At the very real risk of overplaying my hand here, I’ll let you in on something. My best friend/roommate/food tasting aficionado, who, by the way, eats just about everything I cook, had this for dinner and declared it the best thing I have ever made.
After that pronouncement, is it even necessary for me to continue this post before getting directly to the recipe? Do I need to provide more arguments and sales pitches before you decide to head off to the grocery store for some ground lamb and a container of heavy cream?
Will you let the 93 degree weather in New York City deter you from eating a substantial Indian meal tonight rather than cooling off with some gazpacho and a glass of chilled rose? I certainly hope not. After all, the culture in warm-weather places always dictates that you fight hot weather with spicy food.
If you insist, I’ll tell you what this meal is all about. First, and let me just get this out of the way, it’s not hard. Especially if you designate a cardamom-picker who can pry open those tiny pods and get the seeds out for you. Seems like this would be a great job for child hands, if available?
The result of your very limited kitchen efforts in making this meal is Indian food the way you imagine it, the way it’s served at a good restaurant. It’s absolutely bursting with flavor – filled with spices and a good bit of heat – and is a stunning red color. The meatballs are incredibly tender. There’s so much happening in your mouth that it’s kind of an assault on the taste buds, in the best way possible.
You can serve this with naan bread, or paratha, or steamed basmati rice. I made a delicious rice with spinach which was the perfect accompaniment (and I convinced myself that the spinach it contained totally counted as the meal’s vegetable, so feel free to follow suit). I’m including the rice recipe below in case you’d like to take this to the next level and really wow the friends and family.
Next week I promise it’s back to spring and summer recipes, the kind you’re probably looking forward to. But the best meal ever transcends seasonality and I couldn’t help myself. Give it a try and let me know if this is also the best thing YOU’VE ever made!
Note: The ground almonds in the meatballs act as the binder, so no eggs are required to hold them together. However, if your meatballs fall apart when you try to shape them, incorporate 1 large egg, lightly beaten, into the meat mixture.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lean ground lamb
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1/4 cup slivered blanched almonds, ground
- 1/4 cup firmly packed fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems
- 6 medium-size garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt
- 2 tablespoons ghee or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 cup canned tomato sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds from green or white pods, ground
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup white basmati rice
- 2 tablespoons ghee or butter
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 medium-size red onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 3 cups firmly packed fresh spinach leaves, well rinsed, patted dry and coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher of sea salt
Instructions
- To make the curry, thoroughly combine the lamb, onion, almonds, mint, cilantro, garlic, garam masala and salt in a medium-size mixing bowl. Divide the spiced meat into 12 equal portions and shape each portion into a compact meatball.
- Heat the ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they sizzle, turn reddish brown and smell nutty, 5 to 10 seconds. Immediately add the meatballs to the pan in a single layer. Cook, gently shaking the pan every 2 to 3 minutes, until the meatballs have browned evenly all over, 5 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meatballs to a plate.
- Pour the tomato sauce into the same skillet and scrape the bottom to deglaze it, releasing any browned bits of meat. Stir in the cardamom and cayenne. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until a thin film of oil starts to form on the surface and at the sides, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the cream.
- Add the meatballs to the skillet and spoon the sauce over them. Cover the skillet and simmer, basting the meatballs occasionally, until they are light pink in the center, 10 to 15 minutes.
- To make the rice, place rice in a medium-size bowl. Fill the bowl halfway with water, to cover the rice. Gently rub the grains through your fingers, without breaking them, to wash off any dust or light foreign objects (like loose husks), which will float to the surface. The water will become cloudy. Drain this water. Repeat three or four times, until the water remains relatively clear; drain. Now fill the bowl halfway with cold water and let it sit at room temperature until the grains soften, 20 to 30 minutes; drain.
- Heat the ghee in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they sizzle, turn reddish brown and smell aromatic, 5 to 10 seconds. Then stir in the onion and add a handful of spinach. Lower the heat to medium and stir until the greens wilt, about 1 minute. Repeat until all the spinach has been added. Then cook the onion-spinach mixture until all the liquid has evaporated and the onion has turned soft and honey-brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add the drained rice and toss it gently with the onion-spinach mixture. Pour 1 1/2 cups cold water and add the salt. Stir the rice once to incorporate the ingredients. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the water has evaporated from the surface and craters are starting to appear in the rice, 5 to 8 minutes. Now (and only now) stir once to bring the partially cooked rice layer from the bottom of the pan to the surface. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes (8 for an electric burner, 10 for a gas burner). Then turn off the heat and let the pan stand on that burner, undisturbed, for 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid, fluff the rice with a fork, and serve with the curry.
Notes
From 660 Curries
