnamon stick
3 to 4 green cardamom pods
1 to 2 black cardamom pods, if available
2 to 3 garlic cloves
2 to 3 dried red chiles, torn or snipped into pieces
2 onions, chopped
1 pound boned leg of lamb, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (ask your butcher to saw up the bone
and give it to you)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 heaping tablespoon Ginger/Garlic paste, recipe follows
Salt
1 to 2 large waxy-style potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 tomato, chopped, optional
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Instructions

Heat the oil in
a heavy saucepan until a haze forms on top. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, garlic, and red
chiles. As soon as the spices swell and change color, add the onions and saute until well
browned. Add the lamb and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. When the
liquid in the pan has almost dried up, add the ground spices and the ginger/garlic paste
and stir well. Then add some salt and enough water (or stock) to just about cover the
lamb. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and summer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring from time
to time and making sure the sides of the pan are kept clean.

Add the potatoes and mix them in well, then add the tomato, if using. Cover again and
simmer until the lamb and potatoes are tender. Check the seasoning and sprinkle with some
chopped fresh cilantro. Stir some in as well, if you like, for an extra kick.

Ginger/Garlic Paste: Ginger/garlic paste forms the basis of most of India's cooking. In
many recipes in this book I have listed finely chopped garlic and ginger separately to
make life easier. However, in some recipes, only a paste will do. Most supermarkets now
sell separate jars of ginger paste and garlic paste. All you need to do is blend them
together.

To make your own, take equal quantities of peeled garlic and fresh ginger and work them to
a paste with a mortar and pestle. Alternatively, puree them in a blender with a little
water and some bland vegetable oil (not olive oil), stopping regularly to scrape down the
sides. The paste will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months if you mix in a little
oil to prevent spoiling.