Durban Curry with Lamb and Potatoes
This aromatic South African curry marries tender lamb pieces with potatoes in a rich, spice-laden sauce. The dish begins by blooming whole spices – black cardamom, bay leaves, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, and fennel seeds – in a mixture of ghee and oil, followed by sautéing onions, ginger, and garlic until golden. The lamb is then browned and simmered with tomatoes, green chillies, and a warming blend of ground spices including turmeric, chili powder, and signature Madras curry powder. Potatoes are added partway through cooking, and the curry is finished with a sprinkle of garam masala, allowing all the spices to meld into a deep, complex flavour profile characteristic of Durban-style curry.
Durban curry
Author: Cee Gee
Nutrition Information
- Serves: 4
- Serving size: 350 g
- Calories: 582
- Fat: 39 g
- Saturated fat: 17 g
- Unsaturated fat: 16 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 727 mg
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Recipe type: Curries
Cuisine: South African
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Having spent a part of my childhood living just outside Durban in South Africa, this a dish that is close to my heart. Spicy, thick and brimming with flavour, it is an essential part of another South African favourite, the " Bunny Chow". In this dish a quarter or half loaf of bread has the white inner part removed and the curry is scooped into the crust. The white bread is then dipped into the sauce as part of the pure enjoyment of eating this wonderful food.
Ingredients
Meat, and vegetables
- Lamb – 500 grams ( cut into bite-size pieces
- Onion – one medium ( sliced)
- Ginger – two inches ( peeled and finely sliced and chopped)
- Garlic – two cloves
- Tomatoes – three medium
- Potatoes – two medium ( peeled and cut into quarters)
- Green chillies – three
Spices
- Black cardamom – one
- Bay leaves – two
- Cloves – three
- Turmeric – ½ teaspoon
- Chilli powder – one teaspoon
- Star anise - one
- Madras curry powder – one and a half tablespoons
- Whole cinnamon – two inches
- Fennel seeds - ½ tablespoon
- Garam masala - one teaspoon
Other
- Ghee – three tablespoons
- Vegetable oil – one tablespoon
- Salt – ½ teaspoon
Instructions
- Add the vegetable oil to a medium-sized pot. Bring to frying temperature.
- Next add, the cinnamon stick, star anise, black cardamom and bay leaf. Stir until fragrant ( 10 to 15 seconds).
- Add the green chillies, ginger and garlic. Stir for thirty seconds
- Now add the onions Saute until they start to become translucent.
- Next, the green chillies, ginger and garlic. Stir for thirty seconds
- Add the curry, turmeric and chilli powders plus the fennel seed. Allow to cook through.
- Now add the lamb pieces. Make sure that they all get coated in the spice mix.
- Once the lamb begins to brown
- Finally , add the tomatoes, potatoes and a ½ cup of water.
- Stir in the salt
- Turn down the heat to low. Place a lid on the pot.
- Stir every now and then
- Once the potatoes have cooked ,the sauce will have thickened, and the curry should be ready. A good indication that it is done is that red oil will have risen to the surface.
- The finishing touch is to add the garam masala and stir through
- Serve with sambals ( chopped tomato and onion, with a dash of vinegar), white rice and chutney . Also good with Indian flatbreads (chapatis and naans).
Notes
This recipe yields approx 4 servings
Keywords:Durban curry
Keywords:Durban curry