Celebrity Chef Anjula Devi's fool-proof curry
BY READERS DIGEST
1st Jan 2015 Recipes
Celebrity chef Anjula Devi—champion of the traditional, authentic Indian meal—shares her easy to follow Lamb Dhansak curry recipe.
This Indian staple meal is often misunderstood as a complicated or time-consuming dish to prepare from scratch.
To prove this wrong and bring authentic Indian food to even more British palates, Anjula Devi has devised this quick and easy recipe. Her lamb dhansak is packed with healthy ingredients so it's in-keeping with the traditional curries which were a staple of her childhood.
Lamb Dhansak, made in a slow cooker
Ingredients
- 500g of diced lamb shoulder
- 125g Channa daal and a small handful each of Toor and Masoor daal
- 125g pumpkin, chopped
- 1 small aubergine, chopped
- 2 small onions, chopped (for a great curry, sauté your onions for a few minutes)
- 1 small bunch of fresh methi leaves, chopped (or 2tbs dry fenugreek)
- 1 tsp each of cumin seeds, tumeric powder, chilli flakes and fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2oz unsalted butter
- 2tbs vegetable oil
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- Himalayan rock salt to taste
- 2 tsp jaggery
- 2 cloves
- 2 tbs natural yogurt
- 3 green cardamom
- 1 small piece of cassia bark
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground star anise
- 1 pint of hot water, from the kettle
- Small bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
- 1 tsp garam masala
Method
- Wash all of the daals together under a cold running tap
- Add the lentils to the slow cooker, along with all of the other ingredients apart from the fresh coriander and garam masala. Sauté the onions for a few minutes before adding them
- Set slow cooker on the lowest setting and just let it cook for 6 to 8 hours
- Remove lid from the slow cooker. If you are happy with the amount of sauce, switch the cooker off and add fresh coriander and garam masala
- If you'd like the sauce to be thicker, set the slow cooker on high and cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes without the lid on.
Throughout Anjula’s career, cooking has been her therapy as well as her craft. This talent began as a gift shared by her beloved father, during a childhood in which he imparted all of his culinary wisdom.
