Sinhalese lamb curry (elumas)

Name: Sinhalese lamb curry (elumas)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 600 g (1 lb 5 oz) lamb; 4 tbsp oil; ½ tsp cumin seeds (optional); ½ tsp fenugreek seeds; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 2 2.5 cm (1 inch) cinnamon sticks; 3 cardamom pods; 3 cloves; 2 2.5 cm (1 inch) pieces of rampe (pandan) leaf; 10 fresh curry leaves; 1 lemongrass stalk (optional); 2 green chillies, slit lengthways and deseeded; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 500 ml (17 fl oz/generous 2 cups) water; 200 ml (7 fl oz/generous ¾ cup) coconut cream; ½ tsp Bathapu Thuna Paha (recipe here); juice of ½ lime; salt; 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 5 cm (2 inch) piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped; 1 tbsp Thuna Paha (recipe here); 1 tbsp Bathapu Thuna Paha (recipe here); 1 tbsp chilli powder; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 4 tbsp red wine vinegar; 2 tsp salt

Instructions

Prep:20minCook:1h

'Elumas' means goat meat in Sinhalese, and in Sri Lanka we actually use the term 'mutton' to mean goat's meat. Goat (and indeed mutton) are becoming more popular and readily available in the UK, but this curry works equally well with lamb, cooked slow to tenderise and absorb all the spices.

Updated at: Thu, 21 Mar 2024 09:26:33 GMT