Pre Cooked Lamb Or Beef For Curries

Step 1: Heat Oil and Sauté Onions

Add 100ml of vegetable oil to a pot and heat it on high. Once hot, add the finely chopped white onions and garlic paste. Sauté for approximately 10 minutes until the onions are softened but not overly browned.

Step 2: Add Spices and Tomato Puree

Reduce the heat. Add the mild Madras curry powder, fresh ground black pepper, cumin powder, coriander powder, and smoked paprika to the pot. Add a splash of water to prevent the spices from burning and stir well. Then, add the tomato puree and stir until well combined.

Step 3: Add Lamb and Water

Add the diced leg of lamb (or beef) to the pot. Stir to ensure all the lamb pieces are coated with the spice mixture. Pour in the remaining 400ml of water.

Step 4: Simmer the Lamb

Place the lid on the pot and bring the mixture to a medium simmer. Cook for 1 hour, allowing the lamb to become tender.

Step 5: Season and Serve Pre-Cooked Lamb

After 1 hour, turn off the heat. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the lamb and gravy, stirring well. The lamb should now be lovely and tender, ready to be added to any curry or served as is.

Step 6: Prepare Mulligatawny Soup Base (Optional)

If making Mulligatawny soup, dissolve 2 chicken stock cubes in approximately 500ml of hot water. Add the dissolved stock to the remaining gravy in the pot.

Step 7: Add Lentils and Simmer Soup

Add two large handfuls of rinsed red lentils to the pot. Turn the heat back on and simmer the soup for 6 to 10 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked to your desired consistency.

Step 8: Serve Mulligatawny Soup

Once the lentils are cooked and the soup has reached your preferred consistency, ladle it into bowls and serve. This makes a great starter.

• Ensure to cut the lamb into large chunks as it will reduce in size during cooking.

• The pre-cooked lamb can be frozen in portions (e.g., 8 cubes per bag) and defrosted when ready to add to your curry.

• The gravy can be frozen in ice cube trays and added to other curries to enhance flavor.

• For the Mulligatawny soup, adjust the consistency by adding more chicken stock if it's too thick, or simmering longer if too thin.

• Cook the lentils to your preferred texture: soft, mushy, or al dente.

• This method can be used for beef as well as lamb.

• The resulting gravy can be used as a base for various curries or as a standalone Mulligatawny soup.