Kheema Mattar (Mince lamb with peas)

This is a traditional Punjabi home cooked dish and is popular with northern Indian/Pakistani people in the Midlands. Sent in by my "cousin" John Taggart, in Scotland.

• 6 tablespoons cooking oil or ghee
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 2 dried red chillies
• 1 pound minced lamb
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 inch root ginger, peeled and grated
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 or 3 fresh green chillies (medium hot)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 4 ripe peeled and chopped tomatoes
• salt as liked
• 1 tablespoon natural yoghurt
• 6 fluid ounces warm water
• big handful of chopped coriander leaf (cilantro)
• 4 ounces frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon ground almonds
• 2 teaspoons garam masala

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil or ghee. Add cumin seed until it pops. Add dried chillies and mince lamb and cook until evenly browned.

2. Remove mince lamb; add rest of oil and cook onions over medium until soft. Add ginger, garlic and fresh chillies and cook until soft (looks too oily but I remove excess oil towards end of cooking). 3. Stir in turmeric, coriander, cumin, chilli powder and half of garam masala. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Return mince lamb to pan and cook for 5- 10 minutes. Add salt and enough water to make a dryish sauce.

5. Stir in yoghurt. Add most of coriander leaf. Simmer for 20 minutes.

6. Add frozen peas and ground almonds and simmer until cooked through.

7. Take off heat and add rest of garam masala. Serve garnished with sliced hard boiled eggs and rest of coriander leaf.

Usually served with chapati or naan bread.

 
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Chuck Taggart (e-mail chuck)