I like to have a plan, have all my ingredients lined up and get things done in pretty military fashion. At lest, that’s the aspiration. Sadly, often, the reality involves opening the press during the cooking, shouting some profanity at the empty space and then driving in a panic to the supermarket to get some essential spice or aromatic. This time, it needed to be different. I have been to cookery school (Yes, I have!). I have learned from the experts. I simply have to be able to prepare a Lamb and Aubergine Curry without the use of the car.
I mentioned above that I had been to cookery school. Well, I have and I haven’t. The lovely Lynda Booth who runs the Dublin Cookery School very generously hosted an evening for a bunch of ruly (opposite of unruly) food bloggers. Linda cooks some delicious Indian food. She also has an easy, seemingly instinctive approach to spice blending. This is something I had to emulate. So I decided to prepare a curry using only ‘feel’ on the ingredient quantities. As a result, my list looks like this:
Ingredients
- 1.25 kilos (2.5 lbs) of lamb meat (neck or shoulder are fine)
- 3 onions
- 3 aubergines
- 3 single bulb garlics (or a bulb of regular).
- 5 cm (2″) of ginger
- 100 grammes or so (a bag) of spinach
- half a litre (1 pint) of goat’s yoghurt
- 500 gms (1lb) of chickpeas
- 2 tins of tomatoes
- 3 bay leafs
- 3 teaspoons of fennel seeds
- 1.5 teaspoons of each: mace, cardamom (after taking out of pods), mustard seed, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, chili powder and turmeric
Side note on process: I did not follow any recipe. I just did what seemed right at each stage of the cooking. It worked, so now it is a recipe!
Brown the lamb meat in a casserole (Dutch oven).
Slice the onions, garlic and ginger. Turn your oven on to 200ºC (390ºF).
When the meat is browned, remove and add the onions, Stir for a few minutes before adding the garlic and ginger. This prevents the danger of the garlic and ginger burning and making the dish bitter.
While this is going on, dry fry the cumin and fennel seeds until they are aromatic.
Add all the spices that need grinding to the mortar and apply the pestle until they are ground reasonably fine.
Don’t overdo it. It’s nice to have little bits of pepper and seed in the dish.
When the onions have softened, add back the meat and any juices. Add the spices and stir to incorporate keep stirring for a good 5 minutes while the spices infuse the meat.
Then add the tomatoes.
Add the yoghurt and stir to incorporate. Next slice and add the aubergine. Stir to incorporate.
Pop this, covered, into the heated oven. Leave it there for an hour. Then remove the lid and stir in both the chickpeas and the spinach. Return it to the oven for 10 minutes. Assemble your diners and serve straight from the pot with Basmati rice and a nice bit of chutney on the side.
I really enjoyed this. It’s not some generations-old ‘authentic’ Indian recipe. I thought about flavour and I used a balance of ingredients that just seemed to be right. The result was fantastic. The inspiration came from my night in cookery school. Thanks Lynda!
Hi Conor,
The dish looks and sounds delicious, lamb is a favourite of mine but I’m just wondering did the lamb neck cost much? I went to make a lamb Rogan josh few weeks back and the butcher was quoting nearly €25…would that be about right? Very pricey curry if it is!
Kind regards
Carmel
LikeLike
Hi Carmel,
Get a new butcher. I got my hands on 1.25 kilos of lamb pieces. There is all sorts in there. If you deal with a good butcher, they will have decent pieces available and, unless you plan to feed the street, you should not be paying the price of a leg of lamb for some off-cuts. I can’t remember the exact price but, let reason prevail. I like the idea of a Rogan Josh. Another one for the list…
C
LikeLike
That last picture looks delicious – screen-lickingly so. I think the intuitive approach to curry cooking is the way to go, especially, but not exclusively, if you don’t hail from a long line of Indian mothers! I’m the latter, my mother’s mother was an awful cook, and thus my mother had to use some originality in teaching herself how to cook. That remained with me, so now some of my curries, whilst not unrecognisable, are pretty different to hers. I don’t think she’d mind. As long as it tastes damn good!
LikeLike
Thank you Karinna,
I come from a long line of Irish people. So, I can’t claim any heritage points at all. I have had to learn it all from scratch. It’s a really interesting journey that will go on until my taste buds give out.
Best,
Conor
LikeLike
Gorgeous curry – Conor. Well spiced!
LikeLike
Thanks Nick,
I know that you know your spices. I’ve been drooling at some of the wonderful concoctions over on Frugal Feeding.
LikeLike
You’re too kind, Conor ;). Good to see your cycling prep forging on ahead.
LikeLike
Yes. I need to think about getting some distance in. Climbing is one thing but there’s no substitute for long spins.
LikeLike
I’m trying to get my endurance from last year back; I have some really long rides coming up. 140 this coming weekend (the Bristol Ball Buster), followed by 140 on Good Friday and 140 the week after. Miles that is ;). I’m a little tentative at the moment about the latter two.
LikeLike
Horse of a man!
LikeLike
Tired horse*
LikeLike
That looks delicious 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks MD,
I was proud of both my opening and closing shots on this one.
LikeLike
I’ve often thought there was some black magic involved in curries. Once eaten, the aroma of curry if you pass it in the street is enough to get the taste buds going and a serious craving started up. I reckon this one would require the handing out of bibs before dishing up, to deal with the drooling problem that would ensue…
LikeLike
Welcome back, Conor – where have you been? Love the sound (and the pictures) of your curry and will most certainly try out this recipe this week 🙂 Carina
LikeLike
Hi Carina,
I’ve been here doing less flavoursome stuff! I should really do more of this type of cooking. It’s very satisfying and great fun.
