Punjabi cooking is perhaps the Indian cuisine with which we are most familiar — the vast majority of Indian restaurants in Britain offer food from this region. Although it is not traditional, I prefer to seal the chops before adding them to the sauce so that they caramelise and add a meaty, savoury flavour.
Ingredients
Serves 4
8 lamb chops
3cm ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
Advertisement
4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
3tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
2tsp garam masala
1tsp ground cumin
1½tsp cayenne pepper
1tsp mild chilli powder
800g chopped plum tomatoes
2tbsp lemon juice
1tsp sea salt, or to taste
450ml natural yoghurt
Coriander leaves, to garnish
Method
Trim excess fat from the chops and season. Put the ginger, garlic, chilli and a little water into a food processor and blend to a wet paste.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a wide, heavy-based pan. When you feel a strong heat rising, add the chops and fry for 1-2 minutes each side, until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
Add the remaining oil to the pan and the onions, garam masala, cumin, cayenne pepper and chilli powder. Stir well and saut? gently for 3-4 minutes or until the onions have softened.
Add the ginger and garlic paste and cook for a few more minutes. Increase the heat and add the chops, tomatoes, lemon juice and salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and partially cover the pan.
Cook, stirring occasionally, for 50-60 minutes or until the meat is tender and the sauce thick. Over a low heat, gradually stir in the yoghurt and simmer for a few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Arrange the chops on a warm platter and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve immediately with warm breads or plain basmati rice.