Lamb Pasanda

Having been given a shoulder of lamb over the Christmas holiday, I thought it was about time to cook it but wanted to try something new with it. While I was looking through my new Curry Bible that I was given for Christmas, I found the following delicious recipe. It was so simple to cook and for once I had all the ingredients, which was perfect as I didn’t fancy going anywhere during the recent winter storms.

This is what the book said about it…
“Here is a legacy from the glorious days of the Mogul courts, when Indian cooking reached a refined peak. The word Pasanda, from which this creamy dish gets its name, indicates small pieces of boneless meat, in this case tender lamb, flattened as thin as possible.”

Source: Curry Bible – Mridula Baljekar

(Printable Recipe)

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
1lb 5oz/600g Boneless Shoulder or Leg of Lamb
2 tbsp Garlic and Ginger paste
2oz/55g Ghee or 4 tbsp Groundnut Oil
3 large Onions, chopped
1 fresh Green Chilli, deseeded and chopped
2 Green Cardamom pods, bruised
1 Cinnamon stick
2 tsp Ground Coriander
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Ground Turmeric
9fl oz/250 ml Water
5fl oz/150 ml Double Cream
4 tbsp Ground Almonds
1.5 tsp Salt
1 tsp Garam Masala
Paprika and toasted Flaked Almonds to garnish

1 Cut the meat into thin slices and place the slices between clingfilm and pound with a rolling pin to make them even thinner.

2 Put the lamb in a bowl, add the garlic and ginger paste and rub the paste into the lamb.

3 Cover and set aside in a cool place to marinate for 2 hours.

4 Melt the ghee or oil in a large frying pan with a tight lid over a medium heat. Add the onions and chilli and cook, stirring frequently, for 5-8 minutes, until the onions are golden brown.

5 Stir in the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, corriander, cumin and turmeric and continue stiring for 2 minutes, or until the spices are aromatic.

6 Add the meat to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until it is brown on all sides and the fat begins to separate.

7 Stir in the water and bring to the boil, still stirring. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting, cover the pan and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the meat is tender.

8 When the lamb is tender, stir in the cream and ground almonds together in a bowl. Beat in 6 tbsp of the hot cooking liquid from the pan, then gradually beat this mixture back into the pan.

9 Stir in the salt and garam masala and continue to simmer for a futher 5 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.

Garnish with a sprinkling of paprika and toasted almonds and serve.

Enjoy!