Lamb Curry

I bought a pound of ground lamb one day when it was on discount cheaper than the ground beef next to it.  That's what the chest freezer is for.  When looking for something new to do with it, I considered curry and started an online search for recipes.

There are plenty of recipes out there using lamb stew meat, but I had to search a little harder for one with ground.  It turns out to be very easy and not time consuming at all.  With stew meat, you have to brown and braise.  Ground, it's brown and simmer until any vegetables are cooked.  Food and Wine had the idea of using sweet potato and peas as the vegetables, which I decided was the way I wanted to go.  My pea vines started blooming in January, but it's still a bit early for the amounts I needed here and I bought some.  If you want to save prep time, get peas and carrots and skip the sweet potato.

I'm seriously getting addicted to using up the pantry.  It's to the point that I start pulling out items for the next meal as soon as I have one prepared.  This made enough progress on the canned goods that I was able to bring down all the cans from the top shelf.  I cooked up whatever rice didn't fit in the quart jar of jasmine.  The next time I make a curry might finish off the box of spice.  Yes, rotating through older spices counts as pantry.  It's important to know what you're using and at what rate, so you can rotate through everything.  Otherwise, it's just money sitting on the shelf.

*1 lb ground lamb
*1 yellow onion, diced
1/2 tsp cumin
*1/2 tsp paprika
*1/4 tsp turmeric
1 Tb olive oil
2 tsp curry powder, or to taste
*1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp minced or grated garlic
*1 stick cinnamon
salt to taste
*1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
*1 15 oz can lite coconut milk
1 C frozen peas
1 large sweet potato (about 1 lb), peeled and diced 1/2"
*2 Tb chopped fresh cilantro
*1 Tb chopped fresh mint
*Jasmine or basmati rice, for serving

1.  In a large, deep skillet with a lid, heat oil over medium.  Add cumin, paprika, turmeric, curry, and salt and heat into a fragrant paste, about 3 minutes.

2.  Add diced onion and cook until softened and fairly dry, about 8 minutes.  This can be when you're dicing the sweet potato.  Side note, when I was cutting mine, it let out some kind of milky sap, like it was bleeding white.  I'm assuming that's normal and continued with the meal.  Increase heat to medium-high and add ground lamb.  Cook until mostly browned and crumbled, stirring frequently.  If necessary, drain off any excessive fat.

3.  Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, 2 minutes.  Add diced sweet potato and peas.  Follow that up with the canned tomatoes in their juice and the coconut milk.  Stir everything together, top with the stick of cinnamon, then cover. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low and simmer until the sweet potatoes are cooked and easily pierced by a fork, 10 to 15 minutes.

4.  Remove lid and stir in chopped cilantro and mint.  Cook an additional 5 minutes, for the herbs to work their way into the curry.  Fish out the cinnamon stick, then ladle over rice and serve hot.

Makes 5-6 servings

Difficulty rating  :)