Mary Berry Cooks: Lamb dhansak.

Mary Berry Cooks: Lamb dhansak with fresh tomato relish and raita | Daily Mail Online: very tasty, delicious!
Lamb, Lentil and Vegetable Stew.

Dhansak is a popular Indian curry made from meat and lentils, flavoured with spices including cumin and ginger. It is mild, sweet and rich with just enough heat to satisfy most tastes. And best of all it benefits from being made a day in advance as it tastes even better the next day.

I like to serve this with Raita and Fresh Tomato Relish, as well as hard-boiled eggs, poppadoms, rice and, of course, mango chutney.
serves 6
-3 tablespoons sunflower oil
-1kg (2lb 2oz) diced lamb(shoulder or leg, or a mixture)
-2 onions, diced
-25g (1oz) fresh ginger root, peeled but left whole
-4 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
-1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
-10 green cardamom pods
-1½ tablespoons ground cumin
-1½ tablespoons ground coriander
-½ tablespoon ground turmeric
-1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
-200ml beef stock
-75g dried red lentils
-3 tablespoons clear honey
-salt and freshly ground
-black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/Gas 2.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan.
Add half the lamb and fry until browned.
Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside, then brown the other half of the lamb and set aside.
3. Add the remaining oil to the pan. Add the onions and fry for 4-5 minutes until beginning to soften.
4. Meanwhile, place the ginger, garlic and chilli in a small food processor and whiz until finely chopped.
5. Bash the cardamom pods with the end of a rolling pin to split the husks, then remove the seeds and grind them to a fine powder using a pestle and mortar.
Add to the pan along with the remaining spices and the garlic and ginger mixture.
6. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and add the lamb.
Bring to the boil, then cover and place in the oven to simmer for 1-2 hours until tender.
Check the seasoning and serve.

PREPARE AHEAD Make 1-2 days ahead, keep in the fridge, then reheat thoroughly.
FREEZE Transfer to a freezerproof container and freeze for 1 month. Don’t freeze for longer as the flavours will intensify and the dish may become too spicy.
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