Spinach & Lamb Curry (Saag Gosht)

This Indian curry is thick, spicy, hot and delicious, the perfect dish to warm you up on a cold Autumn Saturday evening.  I have adapted the recipe from this month's Olive magazine, adding natural yoghurt, fenugreek seeds, chopped tomatoes and coriander to the original one. I have used lamb neck fillet, which becomes meltingly tender through the slow cooking process, and served it with home-made naan bread.

INGREDIENTS (serves 2, with leftovers)

• 450 gr lamb neck fillet
• A 2 cm piece of ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 white onions, finely sliced
• 1 green chilli, chopped
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 100 gr spinach
• 400 gr chopped tinned tomatoes
• 1 tbsp natural yoghurt
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• Salt
• Vegetable oil

Get a cast iron casserole and warm it up over a moderate heat, adding two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Peel and chop the garlic and ginger, then whizz them to a paste in a food processor. Gently cook the sliced onions, chopped chilli and garlic & ginger paste until soft, adding a bit of water if the ingredients tend to stick to the pan.

Next, add all the spices in, mix them well so that they coat the vegetables and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. 

It's time to add the lamb fillet, cut into equally sized chunks. Turn the heat up and stirring often to prevent any of the ingredients from sticking to the pan and burning, brown the lamb and the onions. 

Pour in the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée and half a glass of water to the pan, give it another stir, add a pinch of salt and let it cook (lid on) over a gentle heat for about one hour. The sauce will reduce significantly and will loose all the wateriness. At this point, turn the heat off the pan and stir the spinach in, folding them in with the sauce until they wilt. When ready, taste the curry and add more salt if necessary. When you are happy with the seasoning, stir in a tablespoon of natural yogurt to add creaminess and sprinkle the chopped, fresh coriander leaves on top. Serve with naan bread or pilau/boiled rice.