This traditional Durban curry is a warming and satisfying plateful which uses a delicate blend of spices to create a dish that is packed full of flavour. The use of tomatoes give Durban curries their deep red colour and this recipe is great served over rice and accompanied with chutneys and poppadums. The highly adaptive nature of this dish means that you can substitute the lamb for beef, chicken, fish or a variety of vegetables with all combinations creating a wonderfully tasty and delicious curry that will transport you to the exotic climes of South Africa! Preparation and cooking time: 1 hour. Serves: 4 people.
Ingredients
1 kg leg of lamb or shoulder (or 1 kg chicken), cubed
75 ml oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks (10 cm long)
20 ml medium strength masala curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
10 ml crushed garlic and ginger
4 curry leaves
5 ml whole fennel seeds
250 ml water (one cup)
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut in half
1 medium tomato, skinned and diced
Coriander (dhania) leaves for garnishing
Directions
1. Wash cubed meat and drain water.
2. Heat oil and add diced onion, cloves and cinnamon sticks.
3. Add the masala powder mix, stir and add meat to the pot.
4. Add salt, garlic and ginger, curry leaves and fennel seeds. Stir all ingredients together.
5. Allow to cool on a high heat for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for 30 minutes.
6. As excess water and juices evaporate, add the additional cup of water, followed by the potato and tomato.
7. When both meat and vegetables are cooked (approximately 30 minutes), simmer on high heat for 5 minutes.
8. Garnish with coriander and serve with rice, roti and green salad.
The secret to this Durban curry is the curry powder mix which includes (100ml):
Cumin
Coriander
Fennel
Turmeric
Mild Masala
Aniseed
Cinnamon
Medium Masala
Cardamom
For vegetarians you can substitute the meat with vegetables of your choice including cauliflower, cubed butternut, sweet potato, lentils, carrots, courgettes and more. One note dont add cardamom if you are doing a veggie curry!
