Lamb Curry Marinade

I wanted a quicker version of this lamb curry . It’s time to get into warmer clothes and comfort food. Curry heralds the change of seasons for me along with goulash too. I had lamb knuckles in the freezer along with some stewing lamb. I want to clarify the term “quicker”. If you want fast curry – lamb is not the one for you unless you get it ready-made from your supermarket or takeaway. Maybe try my Butter Chicken Curry which is definitely very tasty and faster to make.

Making lamb curry requires being organised. It’s best to make the marinade the day before and let the flavours develop in the lamb overnight in the fridge. I also find doing it this way feels less overwhelming. There are so many steps that I break down in painstaking detail in my original Lamb Curry recipe. I am going to assume you are familiar with how to make curry, rice and caramelised onions. I am also going to assume you know how to bloom and temper the spices to amplify their flavours. If you want to learn how to do that read here.

Shortcuts that don’t compromise on flavour

In our fast paced busy lives we are all looking for a quick solution to enjoy good food. Often that means buying processed food. I do buy ready-made food on occasion, but I prefer to make my own from scratch. The food industry has been less than honourable over the past 40 years hiding behind misleading labels and unidentifiable ingredients that you would not find in your granny’s kitchens long ago. So I like to buy food as close to it’s natural food state as possible and process it in my own kitchen. In this recipe I skip browning the lamb in a pan ahead of time. Yes, this process does add a great caramelised flavour and richer colour to the curry, but it’s a small price to pay to save time. You can definitely pop into your local spice shop and ask them for a mix of lamb curry spices. This too will save time. I use a mix of seeds and ground spices. The seeds are tempered first and then I add the ground spices to the coconut oil. Make regular rice without all the fuss of aromatics, saffron and rosewater. It’s one less process and doesn’t take away from the flavour of a good curry. Master how to make a good curry first , then layer on the extras.

Marinade for Lamb Curry

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 1.8 kg lamb knuckle, neck or stewing lamb bones add flavour
• 250 g full fat yoghurt
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 tbls coconut oil

Onion Chilli Paste

• 1 onion 170g
• 6 garlic cloves 25g
• 2 thumbs fresh ginger grated 20g
• 2 green chillies
• 2 3-finger-pinch of salt

Seeds

• 2 tbls coconut oil
• 8 each whole cloves and cardamom
• 1 tsp each cumin and fenugreek
• ½ tsp each coriander and ajwain
• 1 each mace husk and cinnamon stick

Ground Spices

• 2 tsp each coriander, cumin and turmeric
• 1 tsp each ginger, chilli powder
• ½ tsp asafoetida (onion or garlic powder)

Instructions

• Season the lamb with salt and pepper and place in a glass pyrex dish with a lid to cover.
  1.8 kg lamb knuckle, neck or stewing lamb
• Add the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli and salt to a blender fitted with a blade attachment and blitz to make a coarse paste.
  1 onion 170g, 6 garlic cloves 25g, 2 thumbs fresh ginger grated 20g, 2 green chillies, 2 3-finger-pinch of salt
• Place a pan on medium high heat and add the coconut oil. Add the onion chilli paste to the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes. Spoon out into bowl
  3 tbls coconut oil
• Using the same pan add the next batch of coconut oil and when hot add the seeds. Cook for about 1-2 minutes until they start to splutter and pop.
  2 tbls coconut oil, 8 each whole cloves and cardamom, 1 tsp each cumin and fenugreek, ½ tsp each coriander and ajwain, 1 each mace husk and cinnamon stick
• Add the rest of the ground spices and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes until you can smell a nutty aroma. Remove from the heat.
  2 tsp each coriander, cumin and turmeric, 1 tsp each ginger, chilli powder, ½ tsp asafoetida (onion or garlic powder)
• Add the onion chilli paste back into the pan along with the yoghurt and bay leaves. Mix well and spoon over lamb. Coat the lamb generously cover and leave for 2-3 hours or overnight in the fridge.
  250 g full fat yoghurt, 3 bay leaves
• If you refrigerate overnight , bring marinated lamb to room temperature before cooking – See Step 2 Lamb Curry

Notes

Lamb on the bone like neck and knuckes add depth of flavour.  I always remove the bones, fat and gristle after the cooking process.  This makes for a more refined dining experience at the table.  It’s a personal preference and Brian and I get to enjoy the marrow.  If you are serving this to friends make sure you know them well enough to enjoy sucking the marrow.  It’s noisy and can be embarrassing for some. 

Course: Curry

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Lamb curry