Lamb dhansak

By: Anjum Anand
From: I Love Curry
Serves: 6, can be halved
Photographer: Jonathan Gregson

Dhansak is sweet, sour and always contains lentils, though you can use whichever vegetables and meat you like. Traditionally, the vegetables are cooked in the lentils and then all is pureed together, although leaving the pieces of butternut squash intact in this recipe adds texture and little morsels of sweet earthiness. The Parsi serve this with lightly sweetened pilaf: they caramelise sugar in a small pan, add water and simmer while frying whole spices in ghee. The rice is added to the spices, then the syrup, covering with enough water to cook the rice. Plain rice or any other pilaf work just as well.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
1 1/2 teaspoons	fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon	fenugreek seeds
2/3 teaspoon	mustard seeds
1/2	star anise
1/4 teaspoon	turmeric
1/4 teaspoon	grated nutmeg
1 3/4 teaspoons	ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon	ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon	chilli powder
7 tablespoons	vegetable oil
1	onion, sliced
15g	ginger, peeled weight, roughly chopped
4	fat garlic cloves, roughly chopped
500g	lamb, in large cubes
70g	split pigeon peas, washed well
70g	red lentils, washed well
1	small tomato, roughly chopped
200g	butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled and cut into 5cm cubes
1	japanese aubergine, or normal aubergine, cut into 6 crossways
2 handfuls	fresh coriander salt, to taste
1 teaspoon	tamarind paste, or to taste
1 rounded teaspoon	sugar, or to taste
2 teaspoons	garam masala
1 rounded teaspoon	fenugreek leaves, crushed between your fingers

Method

Using a sturdy mortar and pestle, grind together the whole spices to a fine powder. Add the remaining powdered spices (except the garam masala) and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and sauté until golden brown. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for a minute. Now tip in the lamb and brown for three or four minutes, or until lightly seared. Stir in the spices and a splash of water and cook for two minutes more.
Add the pigeon peas and lentils, tomato, vegetables, a handful of fresh coriander and salt, stir well and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer gently for 45–55 minutes, or until the lamb is tender. Now you can decide if you want to leave the vegetables whole in a more rustic sauce, or to blend them to a smooth result. If you would prefer the latter, remove the lamb with a slotted spoon and set aside. Blend the sauce until smooth (I stick in my hand blender), then return the meat.
Stir in the tamarind, sugar, garam masala and crushed fenugreek leaves. Taste and adjust the seasoning, balancing the levels of sweet (sugar) and sour (tamarind) to your taste. Chop the remaining fresh coriander, sprinkle it over, and serve.

Tags:: curry; India; Indian; Asian; I; Love; Curry; Anjum; Anand

Lamb dhansak

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