Sinhalese lamb curry (elumas)

Deliciously tender, this Sri Lankan curry is packed full of exotic spices.

Credit: Murdoch Books / © Kim Lightbody

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

'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.

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

For the marinade

• 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

Wash the meat, cut it into 2.5 cm (1 inch) chunks and put it in a large bowl. Add all the ingredients for the marinade and mix it all together by hand, rubbing it into the meat.

Leave to marinate for 30 minutes. Heat the oil in a large, lidded saucepan over a low heat. Add the cumin seeds (if using), fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, cinnamon, cardamom pods, cloves, rampe leaf, curry leaves, lemongrass (if using), green chillies and onion, and sauté until the onions are soft and turning golden.

Add the marinated meat and mix well. Add the water (to cover the meat), and bring to the boil. Put the lid on and cook on a medium heat for about 45 minutes, until the water has evaporated and the meat is cooked through.

Add the coconut cream, mix well and simmer for another 10–15 minutes until the sauce is thick.

Remove from the heat and sprinkle in the curry powder and squeeze in the lime juice.

Stir, taste for salt, and serve.

Recipe from Sri Lanka the Cookbook by Prakash K Sivanathan and Niranjala M Ellawala (Murdoch Books, pb, $39.99). Photography © Kim Lightbody. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

'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.