Curry in a Hurry - Well Kinda'

There's all kinds of ways to make a curry whether from scratch by toasting and blending your own spices to the quick and easy kind like this one from Family Circle. In my opinion, there's no right or wrong way and certainly no such thing as a bad one. We love the stuff.

While Family Circle's recipe is made specifically for a slow cooker, you all know how I feel about those contraptions so I made our version in my favorite Dutch oven instead.

After the lovely chunks of lamb were seasoned, I dredged them in flour then browned it well before cooking onions, garlic, ginger, sweet red and anaheim peppers until softened. Simple ground spices including garam masala, coriander and turmeric hit the pot along with canned diced tomatoes, chicken stock and a cup of apple cider too because I needed some extra liquid. Ignored in the oven for a couple of hours while we finished our day's chores, the delightful aroma was enough to draw the hungry masses. Good thing we locked the front door.

We enjoyed our curry with roasted cauliflower instead of basmati rice because we're still trying to cut a few carbs and garnished the bowls with diced apple, mint and cucumber mixed with yogurt, raisins, dried cherries and almonds for crunch.  Tasty? You bet - hearty and uncomplicated with just a slight touch of heat. 

Lamb Curry ( from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from Family Circle)

3 tablespoons olive oil plus more as needed

2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes

Salt & coarse ground black pepper

All purpose flour

1 large onion, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 anaheim pepper or green bell pepper, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 – 15 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup apple cider

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in Dutch oven until shimmering. Season lamb with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Brown well on all sides in batches – do not crowd pan. Removed browned meat from pan.  Add more oil as necessary. Add onion, ginger, garlic and peppers and sauté until vegetables are softened – about 5 minutes. Stir in garam masala, coriander, salt, pepper and turmeric and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, chicken stock, apple cider and browned meat. Bring to a boil, and then cover pot and place in preheated oven for 1-1/2 hours. Remove lid from pot and return to oven for additional half hour or until sauce has reduced to your preferred consistency. Serve with basmati rice. Makes 6 servings.

A year ago - BBQ Chicken 2 ways

Two year's ago - Southwestern Corn and Sausage Soup

 

Comments

[Lorraine]

Surpise ingredient...apple cider vinegar. I have never used that in any of my curry. Interesting! What did it add?

[June]

Lorraine - just plain apple cider (Angry Orchard Elderberry) ...not vinegar. The pot was getting low on liquid so I added apple cider instead of more chicken stock. You could really taste it too. Worked out super!

[Lea M. Callais]

You and I were thinking curry the same time this week, my friend! I made curried lentil soup! Good stuff for sure!

[June]

Oh Lea - curried lentil soup. Now I have the envie.