Coconut Milk Red Curry Braised Lamb & Cauliflower with Spiced Basmati
Lamb has pretty much taken me over. I crave it’s sticky, gamey flavor more and more and have come to prefer it over beef or pork in many stews, meatballs, and hamburgers. There… I said it.
This is a technique ridden recipe whereby many ingredients can be substituted to suit the protein or flavor profile you’re going for. i.e. use some pork shins and Chinese five spice along with cabbage or try some oxtail, rosemary, and yukon golds for a classic stew.
For me, this dinner introduced me to curry in a new setting. I have a coworker whose wife makes these amazing coconut curry stews… This was my attempt to replicate.
INGREDIENTS:
3.5 lbs lamb neck
S&P and cayenne to taste
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 tsp red curry paste, or to taste
2 tbsp tomato paste
5 cloves garlic
1 cup coconut milk
2 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 star anise
1-2 tsp fish sauce, or to taste
1 head cauliflower
4 green onions, chopped
basil leaves chiffonaded for garnish
Rinse, dry, and trim excess fat from the lamb meat. Salt and pepper liberally. Toss with the cumin + garam masala and place the meat on an oiled foil lined baking sheet. Brown in a 425F oven for 20 minutes.
Add the vegetable oil to a heavy dutch oven over medium heat. Add in the coarsely chopped onion, tomato paste, and red curry paste.
Mix and distribute. Toast the mixture for 5-7 minutes ensuring that the paste doesn’t scorch. Add in the cloves of garlic. If you want, you can also add in a pinch of garam masala and cumin at this point.
Add in the coconut milk, chicken stock, star anise, and bay leaves. Bring the curry base to a simmer.
At this point, your lamb should be well browned and ready to take a swim.
Add the meat to the curry base, bring back to the simmer, cover, and put in a 310F oven for 1 hour or until the meat is fork tender. The liquid level should just cover the meat.
While the curry and meat marry in a beautiful braising session, break down your cauliflower into small florets.
Chop up your green onions too!
After an hour or more, check your braising meat. When it is fork tender and ready to fall off the bone, remove the dutch oven from the oven. Reserve the meat. Remove the star anise and check for any bones that may have detached in to the liquid.
Look at that lamb! Don’t eat it. Ok… just a bite
Look at that braising liquid! At this point, bring the liquid to the boil and skim off 90% of the fat on top. The rich orange color you see below is actually all fat. The curry mixture underneath is a pale brown.
Once skimmed, check the consistency and salt level. Consider reducing the liquid or adding in more chicken stock if necessary. Add in more fish sauce to your liking. Then drop in the cauliflower. Bring to a mild simmer and cover stirring occasionally.
While the cauliflower softens, debone the lamb and break into bite size pieces.
Add in the lamb to the cauliflower curry mixture, pop in the green onions, and you are done! As for the spiced basmati, I cooked it in half water and half chicken stock. I added a 2 tbsp of butter, a bay leaf, a dash of cinnamon, 1 clove, 1 clove of garlic, a tbsp of fish sauce, and the juice of half a lemon. That was just a last minute experiment… I think the rice was fairly rich and able to stand alone as a side rather than something to ladle the curry over. Either way, you should experiment and tweak according to your flavor profile, protein, and tastes. Good luck!