Best,
Conor
LikeLike
Stunning. Some of the best recipes are done by feel and intuition.
LikeLike
Hi Virginia,
I’ve done some pretty awful ones too using the same method.
LikeLike
Shhh, we don’t talk about those, um, experiments.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Looks very tasty and very well presented Conor. Great to meet you in person and I’m glad you enjoyed the food bloggers evening.
Regards,
Lynda
LikeLike
Hi Lynda, My apologies for misspelling your name in my tweet. Thanks so much for the evening. It was a real education.
Best,
C
LikeLike
Following your gut instincts (no pun or insult intended) is always a great way to cook. The curry looks superb.
LikeLike
Thanks Linda,
I really enjoyed this one. I have had my share of gut-wrenching results too. Not every idea is a good idea.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Conor, this looks like a perfect recipe for one of my minor hobbies, which I like to call “Buy 15 ingredients, 3 of which you don’t know you already have and only one of which you will ever use again, with the rest henceforth staring at you from your cupboard,silently admonishing you for being one of those people”. Still doesn’t put me off though, because it looks delicious.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The inspiration (apart from Lynda, of course) was a Lidl special offer on Aubergines. Then I had to come up with something while crossing the road to go to the butcher. All else was in the press, thanks be to goodness.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Conor, you make everything sound and look delicious. I suppose those chickpeas are already cooked? Would be nice to do a sous-vide version 🙂
LikeLike
They were indeed. Straight out of tins. Though, they were ‘Organic’. Sous vide could be great fun for really flavoursome stuff like this. I must put my thinking cap on….
LikeLike
That first mise-en-place pic is a thing of great beauty. 🙂 Recipe sounds good, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Lisa,
In truth, that all on the kitchen floor, near the door so I could get the light, me on a stool leaning very dangerously, trying to get the shot before falling on top of it all. Your descriptive text is far more elegant than my reality.
Best,
C
LikeLike
Oh, hush. Pointing out the smoke and wires makes all the magic go away. 😉 I post the occasional recipe as well, but despair of ever taking such mouth-watering food shots. My photographic talents lie elsewhere, so I leave the food porn to the pros!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Lisa.
LikeLike
I don’t think that it’s possible to have too much garlic. Looks delicious.
LikeLike
Thanks Michelle. Lots is always nearly enough.
LikeLike
After some three decades of cooking ‘curries’ from right around Asia, S Africa and now Down under, I still measure!!! Talking of insecurity!!!! But just love the look of this and I shall copy and I shall measure the first time around!! Methinks with a boned shoulder: won’t have to see the bank manager ere I shop 🙂 !!
LikeLike
Boned shoulder would be excellent Eha. The measuring is optional.
LikeLike
Haven’t made an eggplant dish in ages! You inspired me last week to do a cabbage dish, the last of which we ate yesterday. Eyed eggplants when I went to get the cabbage but couldn’t think of a meal that the little one would like. You’ve inspired me once again! This looks awesome… Best wishes…
LikeLike
Great. I love when this happens. Let me know how you get on.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Will do…
LikeLike
Absolutely wonderful recipe…..I can see no reason why one couldn’t leave out the lamb ( vegetarian in the house) …so I shall try this.
LikeLike
Looks gorgeous Conor! I wonder if you are still trying to get that tumeric stain out of the board 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Smart Food Solutions.
LikeLike
Lynda has taught you well my friend 🙂
LikeLike
…and just before I go I would like to say that lamb neck chops are my favourite piece of lamb for a curry. Don’t see them used very often though…
LikeLiked by 1 person
That she did. It was pretty delicious.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is very inspiring. I love making curries too. Can’t enough of these spices. Even opening the cupboard where I keep my spices is an aromatic treat! I was just eyeing the eggplant at the market the other day. I’m going to make your recipe.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent. Please post it too. I’d love to see your interpretation of my concoction.
LikeLike
Looks dam good Conor, I worked with an Indian Chef for about 12 months when I started out in a professional kitchen and the one thing I learned in that time was spice alchemy its burned into my brain!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m feeling my way with it Rory. Loving it!
LikeLike
The key is also looking after your spice….cool and dark storage and little and often in terms of buying
LikeLike
Indeed. I keep mine in a dark cupboard in the coolest room in the house.
LikeLike
I’m a bit behind on my readerboard Conor. Dang, my family won’t venture anywhere near curry or eggplant. I love both! (Although I have a Keema ground beef curry dish I have made and they like, but it’s pretty mild.) That one is next on my list to make. Both husband and daughter are out of town for spring break, though, and I bought me some chicken livers to fry up Texas-style while they are gone! They won’t even let me cook it in the house they hate the smell so much, lol!~
LikeLike
This sounds amazing. So many of my favorite ingredients in one place! I am definitely going to make this if I can ever get my hands on some reasonably priced lamb meat! You’re an inspiration Conor! 😀
LikeLike
I wonder – do they do an Ireland Masterchef? You could have a go….
LikeLike
They do. I wouldn’t. I would be the sad git that makes a mess of it and goes out in the first round.
LikeLike
This looks amazing. I love lamb and i love the spices you use. Pics are gorgeous as always and it’s just so obvious the care you put into each step. Hope you’re well!
LikeLike
Hi Amanda,
I was happy with it. The aubergines worked really well with the lamb.
LikeLike
That was a seriously great night! Nice to see the dishes getting used! 🙂
LikeLike