Home-style lamb curry

Ingredients

• thumb-sized piece ginger
  
  , ½ cut into matchsticks, the rest left whole
• 2 onions
  
  , quartered
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  

    

• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
  

   

• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
  

   

   Method

• 750g leg of lamb, diced
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 red chilli or green chilli, deseeded and sliced
• small bunch coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped
• basmati rice and mango chutney or raita, to serve

1. Put the whole piece of ginger, the onions and garlic in a food processor with 300ml water. Blitz to a smooth purée. Scrape down the sides with a spoon and blitz again to make it as smooth as you can. Tip into a deep sauté pan, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 mins. Remove the lid and cook for 5 mins more, stirring occasionally. By now the liquid should be all gone. If not, cook a little longer.

2. Add the oil to the pan with the rest of the ginger. Turn up the heat and fry, stirring, for 3-5 mins until it starts to colour.

3. Stir in the spices and add the lamb. Stir-fry until the lamb changes colour. Tip in the tomatoes with a can of water and the chilli, season well, cover and leave to simmer for 1 hr.

4. Stir in the coriander stalks, re-cover and cook for a final 30 mins until the lamb is tender. Add a splash of water if necessary to loosen the consistency as it cooks. Stir in the coriander leaves and serve with basmati rice and mango chutney or raita.