| 4 large
chopped onions , 4 cloves garlic, 1 2" long piece of chopped fresh ginger,
3 tbsp ground almonds, 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp ground coriander, 2 tsp turmeric,
2 tsp garam masala, 4-6 fresh green chillies, juice of 1 lemon, salt to taste,
300ml/.5 pint/1.25 natural (plain) beaten yogurt, 1.8kb/4lb leg of lamb, 8-10
cloves, 4 firm halved and grilled tomatoes to serve, watercress to garnish, 1
tbsp flaked (slivered) almonds to garnish. Method:
Place the first 11 ingredients in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste.
Gradually add the yogurt and blend until smooth. Grease a large, deep baking tray
and preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Remove most of the fat and skin from
the lamb. Using a sharp knife, make deep pockets above the bone at each side of
the thick end. Make deep diagonal gashes on both sides. Push the cloves into the
leg of lamb at random. Place lamb on baking tray and push some of the spice mixture
into the pockets and gashes. Spread the remaining spice mixture evenly all over
the lamb. Loosely cover the whole tray with foil. Roast in the preheated oven
for 2-2.5 hours or until the lamb is cooked, removing the foil for the last 10
minutes of cooking time. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before
carving. Serve with grilled tomatoes, garnished with watercress and garnish the
joint with the flaked almonds. |
