Lamb & mango curry

You can’t beat a big hearty curry for a crowd. Serve this tomato-based spice pot with green chillies on the side for those who like things really spicy

Prep:10 mins
Cook:2 hrs 45 mins

Serves 6
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 421
fat 23g
saturates 11g
carbs 18g
sugars 15g
fibre 3g
protein 34g
salt 0.4g

Ingredients

2 onions, quartered
thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 heaped tsp turmeric (see tip, below)
2 heaped tsp ground cumin
2 heaped tsp ground coriander
1 tsp mild chilli powder
5 cardamom pods
2 tbsp tomato purée
800g trimmed lamb shoulder, cubed
400g can reduced-fat coconut milk (save 2 tbsp for serving)
200g chopped tomatoes from a can
2 ripe mangoes, sliced
handful coriander
rice, chutneys and pickle of your choice

Tip

Want to use curry paste instead?

If you’d rather use a curry paste instead of the spices, that’s fine. Choose a medium-heat paste and add to the pan with the tomato purée.

Method

Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Put the onions, ginger and garlic in a food processor and blitz to a paste. If you don’t have a processor, just chop very finely. Heat the oil in a deep flameproof casserole dish and fry the paste for 10 mins. Add some salt, the spices and tomato purée, then fry for 2-3 mins more until aromatic.
Stir in the lamb and cook for a few mins until it changes colour all over – it doesn’t need to brown. Tip in the coconut milk, tomatoes and 100ml water, and bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid, leaving a gap for some steam to escape, and transfer to the oven for 1½ hrs.
Stir in half the mangoes, and cook for 1 hr more until the lamb is melting and tender. When it’s ready, let the curry sit for 10 mins, then spoon off any excess fat from the top. Partly stir in the remaining mangoes, scatter with the coriander and drizzle with the reserved coconut milk. Serve with rice, chutneys and pickles of your choice.