Fresh herb stew with lamb and dried lime

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan or casserole dish over a low heat. Add the onion and leek and fry gently until soft and translucent. Stir in the spices and fry for another couple of minutes.
2. Add the lamb to the pan and brown over a highish heat for a minute. Add the herbs and fenugreek leaves or seeds and stir well. Stir in the kidney beans, dried limes and stock and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and cook, covered, for 1 1/2 hours, or until the beans and lamb are very tender. As the limes soften, squeeze them against the side of the pan to extract the juice.
3. Towards the end of the cooking time, bring a saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the spinach briefly. Refresh in cold water, then squeeze very firmly to extract as much liquid as you can. Chop the spinach finely, and stir it into the stew to revive the rich green colour. Allow to bubble vigorously for 5 minutes until the sauce is lovely and thick. Add lemon juice and salt to taste and serve with plain chelow rice and plenty of yoghurt.