Spicy Lamb and Sweet Potato Curry

       

 

I made this deeeeelicious lamb curry. Yep, I did. And before I knew it, I was on my third helping. I'm pretty uninhibited when it comes to my curry.

Spicy Lamb and Sweet Potato Curry
slightly adapted from Neil Perry's Easy Weekends
Serves 4

For the Spice Paste:
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
A handful of macadamias, roasted until golden, chopped
4 long green chillies, deseeded and chopped
2 long red chillies, deseeded and chopped
4 red shallots, chopped
1 knob galangal, chopped
½ knob ginger, peeled and chopped
2 fingers fresh turmeric, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt

For the Curry:
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
500g lamb shoulder, cut into 2cm dice
5 kaffir lime leaves
2 lemongrass stalks (outer leaves removed), bruised and cut into 4cm lengths
300g sweet potato, diced
1 ½ tablespoons grated palm sugar
1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce
Juice of 1 lime


Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Roast the sweet potato for about 45 minutes, or until tender. 

Make the Spice Paste: 

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blitz  to make a fine paste, adding water if necessary.

Make the Curry:

Heat a large Dutch oven (I used a wide, shallow one) until hot. Add the oil and, when hot, add the spice paste and stir-fry for about 5 minutes, or until the rawness has gone and the paste is fragrant. Keep stirring and add a teaspoon of water if it starts to catch.

Add 2 cups water and bring to the boil. Add the lamb, lime leaves and lemongrass, cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for a further 15 minutes, or until the lamb is tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. Stir the roasted sweet potato into the curry, then season with palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice.

Serve with steamed rice.