Lamb, chickpea and plum Korma

serves 4

Recipe by Ragini Dey

• 40ml ghee (can use oil or butter instead)
• 4 green cardamom
• 4 cloves
• 3 black cardamom
• 2 bay leaves
• 2.5cm cinnamon stick
• 1 cup sliced onion
• 1 tbs ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tbs roasted cumin seeds, powdered
• 1 tbs roasted coriander seeds, powdered
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder (mild, vibrantly red powder from large red chillies)
• ½ cup yoghurt
• 1kg diced forequarter of lamb (or 4 lamb shanks)
• 2 cups plums, stones removed
• Salt to taste
• ½ cup cooked chickpea
• 1 tbs keora water (extract distilled from pandanus flowers)

1. Heat the ghee, add whole spices and then the onion; when golden brown, add ginger and garlic pastes and sautè for one minute. Mix the powdered spices with the yoghurt and add this to the onion mix. After three minutes on high heat add the meat and brown till the oil separates from the spice blend. Stir in the plums, salt and a little water if the mixture is too dry. Cook covered on low heat till the meat is almost tender. Add the chickpeas, a little more water if required and continue cooking until the meat is soft. Flavour with keora water and rest for half an hour before serving.

1. Keora water (also known as Kewra or kewda water) is an extract distilled from the male flowers of the pandanus plant and can be used quite liberally because the extract is quite diluted. It's used to flavour meats, drinks and desserts in India and Southeast Asia and has been described as having a sweet, perfumed aroma of vanilla or roses but with a fruity greenness. In this curry it is used just before serving to give it a nice fresh finish. Keora or Kewra essence is also available but this a much stronger and must be used sparingly just like any essence.
2. Extracts and essences from the pandanus LEAF are used in Malaysian and other Asian cuisines to flavour and colour food.

Video can be seen here
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/pohskitchen/stories/s2860063.htm