Latifs Inspired Bangladeshi Lamb Curry (Slow Cooker)

Source video by Latifs Inspired on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules.

Latif builds this Bangladeshi curry around bone-in lamb leg with the fat left on, six tablespoons of ghee, and a spice mix dominated by Kashmiri chilli powder for colour and kasuri methi for the umami background. His hob version takes around 90 minutes; the slow cooker version preserves every hob step that builds flavour, temper the whole spices in the ghee, soften the onions, brown the meat hard so the fat renders, bhuna in the ground spices and tomato puree, then transfers everything to the pot. Skin-on Maris Pipers go in for the last half so they take on the sauce without turning to mash.

Ingredients

• 6 tbspghee

• 4 podsgreen cardamom pods
• 1 stickcinnamon stick (cassia bark)
• 1 leafbay leaf (tej patta)

• 2 onionsonions, finely chopped
• 9 clovesgarlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1.5 inch piecefresh ginger, finely chopped
• 4 chilliesgreen chillies
• 2 tspfine salt

• 1 kgbone-in lamb leg, fat on, cut into 4-5 cm chunks, washed

• 1 tspturmeric
• 2 tspground coriander
• 1 tspground cumin
• 2 heaped tspcurry powder
• 2 heaped tspKashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tspgaram masala
• 1 tbspkasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

• 1 tbsptomato puree
• 500 mlwater

• 500 gMaris Piper potatoes (skin on), smaller potatoes, washed, halved if large (add late)

• fresh coriander, roughly chopped (add late)

Method

1. Warm the ghee in a wide pan over a medium-high heat. Add the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and bay leaf, and let them sizzle for 30 seconds until very fragrant.

   ~1 min

2. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, green chillies and the 2 tsp salt. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, with the occasional drizzle of water if the pan dries, until the onions are very soft and sweet.

   ~10 min

3. Add the lamb pieces and increase the heat. Brown the meat hard for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the natural juices have released and reduced and the meat is starting to take colour.

   ~12 min

4. Pour in about 100 ml water to deglaze, cover, and cook for another 10 minutes until the water has gone and the onion-meat mixture looks like a gravy.

   ~10 min

5. Add the turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, curry powder, Kashmiri chilli, garam masala, kasuri methi and tomato puree. Stir hard and let everything bhuna together for 2 to 3 minutes, toasting the spices in the hot fat.

   ~3 min

6. Tip the entire base into the slow cooker. Pour in the 500 ml water and stir to combine.

   ~2 min

7. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, or high for 2 hours.

   ~180 min

8. Add the Maris Piper potatoes, stir, replace the lid, and continue cooking on low for another 3 hours (or high for 2) until the lamb is fork-tender and the potatoes are cooked through but still holding their shape.

   ~180 min

9. Taste, adjust salt, scatter the fresh coriander on top, and serve with basmati rice or hot rotis.

   ~2 min

Frequently asked