Lamb Curry

Put the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add about half of the meat and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, adjusting the heat and turning the pieces as needed so the meat doesn’t burn, until it’s nicely browned on all sides, 10 to 20 minutes. As the meat browns, transfer it to a platter and continue adding, seasoning, and cooking pieces until all the meat is browned.

Working in Batches: Give the chunks of meat (and bone if you've got one) space so they brown, not steam. Rotate pieces in and out of the pan as they cook

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat and turn the heat down to medium. Add the onion, sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder, and cayenne if you’re using it and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Cooking Spices Until Fragrant: Heating the curry powder and other spices helps develop deeper flavor and removes that raw taste.

Stir in the stock, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pot; add the browned meat. The braising liquid should come about halfway up the sides of the meat; if it doesn’t, add more liquid. Raise the heat and bring to a boil; then lower it so that the mixture barely bubbles. Cover and cook, stirring every 30 minutes and adding small amounts of liquid if necessary, until the meat slides off a fork, at least 45 minutes and more likely up to 90.

If the curry looks too watery, remove the lid, raise the heat a bit, and cook, stirring frequently, until it thickens. If it looks too dry, add a little more stock or water and raise the heat until bubbly. Remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt. Taste and adjust the seasoning, garnish with the cilantro, and serve.

Tips: Lamb shoulder is just like pork shoulder: fatty. Use already cut stew meat if that’s easier for you to find. To get whole shoulder, you’ll probably need to visit a butcher. If you’re cutting the meat yourself, trim big pieces of fat away as you make the chunks, being careful not to remove too much of the lean at the same time.

Variations:

Chicken Curry with Vegetables: In Step 1, replace the lamb shoulder with about 3 pounds bone-in chicken parts. Follow the recipe, but in Step 3, after the mixture has cooked for about 15 minutes, add 1 pound waxy red or white potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks, and 3 large or 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks. When the chicken and vegetables are tender, in 20 to 30 minutes, stir in 1 cup fresh or frozen peas. Continue with the recipe.

Lamb or Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk: In Step 2, pour off all the fat after the lamb is browned and cook the sliced onion in 3 tablespoons butter. In Step 4, use 1 can coconut milk instead of the stock and skip the yogurt in Step 4. If the curry starts to look dry as it cooks, add stock or water.

Recipe courtesy of How to Cook Everything The Basics: All You Need to Make Great Food---with 1,000 Photos by Mark Bittman/Wiley, 2012.