Easy Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry

Ripe, juicy tomatoes add a wonderful fresh zing to the fragrant sauce in this easy lamb and fresh tomato curry. Cook it down slowly to intensify the flavors.

Many years ago, my husband and I were living in Abu Dhabi where there is a large Indian and Pakistani population so good curry restaurants abound. We either ate out or ordered in at least once a week. 

He always got the chicken jalfrezi, a relatively dry curry with lots of peppers, tomatoes and tender chicken. I always ordered the chicken maharajah, which came covered in the richest, most succulent sauce. There might well have been ground cashews in there. When I close my eyes, I can still taste it!

Here’s the rub. He always wanted some of my sauce! Nice person that I am, I did share, but not without thinking to myself that he could order his own darn sauce. Am I right?

These days I am way more likely to cook curry at home than to go out, so I always make sure it’s a saucy dish. This particular curry is full of flavor and, thanks to puréed fresh tomatoes, it has plenty of sauce to go round for all the family. 

Easy Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry

I know that not everyone is fond of lamb. If you aren’t lovers of lamb, by all means substitute beef. For me, curry is all about the sauce and this dish is one of my favorites, whatever protein you choose.

Ingredients

1 lb 13 oz or 840g lamb ribs, chopped into bite­sized pieces 

1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste when the dish has finished cooking

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon vinegar

4 large ripe tomatoes (1 lb 113⁄4 oz or 786g) 

1/4 cup or 60ml olive oil for browning the lamb 

1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 red chili peppers, minced

3 tablespoons curry paste

1⁄4 cup or 60g plain yogurt

Good handful cilantro, chopped

Optional for garnish:

dollop of yogurt

chopped cilantro

Method

Chop the lamb into bite-sized pieces and put them in a non-reactive bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add vinegar and toss to coat. Set aside to marinate.

Core your tomatoes, cut them in quarters and pop them in a blender. Process until completely liquid. You might have to add about 1/4-1/2 cup of water to get them moving.

In a large skillet over a medium high heat, heat the olive oil and brown the lamb in batches, and remove to a plate.

Add the sliced onion to the pan and cook for a few minutes, until softened. Add in the garlic and chili peppers and stir.

Add in the curry paste. Stir and fry for a few more minutes.

Put lamb back in the pan, along with any juices that accumulated on the plate. Stir well to cover the lamb with the curry paste, onions and garlic.

Pour in the puréed fresh tomatoes. 

Stir well. Bring to the boil then reduce the fire to a slow simmer.

Cook covered for 45 minutes or until the lamb is tender, stirring occasionally.

Remove the lid and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, so the sauce is thick and concentrated. This could take another 10­-15 minutes. Taste for salt and add more if necessary.

Finish by stirring through the plain yogurt and chopped cilantro.

Garnish with a dollop more of the yogurt and cilantro in your serving dish, if desired. Serve with rice or naan.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 12th edition of the 2024 Alphabet Challenge, brought to you by the letter L. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the L recipes below:

• Sneha’s Recipe: Lemon Rice/Chitranna 
• Food Lust People Love: Easy Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry
• Culinary Cam: Lingcod Over Legumes 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Lemon Vinaigrette 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Melody’s Homemade Lemonade 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Mediterranean Lentil Salad 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Barbecue Pork Lo Mein 
• Blogghetti Lemon Pepper Tilapia Sheet Pan Dinner 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Fresh Dill Deviled Eggs with a Hint of Lemon 
• Palatable Pastime: Liver and Onions 
• A Messy Kitchen: Lemon Balm Jelly

Here are my posts for the alphabet challenge, thus far:
A: Anchovy Deviled Eggs
B: Spicy Braised Ginger Pork Belly
C: Cecilie's Favorite Coleslaw
D: Cajun Chicken Eggplant Dressing
E: Everything Pizza Tartin
F: Baked Chicken and Feta Meatballs
G: Grape Juice Jigglers
H: Crispy Bacon-wrapped Chicken Hearts
I: Raspberry Rhubarb Ice Cream
J: Java Dry Spice Mix Chops 

K. Korean Barbecue-style Meatballs 

L. Easy Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry - this post!

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Carrot Zucchini Muffins #MuffinMonday

Sweet and tender, these carrot zucchini muffins are baked with a mix of white and whole wheat flour, sweetened with honey and full of healthy vegetables!

