Braised Lamb with Fruits & Nuts
Submitted by bigdaddy
Braised lamb in a spiced yogurt sauce with saffron, rosewater, fried raisins, and slivered almonds. A Mughlai-inspired dish with cardamom, coriander, and garam masala.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
30 minREADY
60 minThis is Mughlai cooking at its most layered. Boneless lamb gets poached first, then braised in a fragrant paste of onion, garlic, ginger, cardamom, coriander, cloves, and ground almonds mixed with yogurt and fresh mint. The finishing touch of saffron and rosewater lifts the whole dish into something genuinely special.
The method is deliberate and worth following step by step. Poaching the lamb first in water with lemon juice and bay leaves draws out impurities and starts the tenderizing. Reducing that stock to ¼ cup concentrates it into a flavor bomb that gets stirred back into the sauce later.
The spice paste goes through a food processor until smooth. White poppy seeds and ground almonds thicken it into something that clings to the meat rather than sliding off. Frying this paste for 3 minutes before adding the yogurt and mint blooms the spices and kills the raw edge.
Fried raisins and slivered almonds go in near the end. That quick fry in hot oil plumps the raisins and toasts the nuts, adding pops of sweetness and crunch against the rich, creamy sauce.
Chef Tips
- Skim the poaching liquid after it reaches a boil. That foam carries off proteins that would make the stock cloudy.
- Process the spice paste until truly smooth. Chunky paste doesn’t distribute evenly and gives you bites of raw onion.
- Add the yogurt gradually and simmer gently. High heat curdles yogurt, and you want a creamy sauce, not a broken one.
- The rosewater and saffron go in at the very end. Heat destroys their delicate fragrance, so a minute or two is all they need.
Variations
- Chicken version: Replace lamb with bone-in chicken thighs. Skip the initial poach and braise directly in the yogurt sauce for 40 minutes.
- Nut-free: Leave out the almonds (both ground and slivered) and thicken the sauce with an extra tablespoon of poppy seeds instead.
Ingredients
Directions
Makes 4 to 6 servings. Cover 45 g of raisins and 30 g sultanas in boiling water.
Leave to soak.
Trim an 800 g boneless piece of young lamb (leg or shoulder) of all visible fat.
Put the piece in a large saucepan and add 3 cups of water, a tablespoon of lemon juice and 2 bay leaves.
Cover, bring to the boil, skim, and simmer very gently for about one hour or until a skewer glides into the meat with ease.
Remove the meat, setting it aside, and reduce the stock over high heat to about ¼ of a cup.
Reserve the stock and wash the saucepan.
Into a processor bowl put 2 large onions quartered, 6 cloves of garlic, 5 cm ginger roughly chopped, ½ tablespoon ground cardamom, 2 tablespoons ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 tablespoon white poppy seeds, 45 g ground almonds and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Process to a paste. Chop finely a generous handful of fresh mint and have ready 200 g plain yoghurt (low fat yoghurt can be used). Heat 2 tablespoons mono- or polyun- saturated oil in the saucepan, add onion and spice paste and fry, stirring, for about 3 minutes or until it is fragrant. Add the mint and yoghurt and simmer gently until the sauce is thick and creamy. Return the meat to the saucepan, spooning the sauce over it, cover and braise gently until the meat is heated through. Add the reserved stock to the saucepan and stir through. Continue to simmer uncovered until the stock is completely reduced. Sprinkle over the meat and sauce 2 teaspoons garam masala, 1 teaspoon chilli powder and salt to taste if you regard it as necessary.
In a frying pan, heat a little oil and gently fry the drained sultanas and raisins, together with 45 g blanched slivered almonds, for about 5 minutes. Add them to the saucepan and stir. Infuse a few strands of saffron in a tablespoon of boiling water and add 1½ teaspoons of rosewater. Stir this mixture into the saucepan and heat for a minute or so more. Slice the meat, which by now should be meltingly tender, and arrange on a serving dish. Spoon the sauce over the meat. Serve with rice.
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