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Ground Lamb with Potatoes

Our family eats this so frequently that, along with a moong dal, rice, a yogurt relish, and pickles, we consider this to be our “soul food” meal. Nothing fancy here, only the homey and soothing.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4¿6

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive or canola oil
Two 3-inch cinnamon sticks
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 pounds ground lamb
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
3 tablespoons tomato puree
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
10 ounces boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

Preparation

  1. Pour the oil into a large frying pan or sauté pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot put in the cinnamon sticks and let them sizzle for 5 seconds. Put in the onions and stir and fry until the onion pieces turn brown at the edges. Add the ginger and garlic and stir for a minute. Add the lamb. Stir and fry, breaking up the lumps until the meat loses its redness. Add the yogurt, tomato puree, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and turmeric and stir for a minute. Add the salt, potatoes, and 2 cups water. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low, and cook gently for 30 minutes.

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Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the full book from Amazon.
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