Reza's lamb and potato korma with French beans

Reza Mahammad joins us to cook up a tasty lamb and potato korma and French beans with sesame seeds.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 tsp almonds
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp sesame seeds
2 tsp poppy seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
½ kg lamb cut into 1inch/2.5 cm cubes
1 ½ tsp each of garlic and ginger ground together
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
Salt, to season
125ml oil
450g onions, thinly sliced
125ml yoghurt
300ml water
350g potatoes, peeled and quartered
6tbsp coconut milk

For the French beans

400g French beans
2-3 tbsp veg/sunflower oil
A generous pinch asafoetida
2 sprigs of curry leaves
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seed
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 medium sized onion weighing approx 200g, finely chopped
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp grated ginger
1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped
1 lime juiced
Salt, to taste
1-2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp chopped coriander

Method

1. Dry roast and grind together the almonds, coriander, sesame, poppy and cumin seeds until very fine. Set aside.

2. Put the meat into a bowl along with the garlic/ginger paste, turmeric, chilli and salt. Mix well and leave to marinate for approximately 1-2 hours.

3. Heat the oil until hot in a heavy-bottom saucepan and add the sliced onions. Fry until golden brown.

4. Add the marinated meat to the fried onions and stir-fry for 5 minutes until browned all over.

5. Mix together the ground roasted spice mixture with the yoghurt and pour the mixture onto the meat. Stir-fry for another 5 minutes and then add 300ml of water along with the potatoes. Cover and cook over a low heat until the meat is tender and the potatoes are cooked.

6. Now add the coconut milk with the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon sticks. Cover and cook over a low heat until the oil separates.

NB. If necessary, add a little hot water to the sauce to prevent from drying too much. The sauce should be of a thick consistency.

For the green beans

1. Top and tail the beans, string and cut into 2.5cm (1inch) lengths if necessary, depending on the size and age of the beans. Blanch in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes. Drain, and immediately plunge the beans into cold water to prevent further cooking. When cold, drain well and pat dry with kitchen paper.

2. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a non-stick frying pan or wok and place on a high heat. As soon as it starts to smoke, add the asafoetida, mustard, cumin and fennel seeds as well as the curry leaves. As soon as they begin to pop and splutter add the onions, garlic and ginger. Cook till the onions become soft and begin to brown at the edges.

3. Now add the chopped chilli and stir-fry for a few seconds. Now add the beans and heat through continuing to stir. Finally add the salt, sugar, lime juice, toasted sesame seeds and the chopped coriander. Toss everything together and adjust seasoning if need be and serve immediately.