Prepare this slow-cooked Afghan-style lamb korma with lamb shoulder in a simmering, richly spiced stew that will send you on a flavor adventure.
Are you a lover of books? My father, the English teacher, taught us to appreciate literature.
When I find a book I love, I want to yell at it from the mountaintop. Instead, my friends are the beneficiaries of this craze, as I usually find every excuse to send them a copy of my new favorite.
This year it will be The Honey Thief, a beautifully written collection of fictional stories by Najaf Mazari, a Hazara Afghani refugee living in Australia, and his collaborator, novelist Robert Hillman.
In The Honey Thief, the writers take us with them, weaving one story into another, like a tapestry rich in humor and humanity, of a world so different from ours – the Afghanistan we don’t see on the news.
At the very end of the book is a small collection of recipes, told as if you were right in Mazari’s kitchen. Here is an excerpt from the lamb qorma recipe:
OK, the onions. In Afghanistan, we rarely cook without onions. I can’t imagine what the world was like before onions were invented. So, the onions, three of them. Peel them to get as much of the outer pulp as possible… Once the onions are peeled, chop them, but not too finely. You need chunks of onion, not thin slices. Now heat some cooking oil in a large saucepan. I mean it when I say a big pot. For dishes like this, a large saucepan is your friend. Want to fill a smaller pot to the brim? no
and later,
That takes two hours. Read a book. Every fifteen minutes, put the book down and stir the pot. In this last hour you stir the qorma and read your book. You started at half past two in the afternoon. It’s five o’clock in the afternoon now. Turn off the Qorma. If you are of my faith, wash and pray. If you’re not, do whatever you have to do.
All recipes read like this, many with rough approximations of amounts.
For the Lamb Korma (or Qorma) recipe below, we’ve stripped down the recipe to make it easier to follow, but not nearly as entertaining as the original. I recommend getting a copy of this book just for the pleasure of reading it.
Mazari instructs us to serve his qorma with basmati rice. We didn’t have rice so we served it with flatbread instead. The stew is flavorful and flavorful and goes great with rice to soak up the extra liquid.
Lamb korma in a slow cooker
This recipe adapts easily to a slow cooker. Follow steps 1 through 3 on the stovetop and transfer what you have cooked so far to the slow cooker. Continue adding the ingredients in steps 4 and 5 to the slow cooker and cook on low (or simmer if your slow cooker has that setting) for about 6 hours.
Freezing and reheating lamb korma
If you know you’re going to make this and freeze it, consider omitting the yogurt and adding it as you reheat. That way you don’t risk the yogurt separating as you reheat.
If you plan to freeze leftovers, store them in a freezer-safe container or zip-lock bag. While reheating on the stovetop, do it slowly, stirring often to reduce the risk of separation.
What to serve with lamb korma
- well
- Jeweled Rice Salad
- Indian style rice
- Slow Cooker Orange Almond Rice Pudding
- Cauliflower Chickpea Curry
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Lamb Korma
Use only full-fat plain yogurt for this recipe. Low-fat or fat-free can separate.
The lamb in this dish is not traditionally browned, but if you’d rather brown it, drizzle olive oil in a hot pan. Then add the lamb pieces and finally turn them over so they can brown on all sides.
Recipe adapted from The Honey Thief, a book of fictional stories from Afghanistan, by Najaf Masari and Robert Hillman. Presented here with the kind permission of the publisher.
ingredients
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8th all carnations, or 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
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1 tablespoon black peppercornsor 3 teaspoons ground pepper
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5 green cardamom Podsor 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
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1 tablespoon coriander seeds, or 3 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
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1 accumulate teaspoon cumin seedsor 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
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5 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
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3 Middle yellow onions, roughly chopped, about 4 cups (650 g)
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2 cloves Garlic, crushed
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1 heaped tablespoon grated Ginger
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2 teaspoon turmeric
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1 heaped teaspoon paprika
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1 floor Cinammonground or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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4 big ripe tomatoescut into 1-inch pieces, or 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, quartered
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2 1/2 to 3 1/2 lb boneless shoulder of lamb or leg, cut into 1-inch pieces
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1 Cup water
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1 1/3 cups Full fat natural yoghurt (can use greek style)
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Kosher salt
method
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Grind and crush spices:
Finely grind the cloves with a mortar and pestle. Add the peppercorns and grind them coarsely. Add the cardamom pods and crush them with the cloves and peppercorns.
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Boil onions, add spices:
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 10 minutes.
Add the turmeric to the onions and stir to coat. Add cumin, coriander, paprika and cinnamon. Stir in the ground cloves, cardamom, and peppercorns. Add the crushed garlic and grated ginger. Boil 2 minutes.
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Add tomatoes:
(with their juice) into the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Boil 4 minutes.
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Add the lamb:
Add chunks to saucepan, stir to coat with spices, onion and tomato and cook for 4 minutes.
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Stir in water and yogurt:
and mix well. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, more or less to taste. Cover the pot, bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to a very low simmer. Cook very gently for 2 hours or more, stirring about every 15 minutes. The stew should simmer gently until the lamb is very tender.
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Surcharge:
Serve korma with basmati rice and/or flatbread.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 344 | calories |
| 13g | Fat |
| 12g | carbohydrates |
| 43g | protein |
