We love this Nepalese twist on a classic lamb curry. Slow cooking with bold beetroot and fragrant, lemony Sichuan peppercorns will make for a tasty talking point.
800 g lamb neck, fat trimmed and cut into 4cm chunks
500 g bunch beetroot, peeled, halved and cut into 2cm half moons
300 ml chicken or vegetable stock
4 cloves
6 green cardamom pods, bashed
FOR THE MARINADE
2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp. Sichuan peppercorns
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground fenugreek
1 tsp. fennel seeds
200 g natural yogurt
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. tomato puree
4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
4 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1-2 piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp. ground turmeric
FOR THE MINT SAUCE
25 g each mint and coriander leaves
2 Tbsp. natural yogurt
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. caster sugar
1/2 a green chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped (keep the seeds in, if you prefer)
1 small garlic clove, crushed
Directions
Step 1
To make the marinade, put the cumin seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, coriander, fenugreek and fennel seeds in a small dry frying pan over a medium heat for 1-2min, until fragrant. Transfer to a pestle and mortar or spice grinder, and grind until fine. Tip into a food processor with the remaining marinade ingredients, except the turmeric (this can stain the plastic) and whizz until smooth.
Step 2
Spoon the marinade into a large bowl with the turmeric and lamb. Mix well and then leave to marinate for at least 1hr, or covered overnight in the fridge, if you have enough time.
Step 3
Shake off any excess marinade into the bowl, then heat the vegetable oil in a large casserole over a high heat and brown the lamb pieces in batches, until golden brown all over. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Drain off any excess fat left in the pan.
Step 4
Add the remaining marinade to the pan and stir well, making sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan as these will add to the flavour. Return the browned lamb pieces to the pan with the beetroot, stock, cloves and cardamom; season generously. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat and cover and cook for 1hr 30min until almost tender. Remove the lid and continue cooking for 1hr-1hr 15min, until the sauce begins to thicken. The lamb should be tender and the beetroot cooked through.
Step 5
Meanwhile, make the mint sauce. Put all the ingredients into a small food processor with a generous pinch of salt and 4tbsp water and blitz until very finely chopped. Set aside.
Step 6
Taste and adjust seasoning, then remove cloves and cardamom before serving with the mint sauce and your choice of sides.
Per Serving:
Calories: 558
Fibre: 5 g
Total carbs: 19 g
Sugars: 17 g
Total fat: 32 g
Saturated fat: 14 g
Protein: 47 g
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The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
