South Asian Style Braised Lamb Curry for a Trixie-fied French Fridays with Dorie

At first I was excited when I saw that this week's French Fridays with Dorie dish was a lamb curry. And then ... I read over the ingredients list. Figs. Apples. Honey. Golden Raisins. That's a lot of sweet components in a dish, even for one with supposedly Moroccan overtones.  And to balance all this sweet fruitiness? Trace amounts of cardamom and a couple of tablespoons of Madras curry powder ... a mild curry seasoning if ever there was one. Plus - I'm sorry, Madras curry powder is fine, but I simply don't believe you can get a rich, deep flavor from a curry powder that comes in a tin.

Needless to say, I had other ideas.


Recently I received a review copy of Rice & Curry, a fabulous Sri Lankan cookbook. (Look for a giveaway in the coming weeks!) I have made quite a few dishes from it, and they have all been amazing. The star of each dish has been the homemade curry powders - each ingredient is roasted individually, and then ground together. It's incredibly aromatic and deeply flavorful. Oh - and spicy, just the way I like it.

For this dish, I used the book's roasted Jaffna curry powder, with dry red chiles, coriander seeds, peppercorns, turmeric, fresh curry leaves, fennel seeds, and fenugreek. Just a little more punch than Madras curry! I rubbed two tablespoons of this mixture on my lamb - along with a little Madras curry powder just to keep some semblance of the original recipe -  and set it aside.

Meanwhile, I sautéed a teaspoon of mustard seeds and a sprig of fresh curry leaves (not related to curry powder at all, fresh curry leaves are nutty and buttery and lend an unmistakable note to any dish) until crispy, added three hot green chilis (with seeds) and an onion, then fresh ginger and garlic.

Next I added the lamb and cooked until it was brown. I tossed in some red potatoes and 3/4 cup of water and simmered for about 30 minutes. Instead of Dorie's apples and figs, I added coconut milk and simmered until everything was tender. To serve, I squeezed some Kafir lime juice over the top - this was another gift from Poppa Trix's co-worker, the same person who gifted us with those amazing finger limes awhile back. Pretty, pretty limes!

The result? A curry with layers and layers of flavor, a powerful and lingering heat, with the perfect finish of tart acidity.  I will make this again for sure, and I can't wait to share a recipe from the Sri Lankan cookbook with you when I do the giveaway - there's something for everyone in there, even if you don't like heat. (And there are desserts too - Foodiva, I am looking at you!)

In the meantime, don't forget to check out my current giveaway - a case of Pitaya Plus dragon fruit juice. And if you'd like to become a Dorista, just pick up a copy of Around My French Table and get cooking!