Lamb, Chickpea & Spinach Curry With Mash Potatoes

As-Salaamu Alaykum,

You should know there is a slight curry obsession in my household this year. From rogan josh to chicken tikka masala and now this high in iron and protein curry gets added to my list of favourites.

Truth be told I tried this recipe for lamb chickpea spinach curry with masala mash a few years ago when I first got married and followed the recipe exactly. Adding raw curry paste to mash potato in my opinion should never be done, maybe I should have cooked off the paste beforehand but back then I knew very little about spice.

This time i stayed clear of masala mash altogether and went plain by adding salt and yoghurt, yes yogurt was in the original recipe and is the common cooling ingredient you find in that desi condiment raita.
To make sure the yogurt's cooling effect would be appreciated I amped up the curry by adding 1 1/2 green chillies (seeds included), processed along with the onions so you're sure to get a chilli hit in in every mouthful. 

Always remember to wash your spinach well before using because it often has grit / sand stuck to it which is very unpleasant if transferred across to your final dish. Spinach is one of those vegetables I don't normally like but it really works in this curry. 

I wasn't planning to blog about this curry hence i gave you photos from my phone but it's that good, try it for yourself.

Lamb, Chickpea & Spinach Curry With Mash Potatoes

Adapted from BBC good food

Serves: 2-3
Ready in: 1 hour 45 minutes
Cooking level: Easy

Ingredients 

2 tablespoon oil or butter/ghee
250-300 grams halal lean lamb stewing cubes 
1 white onion
1 1/2 green chillies  
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tablespoon ground ginger 
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon ground coriander or fresh coriander stems, finely chopped
Salt, to taste 
small pinch ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 Indian bay leaf 
1 tablespoon thick full fat yogurt 
1/2 of a 400 gram can pasata 
Pinch of sugar
1/2 of a 200 gram can chickpeas, washed and drained
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
100 grams spinach, roughly chopped
350 grams potatoes, peeled and quartered
50 mililitres thick full fat yogurt

Method

1. In a food processor with blade attachment, finely chops onion and chillies.
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, cook onion&chilli with a little salt for 5 minutes or until onion is soft and translucent. Add meat, garlic, ginger, salt, black pepper cumin, coriander, turmeric, Indian bay leaf then cook for 5 mins more until lamb has browned and you can smell the spices.
3. Pour over the pasata / chopped tomatoes, add sugar and bring to a boil, add in yogurt and stir then add enough hot water until it barely covers the lamb. Cover pan and leave to simmer over a medium-low heat for 11⁄2 hrs until the meat is really tender and the sauce has reduced. Top up with a little boiling water if the sauce becomes too dry. Add in the chickpeas and garam masala, then simmer for 5 mins more. Stir through spinach and cook until wilted slightly then adjust seasoning if necessary.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil and cook the potatoes until softened, about 15 mins. Drain and mash using a ricer. Stir through yogurt and season with salt and serve alongside or under the curry.