Day 5 – Slow-cooked Lamb Rogan Josh

This weekend, my beloved footy team is playing in the Grand Final and I couldn’t be happier. Like the rest of the nation who cares about these things, I have prayed to my God,”please, let it be by a point”, only this time, I’d like the scores to be the other way around from the 1966 result.

In another part of the country, there’s someone I know who will be praying just as hard for the other team. He was once drafted to play for them. He dreams in black, white and red. He loves a laugh, loves schadenfreude and lamb is his favourite food.

So this meal is for him and all the other footy fanatics who will no doubt be voiceless at the end of the game. Put it in the slow cooker in the morning and let it do the work for you. Lamb rogan josh. Footy food. Man food. A consolation prize for the losing team. It’s almost better than being beaten by a point.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

1 kg lamb leg or shoulder; ¼ cup vegetable oil; 1 bay leaf; 6 whole cloves; 1 tbsp green cardamom pods ; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 tsp fennel seeds; 4 small dried chillies, roughly chopped; 750g red onions, sliced;1 small tub (about 200ml) plain yoghurt; ½ tsp salt; 1 tsp turmeric; 1 tsp chilli powder; 3 tsp ground coriander; 2 tsp freshly grated ginger; 4 cloves garlic, crushed; 2 tsp chilli purée, such as sambal oelek; 2 tomatoes, chopped; 1 tbsp tomato purée; 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves; coriander sprigs, to serve
METHOD

Trim the lamb of any excess fat and cut into large cubes. Set aside.

In a large heavy based saucepan, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add bay leaf, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon stick, fennel seeds and dried chillies and stir well until the spices release their fragrance, about 3 minutes. Add the sliced onions, reduce the heat to low and cook the onions, stirring occasionally, for the next 20 minutes until they are soft, brown and sweetly caramelised.

If using a slow-cooker: When onions are cooked, transfer to the crock pot of a slow cooker. Stir in the yoghurt, salt, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander, ginger, garlic and chilli paste. Add the lamb and ½ cup water to thin the sauce a little. Cook on Low for 6-8  hours, or High for 4-5 hours. Add tomatoes and tomato purée for final hour of cooking.

If cooking on the stove top: When onions are cooked, add yoghurt, salt, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander, ginger, garlic and chilli paste and stir well. Add lamb cubes and ¾ cup water and stir some more. Cover the pot with a well-fitting lid, turn the heat down as low as possible and simmer slowly for 45 minutes. Add tomatoes and tomato purée and cook, covered, for a further 60-75 minutes until the lamb is fork tender.

Check the amount of liquid in the curry – if there is too much, remove the lid, turn up the heat a little, and simmer rapidly for 10 minutes to reduce the liquid. You want a thick gravy coating the meat, rather than a thin soupy liquid. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf and any cardamom pods you may find. Stir through the coriander leaves just before serving.

Serve with steamed rice, topped with more coriander if you want.

COST

$12.00 using lamb shoulder for up to six people