Indian - Meat and poultry
Recipe:
Masala Raan
serves:
5
Method:
Prepare the Lamb
1. Trim all the fat off the leg of lamb. Using a sharp, pointed knife, remove any sinew (which looks like a thin, almost transparent film on parts of the meat).
2. Use a sharp knife to cut deep slashes all over the meat. This allows the marinade to penetrate the meat and makes for a seriously well-flavored leg of lamb.
3. Place the meat in the center of a well-greased baking dish or pan.
Marinate the Meat
1. Place the quartered onions, almonds, green chilies, and garlic and ginger pastes into a food processor and grind into a smooth, thick paste, only adding water while grinding if absolutely necessary.
2. In a separate bowl whisk the yogurt until smooth and then mix it with the paste you just made.
3. Add the cumin, coriander, red chili powder, and gram masala to the yogurt and mix to blend well.
4. Now add the onion-almond paste that you ground earlier. Mix everything until completely combined.
5. Pour this marinade all over the meat and use your hands to rub the marinade into the meat, pushing it into the slashes you cut on the surface of the leg. Make sure all of the meat is well covered with the marinade.
6. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Roast the Lamb
1. Remove the marinated leg of lamb from the refrigerator and keep out to warm up to room temperature.
2. Heat the oven to 200 °C.
3. In a skillet, heat the oil and, when hot, add all the whole spices: cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and peppercorns. Sauté until they stop sizzling and begin to give off an aroma.
4. Pour the oil with the spices in it, all over the marinated meat. Now cover the pan tightly with foil.
5. Put the pan in the heated oven and cook for 2 hours.
6. Uncover the lamb and cook for 1 more hour. Baste the lamb every 10 minutes or so to ensure it remains moist.
7. Remove the lamb from the oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
8. Carve the rested lamb into thick slices and serve garnished with the slivered almonds. You can spoon the pan juices over the meat if desired
