This lamb curry is made with Keen’s curry powder and reminds me of other mums curries as a kid. Well, it was the only curry I knew as a kid. I am pretty fond of its simplicity. Feel free to drop the rate of curry powder if you like a milder flavour.

 

Ingredients:

1 kg of lamb leg boned out, cubed about 1″

1-2 brown onions depending on your adoration of onions

1 clove of garlic

1 apple, preferably green. peeled/unpeeled, who cares.

fistful of sultanas

olive oil

salt and pepper

1-3 teaspoons of Keen’s curry powder

1.5 cups of beef stock

1 tablespoon of tomato chutney

 

Trim off as much fat as you desire. If you have the bone, trim anything that looks distasteful. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the cubed meat.

Heat some olive oil in something cast-iron. I use my aunt’s old cast-iron casserole dish, it works a treat. When its smoking hot, literally, throw in half of the meat, fat side down if applicable. Sear for a few minutes of all side, remove and do the same with the other half. Once you’ve remove all the meat, throw in the bone, turn the heat down and put the lid on. Brown all sides possible.

Sidetrack: The caramelisation of all that meat and fat will add a depth of flavour that you don’t see in dishes like this where all the ingredients are thrown together in a slow cooker of casserole dish without individual attention. Don’t get me wrong, for the time-saver, this is still a good option, but for the passionate, giving all the individual ingredients the attention that they deserve will put you in good stead for a delicious meal.

Anyway, once the meat and bones are browned, remove. Reduce the heat to low and add some more olive oil to the pan. Throw in the onions and sauce for 3-5 minutes before adding the garlic and diced apple.

Note: Green apple will add a little more acidity/red apple, more sweetness. you choose. If you go with red, maybe add a little less sultanas or 1/2-1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.

Once the apple, onion and garlic mixture is looking sufficiently coloured (DO NOT burn onion or garlic EVER unless required! It adds a dirty taste and penetrates the whole bloody dish. A rocky mistake I have made before. Once.) add the sultanas and return the meat and associated juices to the pan. Then add the powders and chutney with a grind of salt and pepper. Stir and fry for one more minute then add the stock.

I like to put a piece of baking paper down inside the casserole dish, pressed down on top off the stew, to help retain the moisture. If there’s too much moisture at the end, just take the lid off for half hour or so.

*Hold up, did I mention that this needs to go into a casserole dish at any stage? Anyway, it does so then it can go into the oven at 170C for 1.5-2 hours. You can cook it for less and at a hotter temperature (say 200C for 1 hour) if you’re in a rush. Up to you, but this is my preference. You could also cook it on the stove top, but the you’ll have to stir it and make sure it doesn’t burn.

I hope you enjoy.