[CH] Dhansaks

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I have made this, but used fresh tomatoes and if no hab is available use 
generous amount of Kashmiri Mirch.

Mary-Anne

Dhansaks are probably the most satisfying of curries. Nice and hot with a 
fruity sweetness absorbed by the lentils. The 'secret' ingredient of this 
recipe is probably a surprise, but its origins are from colonial India.
What you'll need (for approx. 4 servings):
1lb of lamb, diced * I use goat leg meat, guess chicken would work!
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds 
4 green cardamom pods
2 inch (5cm) cinnamon stick
1/2 tbsp black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 dried habanero Chile (or 5 red birds-eye chilies including seeds)

3oz (75g) red lentils
3oz (75g) green lentils
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ground fenugreek
1 tbsp HP sauce
1 tbsp Geeta's pineapple chutney (or any sweet mango chutney)
1/2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 pint/550ml brown stuff
1 pint/550ml water
2 tbsps oil or ghee for frying
2 tsps garam masala
2 tbsps fresh coriander, finely chopped
How to make the curry:

1.  Grind the whole spices and Chile together. Thoroughly coat the meat with 
the spices and leave to marinade for at least a couple of hours (preferably 
overnight in the fridge).
2.  Heat half the ghee in a large saucepan and add the ground spice and 
lentils. Fry for 2 minutes.
3.  Add the brown stuff & water and season with salt. Bring to the boil, 
cover and gently simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure it 
doesn't stick.
4.  Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil or ghee in a large pan - it must be 
very hot.
5.  Add your lamb in batches (it'll spit everywhere so take care) and turn in 
the fat to
brown it. Remove from the heat once the lamb is well browned.
6.  When the lentils are ready (they should be quite soft) add the meat, HP 
sauce, chutney and sugar.
7.  Cover and simmer for a further 30 minutes. Add a little more water to 
loosen as required.
8.  Mix in the garam masala, and remove from the heat.
9.  Just before serving, stir in the chopped fresh coriander.


Serve with rice and/or naans. 
As you probably guessed, HP sauce is the secret ingredient in this recipe.

What I rather unappealingly call brown stuff is the basic sauce for almost 
all the curry recipes on cuzza.com. It'll ensure your curries are rich and 
silky smooth. Make a big batch and next time you want to curry, you won't 
have to bother preparing onions, garlic and ginger.
Please note that you will need a food processor or blender for this recipe. 
The whole process takes about 2-1/2 hours so you'll need a bit of time and a 
few beers to hand.
What you'll need (for approx. 8 servings):
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1 bulb of garlic, finely chopped or grated
root ginger (roughly same weight as garlic bulb), finely chopped or grated
1-1/2 pints water
400 g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbsps cooking oil 
How to make the sauce:

1.  Heat the water, onions, garlic and ginger in a large, heavy bottomed pan. 
2.  Simmer gently with the lid on, for 1 hour. 
3.  Remove the lid and let the mixture cool. Meanwhile: 
4.  Whiz the tinned tomatoes in a food processor for a good two minutes. This 
is essential for absolute smoothness. 
5.  Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the paprika and turmeric for 
30 seconds. 
6.  Mix in the tomato purée and add the whizzed tomatoes. 
7.  Simmer for 20 minutes, making sure nothing sticks. 
8.  Take the cooled onion mixture a bit at a time and whiz up in the food 
processor, again making sure it's absolutely smooth. 
9.  Add to the tomato and spices and simmer for another 20 minutes. 
10. A scum will appear on the surface of the sauce - try to remove this as it 
forms. 

How to use the sauce:
The sauce basically replaces the tomatoes, onion, garlic and ginger in a 
curry. So to make your favourite curry, simply brown your meat or vegetables 
with a spice mixture of your choice, and add the brown stuff. Simmer for 20 
minutes (or while the rice cooks) and you're ready to eat!
You can freeze your brown stuff or keep it in the fridge for 3 - 4 days.

http://www.chicken-tikka-masala.co.uk/index.htm

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