RCI Rajasthan: Lal Maas (Red Lamb Curry)

Blogging event Regional Cuisines of India (RCI) was started by Lakshmi of Veggie Cuisine, to celebrate the rich and diverse cuisines of India. I’ve decided to dedicate a page to it that contains round-ups of past events, and RCIs that are yet to come, so that I can find it and refer to it easily! This month, we are exploring the cuisine of the princely state of Rajasthan, and our host is Padmaja from Spicyandhra, who created this gorgeous icon for the event. I must say I’m really looking forward to the round-up! It sounds really interesting.

 

Map of Rajashtan – Wikipedia Commons

 

I’ve really wanted to take part in this event, and I’ve chosen a recipe for a typically Rajasthani dish Lal (Red) Maas (Lamb/Goat). Unfortunately, I haven’t had much time this month to explore it further, so I stuck to the recipe that I found online. However, when I read it more carefully, I wasn’t sure about some of the techniques used, e.g. adding whole spices together with yogurt, so I decided to adapt it using more familiar techniques, e.g. of adding spices to hot oil in order to get most of their flavour. Anyhow, here’s the result. Think of it as the first version of the dish. My husband liked it, but I’ve had better lamb curries. I’ve found some other versions elsewhere that I’m keen to try, especially because a lot of these use yogurt to tenderise the meat, which works better with this cut. Still, I guess it’s yours to judge!

 

 

Rajasthani Lal Maas (Red Lamb Curry)

 

SOURCE: adapted from Indian Food Forever website

PREPARATION TIME: 5 – 10 min

COOKING TIME: about 1 h 20 min

CUISINE: Indian – Rajasthani

SERVES: 2

 

Ingredients:

1.5 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 tbsp ghee

3 cloves

3 bay leaves

3 black cardamoms

8 black peppers

300 g red onions (sliced)

40 g ginger (about 5 cm), grated

1 small to medium head of garlic, crushed

1 tsp red chili powder

1/3 tsp Turmeric

1.5 tsp coriander

500 g lamb neck with bone (or 4 pieces)

4 oz. yogurt

1/2 can plum tomatoes, chopped

Salt To Taste

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil and ghee. When the oil is hot, add the whole spices, stir 2 – 3 times, and then add chopped onions and fry them until brown.

2. Add the garlic and ginger paste, and stir until cooked. It will take about 5 minutes.

3. Now add powdered spices and stir for 30 s. Then, add the lamb, and cook for another 5 – 10 min, until the meat is browned and the onions have  started falling apart, creating a thick brown sauce.

4. Next, add the yogurt, carefully, one tablespoon at a time, stirring to incorporate it into the mixture. In this way, the yogurt won’t split. Cook for another 5 – 10 min.

5. Finally, add the tomatoes and cook on low fire for 30 – 40 min.

6. When ready, remove lal maas from the fire and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and fried onions before serving.