Serves 4-6 | Preparation/cooking time: 2 hours 15 mins | Difficulty: medium | Cannot be frozen
Ingredients
For the lamb
1 leg of lamb, about 2.25kg
2 tsp mild curry powder
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp caster sugar
4 tbsp olive oil
For the rice
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
250g basmati rice, rinsed in several changes of water
750ml hot water
150g frozen peas, thawed
11/2 tsp ground turmeric
11/2 tsp mild curry powder
120ml boiling water
To serve
4 tbsp blanched almonds, sliced
1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
1 white cabbage, roughly shredded
Dried red chillies
2 limes, cut into wedges
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
2. To prepare the lamb, place it in a trivet set on a roasting tray. Combine the ground spices, sugar, seasoning and olive oil in a small bowl. Whisk briefly and pour over the lamb, rubbing it into the meat with your hands.
3. Cover the tray with aluminium foil and roast for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 180°C and bake for a further 70-80 minutes until at least 63°C on a meat thermometer.
4. Meanwhile, as the lamb roasts, prepare the rice. Heat the oil in a large casserole dish set over a moderate heat until hot. Add the coriander seeds and fry for 20 seconds before stirring in the rice. Continue to fry the rice in the oil for 2 minutes. Add 750ml hot water and bring to the boil.
5. Once boiling, cover and turn down the heat. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid. Remove from the heat, add the peas and leave covered for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, stir the ground turmeric and curry powder into 120ml boiling water, mixing thoroughly.
7. After the rice has sat covered for 10 minutes, fluff with a fork. Set aside a couple of large tablespoons of the rice. Pour the spiced water over the rest of the rice and stir well. Cover and leave to soak for 10 minutes. Then give the rice another stir and return the white rice to the pot, tossing well.
8. To serve, remove the lamb from the oven when ready and leave to rest, covered loosely with aluminium foil, for at least 10 minutes.
9. Reheat the rice if needed in a microwave before spreading it on a platter. Sit the lamb on top and garnish with a sprinkle of almonds and coriander seeds. Serve with the cabbage, dried chillies and lime wedges.
