Lamb Bhuna

[Tempest63]

This is my take on a Lamb Bhuna, initially inspired by an Anjum Anand recipe, with some amendments to the ingredients and a couple more steps to the cooking process in line with other Bhuna recipes I have cooked over the years. 
If you prefer a milder curry remove or reduce the chillies from the initial paste. I tend to drastically reduce the sauce at the end until it is very thick, but if you prefer more sauce do not reduce as much.

 

Lamb Bhuna by Tempest63

 

Ingredients

2 large tomatoes, quartered

30g ginger, peeled, roughly chopped

8 large garlic cloves, peeled, roughly chopped

2-4 green chillies

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1kg diced boneless lamb shoulder

20 black peppercorns

2 Tej Patta (Indian bay leaves)

5 cloves

2” stick cinnamon

4 green cardamom pods

2 black cardamom pods

2 large onions, roughly chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbs ground coriander

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder

250 ml stock (lamb or beef) home made is best if available

Juice of half a lemon

1 cup coriander leaves

 

Method

Put tomatoes, ginger, garlic and chillies in a blender with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and process to a smooth paste.

In a non-stick pan heat half the oil over a high heat and brown the lamb, in batches, for 4-5 minutes, getting a good colour on all sides.

Remove the lamb from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Heat the remaining oil over a medium heat add the whole spices and onions. Cook stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until the onion is well browned. Return the lamb and any collected juices to the pan with the ground spices and stir until the spices lose their raw aroma, add the tomato/ginger/garlic/chilli paste, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer stirring regularly for 15-20 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by half. Increase heat to high and stir fry until all the excess moisture has evaporated. This really intensifies the flavours.

Add the stock, bring to the boil and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to low and simmer for another 20-30 minutes, or until the lamb is tender. Uncover and raise the heat until the sauce has thickened and coats the meat. Add the lemon juice and season to taste. Serve topped with the chopped coriander.

Edited November 9, 2023 by Tempest63 (log)

[TdeV]

Sounds interesting! Are the cardamom pods used whole?

[Tempest63]

Cardamom pods are used whole.

Some people carefully ensure they are all found and removed prior to serving, and I have seen it suggested that whole spices can be tied up in a muslin bag before putting into the hot oil to make their removal easier. I’m not sure how this would impact the oils from the spices being drawn into the hot oil.

Personally any I see floating on top are removed before serving, and any ending up on my plate are pushed to one side.

Edited November 9, 2023 by Tempest63 (log)

[liuzhou]

3 hours ago, Tempest63 said:

Some people carefully ensure they are all found and removed prior to serving, and I have seen it suggested that whole spices can be tied up in a muslin bag before putting into the hot oil to make their removal easier.

 

That's a fairly standard method with hard whole spices in many cuisines. Alternatively you could use one of thee spice balls which would more allow the spices to be in contact with the oil.

 

 

 

Edited November 9, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

[Tempest63]

11 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

That's a fairly standard method with hard whole spices in many cuisines. Alternatively you could use one of thee spice balls which would more allow the spices to be in contact with the oil.

 

 

 

I have one of those for making a single cup of tea from loose leaf tea leaves.

[liuzhou]

29 minutes ago, Tempest63 said:

I have one of those for making a single cup of tea from loose leaf tea leaves.

 

Yes. They are used that way, but here in China they are described and used as "spice balls".

Edited November 9, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

[ColinDunklin]

  

On 11/9/2023 at 12:02 PM, Tempest63 said:

This is my take on a Lamb Bhuna, initially inspired by an Anjum Anand recipe, with some amendments to the ingredients and a couple more steps to the cooking process in line with other Bhuna recipes I have cooked over the years. 
If you prefer a milder curry remove or reduce the chillies from the initial paste. I tend to drastically reduce the sauce at the end until it is very thick, but if you prefer more sauce do not reduce as much.

 

Lamb Bhuna by Tempest63

 

Ingredients

2 large tomatoes, quartered

30g ginger, peeled, roughly chopped

8 large garlic cloves, peeled, roughly chopped

2-4 green chillies

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1kg diced boneless lamb shoulder

20 black peppercorns

2 Tej Patta (Indian bay leaves)

5 cloves

2” stick cinnamon

4 green cardamom pods

2 black cardamom pods

2 large onions, roughly chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbs ground coriander

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder

250 ml stock (lamb or beef) home made is best if available

Juice of half a lemon

1 cup coriander leaves

 

Method

Put tomatoes, ginger, garlic and chillies in a blender with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and process to a smooth paste.

In a non-stick pan heat half the oil over a high heat and brown the lamb, in batches, for 4-5 minutes, getting a good colour on all sides.

Remove the lamb from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Heat the remaining oil over a medium heat add the whole spices and onions. Cook stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until the onion is well browned. Return the lamb and any collected juices to the pan with the ground spices and stir until the spices lose their raw aroma, add the tomato/ginger/garlic/chilli paste, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer stirring regularly for 15-20 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by half. Increase heat to high and stir fry until all the excess moisture has evaporated. This really intensifies the flavours.

Add the stock, bring to the boil and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to low and simmer for another 20-30 minutes, or until the lamb is tender. Uncover and raise the heat until the sauce has thickened and coats the meat. Add the lemon juice and season to taste. Serve topped with the chopped coriander.

Your Lamb Bhuna recipe sounds delightful! The combination of spices and the method you've described promises a rich and flavorful dish. I appreciate the detailed steps and ingredient choices. Cooking it until the sauce thickens for an intensified flavour is a great tip. While looking for online assistance for my research paper, I came across https://customwriting.com/buy-research-paper and I'm really impressed. When it comes to handling different research papers, this website is invaluable. I appreciate how easy it is to buy excellent research papers from them. Look no further if you're in a similar situation and require help with your research paper; the procedure is simple and the output is of excellent quality. It's a dependable option for students in need of academic support, I assure you. 

 

Your Lamb Bhuna recipe sounds delightful! The combination of spices and the method you've described promises a rich and flavorful dish. I appreciate the detailed steps and ingredient choices. Cooking it until the sauce thickens for an intensified flavor is a great tip. 

 

Edit: I tried it and it is very yummy. mmmm

Edited November 24, 2023 by ColinDunklin (log)