Memsahib’s Lamb Raan

By Carol Selva Rajah, Australia’s expert on Asian Cuisine

1.5 to 1.7 kg leg of lamb

Marinade
1 teaspoon cardamon seeds
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 cm piece of ginger, roughly chopped
3 green chillies, seeded
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
250ml thick natural yogurt

Almond Coating
3 tablespoons blanched almonds
1 tablespoon jaggery or soft brown sugar
125ml thick natural yoghurt
½ teaspoon red food colouring (optional)
coriander leaves (optional)

1. Trim the excess fat from the lamb and stab the meat all over with a sharp skewer so that the marinade will penetrate.

2. To make the marinade, grind the cardamon seeds to a fine powder using a spice grinder or pestle and mortar. Chop the onion, garlic and ginger to a paste with the green chillies in a blender or food processor. If you don’t have a processor, finely chop them with a knife, then grind to a paste in a pestle and mortar. Mix in the ground cardamon seeds, cumin and cloves. Add the lemon juice and yogurt and mix well.

3. Coat the lamb thickly all over, using half the marinade. Cover with clingfilm and marinate in the fridge overnight. Cover the remaining marinade and refrigerate it.

4. The almond coating, preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/Gas 5). Finely chop the almonds in a food processor or with a knife. Mix the reserved marinade with the ground almonds, jaggery, yogurt and food colouring, if using. Uncover the lamb and coat it all over with the mixture, especially on the top and sides. Transfer the lamb to a shallow roasting tin and cover loosely with oiled foil. Bake for 1 hour, then remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes, or until the lamb is cooked and the coating set and browned. Test the meat nearest to the bone to see whether it is cooked – a skewer should come out very hot.  Press on any yogurt and almond coating that has dropped off during cooking, so that the finished product looks neat.

5. Carve the meat at the table for full effect. Garnish with coriander if you like. Top each serving with a little of the almond coating.