Serve this with papaya, red pepper and spring onion salsa
Serves 4
The casserole:
3 tablespoons/45 ml vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1 teaspoon/5 ml dried ginger, ground
2 teaspoons/10 ml cumin, ground
2 teaspoons/10 ml coriander seeds, ground
½ teaspoon/3 ml turmeric
½ teaspoon/3 ml cayenne pepper
1 medium strong chili, seeds and ribs removed and finely sliced
1 kg/2 lbs shoulder of lamb, deboned cut in 2 cm/0.7 in thick pieces
1 bulb fennel, finely sliced
30 g/1 oz dates, stoned and chopped
1 cup/250 ml lamb stock
salt and pepper
½ cup/125 ml yogurt
juice of one medium-sized lemon
1 tomato, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
½ onion, finely chopped
The rice:
1 cup/25 ml Basmati rice (will yield 3 cups cooked)
salt
1½ cup/375 ml water
The mango, raisin and tomato salsa:
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and roughly diced
1 mango, peeled and roughly diced
50 g/1.7 oz seedless raisins
1 spring onion, shredded
The green peppercorn dressing:
1 teaspoon/5 ml pickled green peppercorns, drained and crushed
1 teaspoon/5 ml finely grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons/30 ml red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon/15 ml olive oil
1 teaspoon/5 ml sugar
The garnish:
fresh coriander
Heat 2 tablespoons/30 ml of the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion and garlic until light golden. Add the spices and sliced chilli and fry until it becomes quite fragrant. Remove and keep aside.
Wipe the pan clean and heat the rest of the oil, then add the lamb and fry until golden brown on all sides. Return the fried spices to the pan with the fennel and dates. Stir well and add the lamb stock and salt and pepper. Cover and cook gently for 2 hours. Check regularly to ensure it is not too dry. If necessary add more stock.
When cooked to your satisfaction, remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt, lemon, tomato and onion. Do no bring to the boil again.
Rinse the rice under cold running water until no starch is visible, then boil the rice in the water and salt until almost all the water has evaporated. Turn off the heat, and leave covered until ready to serve. When ready to dish up, fluff up the rice with a fork.
Mix together the tomato, mango and raisins and half the spring onion, and season well. Combine all the ingredients. Just before serving, pour the dressing over the salad and scatter the rest of the spring onions over.
To serve:
Serve the lamb over the Basmati rice sprinkled with the fresh coriander and spoon the Mango, raisin and tomato salsa with green peppercorn dressing all round.