Recipe Index

Ingredients

• 7oz ghee
• 3½oz onions, thinly sliced
• 3½oz full-fat natural yoghurt
• 3 tsp salt
• 2 tsp chilli powder
• 2 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground garam masala
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 4 tbsp gram flour
• 1 tbsp ground almonds
• 1 tbsp ground poppy seeds
• ¼ tsp ground cardamom
• ¼ tsp ground mace
• 4 tbsp grated raw green papaya
• 10 strands good-quality saffron, infused in 1 tbsp tepid milk
• 6 tbsp clotted cream (or reduced milk khoa)
• 3 tbsp kewra water (pandan or screw pine essence)
• 3lb 5oz leg of lamb

Method

1. Melt the ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat and fry the sliced onions for 20 minutes until golden brown and caramelised, then drain them on kitchen paper and keep the ghee.
2. Grind the cooled fried onions to a paste in a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder.
3. Stir the yoghurt in a large bowl with the onion paste, salt, chilli powder, ground coriander, garam masala, white pepper, gram flour, ground almonds, ground poppy seeds, cardamom, mace, grated papaya, saffron-infused milk, clotted cream and kewra water.
4. Set the leg of lamb in a large roasting tin, cut small slits all over it with a sharp knife tip, and rub the yoghurt marinade thoroughly over the meat.
5. Cover the tin and marinate the lamb in the fridge for 3 hours, then cut more slits, rub the marinade in again, gathering up any that fell into the tin, and return it to the fridge for another 3 hours or overnight.
6. Take the lamb out of the fridge an hour before cooking and heat the oven to 400°F.
7. Roast the leg for 1 hour 40 minutes, basting it regularly with the reserved onion ghee; the thickest part feels soft for rare, springy for medium and firm for well done.
8. Set the whole roasted leg on a serving plate and carve it into thick slices at the table.

Prep: 2 h · Cook: 2 h

Nutrition (per serving, where published)

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data