Southern Indian Lamb curry in a sauce flavoured with fennel and coconut

 

This Southern Indian lamb curry with a sauce flavoured with fennel and coconut is a new one to me, thank you Madhur Jaffrey's Flavour of India. Normally coconut milk goes into, mostly, Thai dishes and I've never put it with tomatoes. But this creamy thickish gravy dish is beautiful, it should be almost like a cream soup Madhur writes. It should be fiery but mine isn't so adjust from the ingredients below if you want it hotter. But it's lovely, the fennel is in the background as are the other spices, it's a very well balanced curry.

There are several separate steps that any good curry has, and lots of ingredients but you are making magic not cheese on toast. Put the effort in - it's worth it.

1b lamb diced

Spice mix
Tbl spoon fennel seeds - either pulverised in in pestle and mortal or blender, I put all together and used a hand blender
Tbl spoon ground coriander
Tsp turmeric
Tbl spoon chilli powder
Tsp paprika
Tsp salt
Tsp poppy seeds if you have some
Mix together

Wet mix
Tin of coconut milk
3 or more cloves of garlic
Inch of ginger
Some water
Blend all together to make a liquid

Chop some onions finely

Fry in oil and butter for a few minutes
Tsp of fennel seeds
Five cardamon pods (squashed).
1 inch cinnamon stick
Bay leaf

Then add onions and fry till slightly browned at the edges, add tomatoes, fry till they soften. Then add the spice mix, stir and fry for a minute then add the wet mix, simmer for a few minutes then add a cup of water, add the lamb and simmer until the lamb is done about 1.5 hrs. Add water as required.

Enjoy!