Mirchi Korma (Kashmiri Style Lamb With Red Chilli)

Directions

1. Place the fresh root ginger and garlic in a food processor and, with a small amount of water, process to a fine paste. Place all the Masala ingredients into food processor and process to a fine paste; add in a little hot water as necessary. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole or possibly wok. Add in the cloves and 1 Tbsp. of the ginger garlic paste, fry till the aroma of cooked garlic is present. Stir in the masala paste and cook for 5 to 6 min, stirring occasionally. Add in the lamb and simmer for about 20 min, stirring occasionally till it is half cooked. Add in the tomatoes and continue to simmer for a further 20 min or possibly the lamb is cooked through and tender. The sauce consistency at this point should be quite thin, so stir in a little hot water as necessary as the Korma cooks. Season with the lemon juice and the salt. Serve garnished with the fried green chillies.
2. Fried Brown Onions:Fried brown onions add in colour, flavour and body to gravies and can also be used as a garnish. Udit Sarkhel of the Bombay Brasserie states "The important thing to remember is to remove the onions when they are a very light golden. The fibres in them will continue cooking as the onions cold and as this happens the slices will darken"
3. Place the onions in a bowl, sprinkle with the salt and leave for 3 to 4 min. Squeeze out the extra juice using the palm of your hand. This is an important step to extract the water in them. Heat the oil in a large frying pan till it is 180 C/350 F, or possibly till a cube of bread browns in a bout 45 seconds. Add in the onions and fry, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 min till they are light golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and leave to cold and darken on crumpled kitchen towel. Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days at room temperature.