Pre-Cooked Tender Lamb for Curries & Mulligatawny Soup

Step 1: Heat Oil and Sauté Onions & Garlic

Heat 100ml of vegetable oil in a large pot or wok over high heat. Add the 500 grams of finely chopped white onions and 2 tablespoons of garlic paste. Sauté for approximately 10 minutes until the onions are softened and slightly browned.

Step 2: Add Spices and Tomato Puree

Reduce the heat. Add 1 teaspoon each of 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 burning and stir well to combine. Then, add 4 tablespoons of tomato puree and stir until thoroughly mixed with the spices and onions.

Step 3: Add Lamb and Simmer

Add the 1 kg of diced leg of lamb to the pot. Stir well to ensure all the lamb pieces are coated with the masala mixture. Pour in the remaining 400 ml of water. Bring to a medium simmer, cover with a lid, and cook for 1 hour.

Step 4: Season and Serve Pre-cooked Lamb

After 1 hour, remove the lid and check the lamb for tenderness. It should be soft and pull apart easily. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and stir. The pre-cooked lamb is now ready to be used in any curry or can be portioned and frozen for later use.

Step 5: Prepare Mulligatawny Soup (Optional)

To make Mulligatawny soup from the leftover gravy, dissolve 2 chicken stock cubes in approximately 500 ml of hot water. Add this stock to the remaining gravy in the pot. Add 2 large handfuls of rinsed red lentils. Stir well and simmer for 6 to 10 minutes until the lentils are cooked to your desired consistency (soft, mushy, or al dente).

• Use large chunks of lamb as they will reduce in size during cooking.

• Pre-cooked lamb can be frozen in portions (e.g., 8 cubes per bag) and defrosted for quick curries.

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

• Adjust the consistency of the Mulligatawny soup by adding more chicken stock water if it's too thick.

• Beef can be used instead of lamb for this pre-cooking method.

• The pre-cooked lamb can be used in various curries like Madras, Jalfrezi, Lamb Tikka Masala, or Korma.

• The leftover gravy can be transformed into a Mulligatawny soup.