Lamb Curry with Spinach - Chef Recipe by Ben O'Donoghue

Ingredients

6 garlic cloves
4 cm piece fresh ginger
60 ml vegetable oil
500 ml plain yoghurt
60 g good-quality masala curry paste
1 kg diced lamb shoulder
5 onions, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp mild chilli powder
3 tsp ground coriander
4 cm piece cassia bark
4 vine-ripened tomatoes, roughly chopped
500 g spinach
1 bunch coriander, finely chopped

Method

The day before you want to eat this, purée the garlic and ginger in a food processor with half of the oil and combine with the yoghurt and curry paste, mix well, pour over the lamb and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 24 hours.

The next day, preheat the oven to 160 C.

Heat the remaining oil in a flameproof casserole dish over medium heat and sauté the
onions with a pinch of salt until soft and translucent, add the chilli, ground coriander and cassia bark, followed by the lamb and its marinade, then tip in the tomatoes.

Stir well and bring almost to the boil. Place a tight-fitting lid on the dish and cook in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the lamb is meltingly tender.

Roughly 20 minutes before the lamb is ready, wash the spinach well and steam in a
saucepan with only the water clinging to its leaves, drain and cool, when cool enough to handle, squeeze excess water from the spinach, then purée in a food processor or blender.

Once the lamb is cooked, stir through the puréed spinach and season with salt and
pepper.

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with steamed rice.

Credits: This is an edited extract from Ben’s Meat Bible by Ben O’Donoghue published by Hardie Grant Books RRP 39.95 and is available in stores nationally.

Photo Credits: This is an edited extract from Ben’s Meat Bible by Ben O’Donoghue published by Hardie Grant Books RRP 39.95 and is available in stores nationally.