Lamb Curry Recipe

What a great blessing to have friends and parents that can really cook. I recently had this dish at a friend's parent's house and found it to be really wonderful. It may be a bit spicy but I just can't imaging a curry that is not. Anyway, I managed to get the recipe from her mother, Jane to be shared in this newsletter. Jane is really a good cook and it is inspiring to learn how just by being around her.

Recipe: (Serves 4-6)

750 g (1.5 lb) diced lamb
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 large onions, chopped
3 tablespoons oil2 stems lemon grass (white part only), sliced
6 cloves garlic
3 cm (1.25 in) piece fresh galangal, roughly chopped
10 cm (4 in) piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped
2.5 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 red chilies, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
2 tablespoons oil, extra
2 cinnamon sticks
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 cups (750 ml) coconut milk

Method:

Combine the lamb, salt, pepper, onion and oil. Heat a wok or heavy-based pan until very hot; add the lamb and onion mixture in several batches and brown very well. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove all the meat from the work, leaving any oil.

Combine the lemon grass, garlic, galangal, ginger, turmeric, chili and shrimp paste in a food processor and process, adding the extra oil, until a smooth paste is formed. Reheat the wok; add the spice paste and cook it over medium, heat for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly to ensure that the paste does not burn. Add the lamb and onion mixture, cinnamon, cloves and coconut milk.

Simmer, uncovered, for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally until the lamb is very tender. Serve hot with steamed white rice.