Lamb Curry with Coconut and Pineapple

Ingredients

900gr diced shoulder or leg of Irish lamb
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
5cm piece of ginger cut into fine matchsticks
3 large cloves of garlic, crushed
2 mild green chillies (or 1 if you can’t take the heat!) de-seeded and finely chopped
1 dessertspoon ground cumin
1 dessertspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon of mild curry paste
1 can of coconut milk
275ml pineapple juice
1 medium-sized fresh pineapple
a large knob of butter
sea salt and black pepper to taste
a large handful of fresh coriander
1 tablespoon of lime juice

Cooking Time: 1.5 Hours

Serves 6

Method

Heat a large frying pan with a tablespoon of oil in it and quickly cook the onion until it is translucent and starting to brown, then add the chopped chillies, garlic and ginger and cook quickly. Next add the ground cumin and coriander. This will absorb the moisture in the pan and needs to be kept moving. Cook for a minute or two until the mixture darkens a little, then add the coconut milk. Mix well before tipping the contents into a casserole.

Rinse out the frying pan and replace on the hob. Give it sufficient time to become really hot, add the other tablespoon of oil and start cooking the lamb. It needs to be done in batches so that it fries and therefore seals, and not stews.

Place the now-browned lamb in the casserole, adding the pineapple juice. Cook on a gentle heat on top of the stove or without the lid in a 200c, gas 6 or lower part of the top oven of an Aga for approximately 40 minutes, or until the lamb is tender.

Meanwhile, skin and cube the pineapple. Heat the butter in the washed frying pan and sauté the pineapple, seasoning it with salt and pepper and the lime juice. When it is lightly browned, stir it into the curry.

Check the seasoning adding more lime juice if it is too sweet, then add the roughly chopped coriander and serve with basmati rice and poppadums – and a cold beer!