Goan Lamb Xacutti

Total Time: 4 hrs Preparation Time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 (4 -6 lb) leg of lamb
• 1 fresh coconut
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 tablespoons chopped gingerroot
• 5 hot green chili peppers, chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 onions, sliced
• 1 cup chopped tomato
• 1 tablespoon seedless tamarind paste
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 30 dried hot red chili peppers, preferably kashmiri
• 8 green cardamom pods
• 8 cloves
• 4 black cardamom pods
• 1 piece cassia or 1 cinnamon bark, 2-inch broken up
• 1/4 whole nutmeg, grated
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds or 1 tablespoon peanuts
• 1 tablespoon fennel seed
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric powder
• 3/4 teaspoon ajwain or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon anise seed
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon mace
• 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

Recipe

• 1 cut lamb into 1 1/2 inch cubes and place in non-aluminum bowl. in blender, puree lemon juice, garlic, ginger and hot green peppers. mix with lamb; marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or refrigerate for 2 to 6 hours. crack open coconut,discarding the liquid. pry out coconut meat. pare off brown out side layer; discard. grate coconut. in dry skillet, toast coconut over medium heat, stirring often, until golden brown, about 12 minutes.
• 2 masala:.
• 3 in dry skillet, toast each spice separately over medium heat until fragrant and darkened in color. transfer to spice grinder or blender along with toasted coconut; process until fine powder. set aside.
• 4 in large shallow dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat; fry onions, stirring often, until goldenbrown, about 7 minutes. stir in lamb and increase heat to high; fry. stirring, until liquid is mostly evaporated and oil begins to separate, about 12 minutes. add masala; reduce heat to medium and fry, stirring until fragrant and oil is separated, 10 to 15 minutes. stir in tomatoes, tamarind, salt and 2 cups water.
• 5 bring to simmer, reduce heat to medium- low and cook, partially covered and stirring often, until meat is tender and sauce is thick and clings to meat, about 1 1/2 hours.