Dried Fruit Lamb (or Beef) Curry

Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 cup dried apple
• 1/2 cup dried pitted prunes
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless lamb shoulder or 1 1/2 lbs beef chuck, well trimmed, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• 2 medium bananas

Recipe

• 1 combine the apples, prunes and raisins in a bowl, pour the water over them and let soak for at least an hour, turning the fruit occasionally.
• 2 dry the cubed meat with a paper towel and sprinkle them with the salt.
• 3 in a heavy large skillet, heat the oil over moderate heat until it is hot enough that a haze forms above it; brown the meat in the hot oil in 2 or 3 batches, turning the meat even ly to get them a good rich brown color; as they brown transfer to a plate and set aside.
• 4 pour off all but about 2 tbsps of the fat from the pan and drop in the onions; stir constantly and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan; cook the onions for about 3 to 4 minutes, until they are soft.
• 5 reduce the heat to low, add the curry powder and stir for 2 minutes or so to toast the curry a bit, thus intensifying it's flavor ( a step you should always take when using curry powder; it leeches any bitterness from some of the stronger spices in curry).
• 6 return the meat to the pan, along with any liquid that has accumulated around it; stir in the fruits along with their soaking water, the vinegar and the lemon juice.
• 7 bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low.
• 8 partially cover the skillet and simmer for about one hour or until the meat is tender and shows no resistance when poked with a sharp knife.
• 9 check the pan periodically and if it looks too dry, add up to a 1/4 cup water, a few tablespoons at a time; when the curry is done however, most of the liquid should be dried up as this is a dryer curry not a soupy one.
• 10 taste for seasoning and mound the curry on a heated platter; just before serving sprinkle with the peanuts and slice the bananas and arrange around the curry.
• 11 serve with hot rice, preferably jasmine, and your favorite chutney.
• 12 also, i like a hotter curry and have found that adding an additional 1/2 tbsp of curry powder or paste does the trick, especially if i am serving with a hot chutney.