Lamb Tikka Masala & Cucumber Mint Yogurt

Last night I whipped up the marinade, so tonight I was able to try out a new recipe I found in Food & Wine Magazine: Lamb Tikka Masala. We picked up some great lamb kabob meat at the UW farmers market Saturday, from Olsen Farms in Colville, WA (the same place we get our potatoes from).



Lamb Tikka Masala
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbspn finely grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 tspn ground cumin
1 1/2 tspn ground coriander
1/4 tspn ground cardamom
1/4 tspn cayenne pepper
1/4 tspn ground turmeric
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 lamb meat, cut in cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tbspn plus 1 tspn vegetable oil
1/4 cup blanched whole almonds
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons pure chile powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
One 35-ounce can peeled tomatoes, finely chopped, juices reserved
Pinch of sugar
1 cup heavy cream

In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cayenne and turmeric. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lamb to the marinade, turn to coat and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the broiler and position a rack about 8 inches from the heat. Remove the lamb from the marinade; scrape off as much of the marinade as possible. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and spread the pieces on a baking sheet. Broil the lamb, turning once or twice, until just cooked through and browned in spots, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut it into 2-inch pieces. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add the almonds and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a plate and let cool completely. In a food processor, pulse the almonds until finely ground. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garam masala, chile powder and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes with their juices and the sugar and season with salt and pepper. Cover partially and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Add the cream and ground almonds and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes longer. Stir in the chicken; simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and serve.



I also made use of more cucumbers from our garden, the mint Ally gave me, and the yogurt remaining from the masala recipe and made a simple little side dish.