Atul Kochhar's lamb and chickpea curry
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 lamb rumps
2 tbsp vegetable oil
For the marinade:
2 tbsp mustard oil
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1tsp garam masala
For the curry:
2 tbsp coconut oil
6 cloves
3 black cardamom pods
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
200g onion, peeled and sliced
15g combined ginger and garlic paste (or minced ginger and garlic)
2 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
200g tomatoes, chopped
150g chickpeas (tinned or soaked overnight)
1 small cooked sweet potato (boiled whole, with 2 tbsp of honey added to the water)
1 tsp garam masala salt and black pepper
To garnish: chopped coriander or baby cress
Method
Mix together the ingredients for the marinade and use to coat the lamb rumps. Leave to marinate for 45 minutes.
Heat the coconut oil in a saucepan, add the cloves, cardamom pods, cumin seeds and bay leaves and cook for 1 minute, or until the spices begin to smell aromatic.
Add the sliced onions and sauté for 5-6 minutes, until tender.
Next, add the garlic and ginger paste and cook for a further 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Stir in the ground spices. If the pan seems too hot or the ingredients start to catch, add a splash of water.
After a minute or so, add the chopped tomatoes and chickpeas. If you are using dried rather than tinned chickpeas, then they will take longer to cook (around 45 minutes to an hour) so adjust timings accordingly.
Slice the sweet potato into rounds, about 1cm thick. Add to the pan, stir well, season with salt and black pepper and leave to simmer.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the lamb rumps and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a baking tray and place in the oven for 7-9 minutes to serve the lamb medium.
Cook for longer if you prefer your meat well done.
Just before you are ready to serve, add the garam masala to the pan with the chickpeas and divide the curry between four bowls.
Thinly slice the lamb and arrange on top.
Garnish with chopped coriander or baby cress.