Indian-Spiced Lamb & Chickpea Curry

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 300°. Heat a dash of oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Season the lamb with a little salt and pepper and brown on both sides (this is best done in batches). Set the chops aside.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter or clarified butter and another dash of oil to the same pan. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the spices and cayenne pepper and cook for another few minutes, stirring all the time so the spices don’t stick and burn.
3. Add the stock to the pan, bring to a boil then immediately turn off the heat. Stir in the tomatoes, chickpeas, lemon juice, 1/2 cup of yogurt, and the lamb and its juices. Taste and season as desired. If your pan is ovenproof, cover tightly and cook in the oven for 3 hours or transfer everything to a covered casserole dish.
4. Before serving, you can remove the meat from the bones if you like so it’s easier to eat. Serve the curry with steamed rice, a dollop of unsweetened yogurt, fresh coriander, and hot crispy naan bread.

Cook’s Tip: To make clarified butter, simply melt butter over low heat and tip into a small bowl. The milk solids settle at the bottom and the golden oil is the clarified butter. Carefully pour that out and use for frying. Because you take out the milk solids, the butter won’t burn in the pan and it’s better for frying.