PALAK GOSHT

Ingredients

1 Kg. mutton
1 Kg. Palak
1½ tsp. salt (adjust to taste)
¼ tsp. turmeric (Haldi) powder
1 tsp. chili (Lal Mirch) powder
4-6 tbs. oil
1 tsp. ginger (Adrak) paste
½ tsp. garlic (Lehsan) paste
2 tomatoes-chopped
6-8 whole black pepper (Kali Mirch)
3-4 cloves (Laung)
2 black cardamom (Bari Ilaichi)
¼ tsp. cumin seeds (Zeera)
3-4 green chilies
1 small piece of ginger (Adrak)–sliced
2 tbs. corn or wheat flour
1 tbs. dry fenugreek (Kasuri Methi) leaves.

Instructions

Steam/blanch the Palak and grind.
Fry the onion in the oil till brown. Mix all the ingredients together, add to the pot and stir till the tomatoes have become soft and the water has dried.
Add the meat and cook again to let the water dry. Add 3-4 glasses of water cover and leave to tenderize.
When meat is almost done add ground palak, methi and flour. Cook till water dries.
Garnish with fresh chopped green chilies.
Serve with chapati or naan
Serving: 6-8 persons

Tamatar Gosht

Ingredients:
1/2 cups – 1 cup Vegetable oil, corn or sunflower
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 large cinnamon stick
1- 2 large onions, chopped
1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
10-12 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
0.8 kg/ 1.76 lb diced lamb for casserole
salt to taste
3 green chillis
1 red chili
1-2 tbsp tomato puree
Tempering:
1 tbsp panch puran (a Bengali whole spice blend of fenugreek, Nigella seed, cumin seed, black mustard seed and fennel seed in equal parts, can make up yourself or buy from any Asian grocer)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
5-10 curry leaves, dried but preferably fresh
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves
Takes about 1 – 1 1/2 hours to prepare and cook and serves about 3- 4 people served with rice or even with naan.

Method:
1. Heat a large saucepan with the oil and once hot fry the cumin, coriander and cinnamon. When the spices start spluttering add the onions and cook until translucent then add ginger/garlic paste. Fry until the raw garlic smell leaves, careful not to burn the contents. Add the chillis now too.
2. Add the tomatoes and cook and keep stirring until the water runs half dry and then add the lamb – cover and cook for 30 minutes covered, on low heat. Stir occasionally.
3. When the water runs quite dry, turn up the heat and fry and add the tomato puree at this point. (10 minutes or so). Keep frying until you are left with the thick, red, fragrant paste surrounding the lamb and the lamb is cooked through.
4. In a small frying pan heat some oil, add the panch puran and curry leaves until they splutter and add to the lamb. Serve with a garnish of coriander leaves and rice or naan and some Greek yoghurt.
Tips:
Keeps in the fridge for upto 2 days, better the next day.
Frozen on the same day, becomes even better once defrosted and slowly re-heated on low fire.