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.
