Lamb Vepadu
Author: 
Recipe type: Curry
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Indian cuisine is a great showcase of the ability of the Chilli to transform food into something special. This authentic lamb curry is in the style of cooking popular in the Andhra Pradesh state of India, where curries are stir-fried. I prefer adding tomato as I believe it adds more flavour In its authentic form, the tomato is left out to provide a fried lamb dish without sauce. Either way, this curry is outstanding.
Ingredients
For the marinated lamb
  • Lamb shoulder- 500 g chopped into 25 mm cubes
  • Lemon juice - 2 tablespoons
  • Ground turmeric -1/4 teaspoon
  • Red chilli powder - 1- 2 tablespoons
  • White onions - 2 large - coarsely chopped
  • Ginger/garlic paste -1 tablespoon
  • Salt to taste
Whole Spices:
  • Coriander seeds - 2 tablespoons
  • Dried Cinnamon - 2 inches
  • Green Cardamom - 4
  • Cloves - 8
  • Cumin– ½ tablespoon
  • Fennel seeds – ¼ teaspoon
  • Other ingredients:
  • 3 Green Chillies
  • Ripe tomatoes- 3 - 5 medium
  • Butter or ghee - 1 tablespoon
  • Vegetable oil -2 tablespoons
  • Dried Curry leaves - 4 to 5 (see note).
  • Dried Kashmiri Chillies - 5
  • Ground Black Pepper -1/2 teaspoon
  • Cashew nuts - 12 (finely ground)
  • Coriander/ Cilantro leaves- a handful- coarsely chopped
Instructions
  1. Place whole spices in a spice grinder (or pestle and mortar) and grind to a fine powder
  2. Combine ground spices with ingredients under " for the marinated lamb" with a little water . Add to lamb and allow to marinate until it is infused with the flavours (45 to sixty minutes)
  3. Remove meat from marinade.
  4. Heat ghee or butter in a heavy based frying pan and fry marinated meat (without onion) until the lamb is almost tender. If the meat appears to be drying out add water to keep moist, but towards the end, allow to lose moisture until almost dry (approx. 45 minutes).
  5. In separate pot, heat oil, add onions and green Chillies. Fry until the onions begin to change to a golden colour. Add tomatoes & Kashmiri Chillies and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes. Add the fried lamb and cook on low heat until very tender and oils begin to separate from the gravy. Finally add curry leaves, cashew nuts, and pepper. Cook for a further 5 minutes on a low heat. Scatter with chopped coriander leaves and serve with white rice and Indian chutney.
Notes
If using fresh curry leaves, use only 2 to 3 and fry with onions and green chillies (only dried curry leaves are added at the end)

If eating naans or rotis with this dish make sure they are gluten-free

This recipe yields 4 portions

Keywords: Lamb curry with chillies
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 100g Calories: 234 kcal Fat: 24g Saturated fat: 0.9g Carbohydrates: 3.1g Sugar: 2.9g Sodium: 0.59g Fiber: 0.9g Protein: 3
Recipe by The Chilli Workshop at https://chilliworkshop.co.uk/recipes-with-chilllies/recipes-from-india/lamb-vepadu-india/