Since starting to read the now out of commission blog titled Cosmopolitan Kids I’ve really upped the ante on doing more Cosmopolitan things with my children. After a while, I realized that because of the diverseness of the friends of the Nicholes – my best friend is Filipino and Mr.Nicholes best friend is Indian, AND the fact that we live in Chicago – home of every country within a city, I am pretty cosmopolitan.
So we decided to “travel” to India for this particular evening’s dinner, and we think we may have a winner for curried lamb stew. It pairs all of the things we love with our lamb, and it’s super easy to make in either a Dutch oven, slow cooker, or pressure cooker.
You REALLY can’t mess this up, unless you just don’t watch the pot while you’re cooking, and even then, the aroma that wafts through your home will let you know just what you might be missing.
The combination of the spices of curry, ginger, and cumin combined with the sweetness of prunes is fantastic. It comes together well, but like all stews, it’s so much better the second day. Alton Brown has a great explanation of this if you’re interested. If you aren’t, here’s the recipe for you to enjoy.
You are free to create your own curried spice blend, or use one that is already prepared for you. I happen to use the Sweet Curry blend from Penzey’s Spices. It has enough kick to satisfy my family without being to spicy for me. I’m a lightweight when it comes to spiciness of foods. If we go too far above Louisiana Hot Sauce, I’m not going to do well. I’m woman enough to admit this. And I’m also woman enough to blame the birth of each of my children for knocking my tolerance level down another peg or two. The way a body changes after childbirth is weird, yo.
This stew serves up well with basmati rice, or couscous. Whatever your pleasure. I know that it’s super filling, and a great way to stretch lamb which is a pricey cut of meat.
Curried Lamb Stew
Curried Lamb Stew
A sweet and spicy stew made with lamb, chickpeas, potatoes and prunes.
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2-1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated (from a 1-inch knob)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 pound lamb kabobs or stew meat, such as shoulder or boneless leg, cubed
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 cup dry white wine - if going without use more chicken stock
- 1/2-3/4 cup chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
- 1-2 large potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup prunes
- 1 can of chickpeas drained
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
1. In a medium saucepan over medium/high heat, heat oil. Add onion, garlic, ginger, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and saute until softened (about 4 minutes.) Add lamb and saute until browned, about 10 minutes
2. Stir in curry powder and cumin and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in wine and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes.
3. Stir in chicken stock, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until lamb is tender about 30 minutes. (Lamb can be cooked ahead and refrigerated, covered, up to 24 hours)
4. Halfway through cooking the lamb, add potatoes and chickpeas. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until potatoes and lamb are tender.
5. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, stir in your prunes so they can warm through.
6. Add the cilantro and serve.
This dish can be served with rice and apricot or mango chutney to complement the curry flavor.
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Apparently, we REALLY enjoy brown foods around this way. We also love stews and soups and would love for you to stop by the blog for our Houseful of Soups blog hop that we host. It’s a showcase of all the soups and stews that can keep you warm during chillier times – or fill you up whenever you want.
You can bookmark this recipe for easy access, or print it out. If you’re looking for more stews or soups, here are some suggestions
Chicken Posole Verde
Neckbone Stew
Oxtail Stew
Cosmopolitan Kids says
*YOINK*
I need to make this!!
*Drool*
Aisha
AJ says
This looks awesome! Awww look at all the foodies! 🙂 yay. does my heart good to see us cooking outside the macaroni and cheese box. 🙂