Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 1/4 pounds / 1 kg mutton (preferred) or lamb leg
- 4 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
- 1/2 cup / 100 grams raw papaya
- 1 1/2 cups / 300 grams ghee
- 2 leaves Silver foil (varq)
- 1 1/4 tsp. / 5 grams almonds
- Salt to taste
- ***
- MASALA ‘A’:
- 1 cup / 250 grams yogurt
- 1 1/4 tsp. / 5 grams Kashmiri red chili powder
- 7/8 cups / 200 grams sliced onions
- 4 tsp. / 20 grams ginger paste
- 4 tsp. / 20 grams garlic paste
- 2 tsp. / 10 grams rose water, Cortas brand strongly-preferred
- A large pinch of saffron
- A drop or two of yellow food coloring, if needed
- ***
- MASALA ‘B’:
- 7/8 cups / 200 grams unroasted Cashews
- 5 tsp. / 25 grams Chironji
- 3 tbsp. + 1 tsp. / 50 grams Poppy seeds
- 1 tbsp. roasted gram flour
- 2 tsp. / 10 grams desiccated coconut
- ***
- MASALA ‘C’:
- 1 tsp. / 3 grams green cardamom seeds
- 2 tsp. / 6 grams garam masala
- 2 tsp. / 6 grams black peppercorns
- 1 tsp. / 3 grams cumin seeds
- 5 cloves
- 3/4 tsp. / 5 grams freshly-grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. / 2 grams fennel seeds
- 1/8 tsp. / 1 blade of mace
- ***
- 1/2 pound / 250 grams shallots, cut into pieces
- Ghee
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml lamb stock (preferred) or chicken stock
Instructions
- Wash and clean the mutton or lamb leg thoroughly, removing all membranes – you can have your butcher do this. Prick it well with a fork and then score the leg of lamb with a sharp knife, making deep cuts in crosses on both sides, and set aside.
- Then apply crushed raw papaya and a teaspoon of salt on the leg. Rub it so that the papaya juice penetrates the meat. Marinate for 2 hours. After 2 hours, make some slits in the meat and put the garlic slivers into the meat throughout the leg.
- Fry sliced onions to a golden brown color and grind to a paste.
- In the yogurt, mix the onion paste plus all the remaining ingredients from masala A. Apply on the leg, rubbing the marinade well so that it coats the leg evenly. Marinate the lamb for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight and for up to 3 days if you’re bold.
- Prepare masala B by slightly dry-roasting in a pan the first three ingredients and grinding to a paste, adding the desiccated coconut. Then grind separately all the ingredients of masala C.
- Then cover with masala B and C, all mixed together.
- The next day, around 3 hours before you want to serve the lamb, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
- Transfer the lamb to a deep roasting tray, pour stock into the tray and loosely cover with foil. Cook as follows: For Rare – 20 minutes per pound/500g plus 20 minutes. For Medium – 25 minutes per pound/500g, plus 25 minutes. Well done – 30 minutes per pound/500g, plus 30 minutes.
- Forty-five minutes before the finished cooking time, add the shallots to the pan and lightly drizzle with oil. With 20 minutes to go, remove the foil so that the lamb browns nicely. Take the meat out of the oven, cover with foil and rest it for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.
- Serve on a large platter garnished with silver leaf and finely-chopped almonds.
- Prep Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 0 hours
