Lamb Curry with Apricots and Almonds

I love lamb.  Although we don’t eat it often, it probably is my favorite meat–if it’s cooked right.

Lamb is one of those meats that can be a little tricky to cook.  Sure, you can toss it in a pressure cooker and cook it that way…but I just don’t think the taste is the same.  If you really want to cook lamb…and have it taste amazing…you have to cook it slow.

When I make a lamb curry I always cook it for at least 2 hours–stirring ever half hour.  It’s time consuming…yes; but because I only make lamb for special occasions, I want it to have the best flavor possible.

This was the first time I experimented adding vinegar, nuts and dried fruits to my lamb curry.  I usually make a Rogan Josh (which I have to say is the absolute best curry I make.   I’ve kept the recipe secret…so far.  But, I’m sure it’ll show up on here someday!), so this curry was a little out of my comfort zone.

I got the inspiration for this curry from the book I’m reading: “The Feast of Roses” by Indu Sundaresan.  It’s the love story of Mughal Emperor Jahangir and Nur Jahan (Mehrunnisa).  I find the story fascinating…and reading about all the rich, Mughal dishes makes my mouth water!

I wanted to use some of the ingredients I was reading about; and turn them into a fabulous curry.

Lamb Curry with Apricots and Almonds

Lamb Curry with Apricots and Almonds

(serves 6- generously)

This curry involves a lot of spices.  Don’t be intimidated by the ingredients list.  I assure you, it’s really quite easy to make!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/8 c. vinegar (I used apple cider because that was all I had)

1 tsp. ghee

1 lb. lamb, diced into 1″ pieces

4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, smashed and minced

1 onion, sliced

1 1/2 tbsp. ground Almond (almond flour)

2 tbsp. whole Almonds, roughly chopped

4 dried Turkish apricots (regular dried apricots are just fine), sliced

1 tbsp. jaggery (substitute brown sugar)

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1 c. curry base (recipe HERE)

1 tbsp. chopped cilantro

2 c. water, plus more for thinning the curry

Whole Spices:

1 black cardamom (you can omit this–it’s rather strong)

2 cinnamon sticks- 1″ each, left whole

1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 large bay leaf

Ground Spices:

1 tsp. cumin powder

1 tsp. coriander powder

1/2 tsp. turmeric powder

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

1/4 tsp. fennel seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a dutch oven–or heavy bottomed pan–heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat.  Once the oil is heated, add the lamb chunks and brown them on each side.  Don’t cook them all the way, just get some nice color on the pieces.

Add vinegar and whole spices.  Stir everything around to coat.  Put the lid on the dutch oven or pan and put into the preheated oven.  Let cook for about 15 minutes.  Remove from oven.

In a separate skillet, add 1 tsp. olive oil and 1 tsp. ghee.  Add all ground spices and fry for a minute–until everything becomes fragrant.  Toss in onions, tomato paste, garlic and ginger.  Cook until onions are tender and translucent.

Add jaggery, almond flour, chopped almonds and apricots to the onion mixture.  Stir everything together and cook for 2 minutes.  Remove mixture from heat.

Add onion mixture to the dutch oven–along with the lamb.  Add 1 cup. curry base and 2 cups of water to the mixture and stir to combine everything.  Add chopped cilantro and salt, to taste.

Put lamb curry back into the oven and let it cook for 1 1/2 hours–checking every 30 minutes.  You may have to add water if the curry is thickening and reducing too much.  I think I used about 4 cups water for the entire recipe.

Remove curry from oven.  The lamb should be very tender and falling off the bone (if you didn’t use boneless lamb).  The apricots will have melted into the curry, giving the gravy a subtle sweet taste.

Garnish with additional chopped cilantro and chopped almonds.  Serve with rice or rotis!

I usually leave the whole spices in the curry–if you would prefer, you can remove them.

Because black cardamom has such a strong taste/flavor—I remove it after the first 15 minutes (when you cook the lamb with the whole spices).  I feel it imparts its flavor during that time…and if it stays in the mixture any longer, it becomes too strong for my tastes.

Enjoy!

P.S. I’ll get the printable recipe up soon!  I have to go to work now. ((sad-face))

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17 Comments

  1. Hi Shari – this looks fantastic!! I have a question about the ground almond (flour) . . . 1 1/2 teaspoons? tablespoons? Thanks! (I know how hard it is to proof your own recipes!)

    • Thank you for noticing (and bringing it to my attention!)…it should be tablespoons. 🙂

  2. This looks wonderful, have pinned it for another day.

    I too make a curry base but it’s a little different to yours. I’ve not blogged it yet, I have a mega long list of recipes to post. But I will shortly.

    • Thank you! …I have many lamb recipes…so check back!

  3. This looks incredible. I cannot wait to make some of that curry base and use it for various recipes. My friend and I are obsessed with Indian recipes and your blog is totally up our alley! I liked your page on FB to keep up with your recipes. Great photos and even more delicious-sounding recipes! 🙂

    • Thanks! I hope you and your friend try some of the recipes! Let me know what you think!

  4. Love the pictures and the recipe. However, you didn’t stipulate which part of the lamb did you use? The leg? The shoulder? I love lamb and use different cuts depending on my recipe. For this recipe I would use lamb shoulder. Like pork shoulder it is best cooked long and slow for that “fall apart and melt in the mouth” texture and taste. I want to read more of your recipes. I’m a Personal Chef and caterer and love new recipes.

  5. Wow, this looks really good!! Making your own curry powder is definitely the way to go! 🙂

  6. […] A 4-oz. serving of lamb contains 229 calories. Lamb also has impressive amounts of tryptophan to help you sleep better at night. The same serving size also contains 60 percent of the recommended daily value of protein, along with zinc, phosphorus, and vitamins B12 and B3. Actress Sarah Jessica Parker enjoys lamb shank. If you prefer to avoid grilling or roasting it, try a lamb curry with apricots. […]

  7. Just made this with leftover (rare) lamb. Made a SMALL batch of your base sauce since I did not have 10 onions on hand! Followed recipe except for adding many more apricots. The end result was fabulous! Very smooth, rich and subtle. Looking forward to using remainder of basic sauce soon! Thanks.

    • I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the curry, Edna! 🙂

  8. Hi again. Made this for a second time. Used meat from shoulder chops. Just as good! Made the curry base as you posted. I am now supplied with lots of base sauce in freezer.. I sliced onions in food processor and used the mini attachment to buzz garlic and ginger with 1T water both for the sauce and fhe lamb dish . Felt this was good timesaver. Next I am trying your Egg Curry. I sent you a link to Paprika Recipe Manager. Would be great id you can be linked to that.
    Thanks.

    Edna

    • Thanks for the comment, Edna! Glad the recipe turned out good for you! Hope you like the egg curry!

      Also, did you send the link to my email? I may have missed it?

  9. Wonderful page. I’ve made a few of your recipes and they have all turned out great. I have the lamb curry in the oven right now. Just wondering about the temperature, I have a fan oven and I’m never sure how much I should reduce the recommended temp. I’m trying 150c for 2 hours. Anyway keep up the good work!

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