Topic: Mughlai-style Leg of Lamb

[schweiky]

Ok, here goes.  Although I have a golden rule that I never change a recipe from a book the first time I do it, I DID change this recipe the first time I did it.  I will explain the differences and you can go at it the way you think is best.  This recipe is for a 1.kg or 4lb leg of lamb and it is  really worth doing for a dinner party/special occasion as it looks the dog's bollocks when you pull it out of the oven.  For those with the book, this is from the Best Ever Indian Cookery book which is mentioned elsewhere in this section.
Ingredients
4 large onions chopped
4 garlic cloves (I used 6)
5cm piece of ginger
3 tbsp ground almonds  ( I did the recipe without as I had one guest with nut allergy!)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp garam masala
4 - 6 fresh green chillis ( I used 2 green and 2 red seeded)
juices of 1 lemon
300 ml plain natural yoghurt (beaten)
4 lb leg of lamb
8 - 10 cloves ( I did not use these as my wife doesn't like them that much and I was marinating..more of this later)
1 tbsp of flaked almonds (i did not use these but a handful of chopped coriander instead)
4 firm tomatoes halved and grilled to serve

Method
Place the onions, garlic ginger, ground almonds, dry spices, chillis and lemon juice in a blender.  Add salt to taste and make a smooth paste.  Gradually add the yoghurt with a fork and then blend briefly.  Grease a large deep roasting pan.  Remove all/most of the visible fat from the lamb then make diagonal gashes on both sides Push the cloves into the meat spacing evenly on all sides   Place the meat in the pan and cover.  Roast at gas mark 5 for 2 - 2 and a half hours.  remove the foil for the last ten minutes so it crusts up.  Take it out of the oven and garnish with the almonds and tomatos (or in my version the tomatos and coriander).

I changed the recipe by not slashing meat and simply marinating the lamb for twenty four hours with the mixture rubbed lovingly all over it, and stirring and repasting whenever I remembered to do it.  I didn't want to slash the meat as I read that that is a sure way to lose the juices, but I still wanted it to taste aromatic.  I think as long as you keep pushing the meat into all of the natural recesses it offers, you will find the results are just as good, or better as the meat is juicier.  I also cooked it a lower temperature (gas mark 4) for about two and a half hours or just a bit over.  I don't like my lamb over cooked and prefer to cook it more slowly.

However you do it, you won't regret it as it is delicious!
Enjoy
Schweiky

[Cory Ander]

Thanks for posting this recipe Schweiky....I'm going to give it a go one Sunday soon