Lamb and lentil stew with black cardamom

This lamb and lentil stew takes inspiration from traditional Indian lamb and lentil dishes such as lamb dulcha and lamb dhanasak. This dish features black (not green!) cardamom pods, also referred to as “hill cardamom”. These larger, black cardamom pods have a rough and wrinkly exterior that impart a strong, smoky and earthy flavour and can be located at your local Indian grocery store.

• serves

  6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  1:30 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 8 lamb neck chops (or 1.5kg diced lamb)
• salt and black pepper, to season
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 25 g butter
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 1 celery stick, finely chopped
• 1 green capsicum, finely chopped
• 3 black cardamom pods, cracked
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• ½ cup (125 ml) white wine
• 1½ litres chicken stock
• 2 cups Australian green lentils, rinsed
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 3 cups baby spinach leaves
• ¼ cup roughly chopped mint leaves, to serve

Instructions

1. Season the lamb neck chops well with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Fry the lamb in batches, until well-browned on all sides. Remove to a plate and set aside.

2. Return the pan to the heat with the butter and fry the onion, carrot, celery and capsicum, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes, or until softened. Stir through the black cardamom, bay leaves and the white wine and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the wine is slightly reduced.

3. Return the lamb to the pan and pour over the stock. Season with salt and pepper, then bring to a simmer and cover. Cook for 1 hour (or bake in a 160˚C fan oven for 1 hour), then add the lentils and cook (simmered or baked) for a 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.

4. To serve, remove the lamb from the saucepan and transfer to a serving plate. Return the pan to medium heat and stir the vinegar and spinach through the lentils for 1 minute, or until the spinach wilts. Serve the lamb with the lentils and sprinkle with the mint.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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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.

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Watch the full episode here

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