Gosht Kari

A tasty lamb curry, it takes a while to cook so I usually only make it on the weekends or for special occasions. Like a lot of Indian food it tastes better the 2nd day. This recipe was modified from "Classic Indian Cooking" by Julie Sahni.

Ingredients:

• 8 Tablespoons light vegetable oil
• 3 pounds lean boneless lamb cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3-4 meaty lamb bones for flavor (optional)
• 4-5 cups finely chopped onions (usu. 2-3 large onions)
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 3 Tablespoons finely chopped ginger
• 1 ½ Tablespoons whole cumin seed
• 2 Tablespoons ground coriander seed
• 3 Tablespoons turmeric (aka. tumeric)
• 1 teaspoon read pepper flakes (or finely chopped chile of your choice)
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 cups finely chopped or pureed fresh tomatoes or 1 can whole tomatoes pureed in the blender
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt (probably a little less regular salt)
• 4 medium-sized potatoes (about 1 pound)
• 3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Heat 4 Tablespoons of the oil over high heat in a large heavy-bottomed pan and brown the meat pieces. Keep the pan hot by only browning a few at a time and setting them aside. Make sure the meat is dry before you brown it. You can skip this step if you want, but it adds a nice flavor and gives the sauce a nice brown color.
2. Add the remaining (~4 Tbs.) oil to the pan and fry the cumin seeds until they start to brown, then turn off the stove and add coriander and turmeric.
3. Add the onions and fry on medium-high heat until they turn brown and pretty much dissolve (20-30 minutes) stirring frequently so they don't burn.
4. Add the garlic, ginger, and red-pepper/chile, frying very briefly (The garlic will cook and stick to the bottom of the pan so be careful not to burn it.)
5. Return the browned meat to the pan, along with the tomatoes, salt, and two cups of boiling water. Bring it all to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer covered for about 1 ½ hours.
6. Add the potatoes, and continue simmering, covered, until the potatoes are cooked thorough, and the meat is tender (about 30 minutes).
7. Turn off the heat and let it sit for a ½ an hour or more. This dish can be stored at this point and it will be even better the next day.
8. Add chopped cilantro right before serving.