Lamb Korma

This is another dish from the royal era when foods were rich with nuts, dairy and spices. It was a dish of weddings and feasts once but not any more. It is delicious so you don't need a special occasion to make it. It needs a bit of preparation time but when you taste it, its all worth it.

Ingredients

Lamb/ Goat                                     2 lbs
Yogurt                                             1 cup
Onion                                              1 thinly sliced
Garlic                                               8 cloves
Ginger                                             1 inch pc
Garam Masala                                 1 tsp
Paprika                                            1 tsp heaped
Salt                                                  to taste
Turmeric                                          1/4 tsp
Coriander powder                            1/2 tsp
Red chili powder                              1 tsp or to taste
Nutmeg                                            1/2 tsp freshly ground
Ghee/clarified butter                         1/4 cup
Saffron strands                                 1/4 tsp


Whole Spices

Cloves                                            6
Green Cardamom                           4
Cumin seeds                                   1 tsp
Cinnamon stick                               1 inch pc
Bay Leaf                                        1

Method

1. Wash and dry the meat. Beat the yogurt and ginger and garlic paste with all dry , powdered spices leaving saffron strands, ghee and onions.
2. Heat the ghee in a pot and add sliced onions. fry till nice light golden brown. Do not over brown them as your korma will not be of reddish colour. Take the onions out and lay in a sigle layer over paper towel and leave to get crisp. Once they are crisp, crumble them using your hand or a mortar pestle.
3. Add the crumbled onions to the marinated meat.
4. In the same ghee, add whole spices and fry for 15-20 seconds until fragrant.
5. Add the marinated meat including the marinade to the spices. Fry on high heat until all moisture dries up and you can see ghee separating from the meat. 
6. Add a cup of water and saffron strands, once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and cover with a tight fitting lid so that steam could not escape.
7. Cook till the meat is tender and falling off the bone. Keep checking during the cooking process as you may need to add more water.
8. This is not a soupy curry so adjust the consistency by increasing or decreasing the amount of moisture.

Note:
Best served with naan, brown rice or cumin rice. Many people like to serve it with Pulao as well.