Lamb Curry

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lamb meat or lamb innards
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Spice Paste, recipe follows
• 2 cardamom seeds
• 3 cloves
• 1 (1 1/2-inch) piece cinnamon
• 1 (3/4-inch) piece fresh galangal, smashed
• 2 lemongrass stalks, bruised
• 3 salam leaves (optional)*see note
• 1 1/2 quarts coconut milk
• *Note: can be found at ethnic markets. It can be substituted with curry leaves

Directions

Trim the meat and cut into cubes. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the pounded spice paste and fry until fragrant. Add the cardamom seeds, cloves, cinnamon, galangal, lemongrass, and salam leaves. After 2 minutes, add the meat and stir until the meat stiffens. Add the coconut milk and stir well on low fire until meat is tender, about 1 to 2 hours. When you see that the coconut milk is evaporating, add some hot water. When the oil comes up, take it away and keep stirring until the sauce becomes thick. Serve with white rice.

Spice Paste:

• 5 red chilies, chopped
• 10 shallots, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled
• 5 candlenuts
• 1 (3/4-inch) piece fresh ginger, chopped
• (3/4-inch) piece fresh turmeric, chopped
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 1/2 tablespoon anise seed
• 15 black peppercorns
• 1/4 tablespoon fennel seeds
• Salt

Combine all of the ingredients and mix into a fine paste in a mortar and pestle, or in a food processor.