It’s the last Monday of the month AGAIN. You’d think after this many years of participating in Muffin Monday it wouldn’t be able to sneak up on me but you would be wrong. It happens almost every month. 

To complicate matters further, I am traveling today, in anticipation of a wedding party in London this weekend. I am all aflutter, packing and planning! We can’t wait to see the happy couple and the friends and family as well. It should be a lovely weekend of celebrations and catching up. 

Carrot Zucchini Muffins

These guys didn’t rise as much as I thought they would and I’m not sure why because they were light enough, just not very big. The important thing is that they are tasty, right? This recipe was adapted from one on Cupcakes and Kale Chips.

Ingredients

1 cup or 125g all-purpose flour

1/2 cup or 60g whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup or 180g finely grated zucchini, lightly pressed to get rid of excess liquid

1/2 cup or 75g finely grated carrot

1/2 cup or 120ml honey

1 large egg

1/4 cup or 60ml canola or other light oil, plus extra for greasing the pan

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare a 12-cup muffin pan by oiling it or lining it with paper muffin cups.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

Add the grated vegetables to the flour mixture and toss to coat. I use a fork to lightly separate any clumps.

In another mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, honey and canola oil until homogeneous. 

Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and fold until just combined.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. 

Or serve them warm! Everybody loves warm muffins.

Enjoy! 

As I mentioned above, it’s time for Muffin Monday! Check out the muffins my baker friends are sharing with us today: 

• Carrot Zucchini Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Cheese and Chive Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Coconut Lime Sourdough Muffins from A Messy Kitchen
• Ham and Cheese Rye Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

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Dirty Bloody Mary Martini

The arranged marriage between Ms. Bloody Mary and Mr. Dirty Martini, this Dirty Bloody Mary Martini should please the lovers of both savory cocktails. No need to choose the bride’s or groom’s side. Sit on either side of the aisle. We are all family here. 

There are probably as many Bloody Mary recipes as there are bartenders but the classic contains tomato juice, vodka, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Likewise, a dirty martini contains the same ingredients as a classic one, vodka or gin and a hint of extra dry vermouth with the lovely, in my opinion, addition of olive juice. 

Individually, they are two of my favorite drinks. Married together I love them even better! 

Dirty Bloody Mary Martini

I like to use the olives stuffed with anchovies for an extra boost of savory flavor. You can use your favorite cured green olives, of course.

Ingredients

2 oz or 60ml vodka

1 tablespoon olive juice (preferably from green olives stuffed with anchovies)

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 1/2 teaspoons extra dry vermouth

Dash or two Worcestershire sauce

Dash or two hot pepper sauce

2-3 cubes ice

Options for garnish: Stuffed olives, cherry tomatoes, pickled onions, cornichons, etc. 

Method

In a cocktail shaker, combine vodka, olive juice, tomato paste, dry vermouth, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce.

Add ice, cover, and shake vigorously. 

Strain the mixture into a martini glass.

Add a skewer filled with your favorite garnishes/snacks.

Enjoy!

It's Sunday Fun Day so my friends and I are sharing summer cocktails and mocktails to make your day more special. Check out the links below: 

• 2 Ingredient Strawberry Slush from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Acqua Santa Spritz from Culinary Cam
• Dirty Bloody Mary Martini from Food Lust People Love
• Elderflower Martini from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Meyer Lemondrop Martini from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pink Lemonade Vodka Cocktail from Sneha's Recipe

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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