On the heat. Hot

Ingredients

• 800 g lamb stewing cubes
• 1 tsp turmeric · 1 tsp salt (for the pre-cook)
• 4 tbsp sesame or coconut oil
• 2 onions, sliced thin
• 2 tbsp ginger–garlic paste
• 2 tbsp coarsely crushed black pepper
• 1 tbsp ground coriander · 1 tsp fennel
• 6 dried red chillies, broken
• 3 sprigs curry leaves
• 1 tsp mustard seed · shredded coconut, to finish

Method

1. Pressure-cook or simmer the lamb with the turmeric, salt and 300 ml water until just tender — 20 minutes under pressure, or 60 in a pot. Keep the liquid.
2. Oil hot in a wide pan. Mustard seed, then curry leaves and dried chillies.
3. Onions, 10 minutes to brown. Ginger–garlic, two minutes.
4. Drained lamb in, and fry on high for 10 minutes until it starts to crust.
5. Ground spices and the crushed pepper in. Add the reserved liquid a splash at a time, letting each addition cook away completely, for about 12 minutes.
6. Finish with fresh curry leaves and shredded coconut. It should be almost dry, with the masala baked onto the meat.

Cook's note. Black pepper, not chilli, does the work here. Crush it coarsely at the last minute — pre-ground pepper has none of the volatile heat this needs.

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