Lamb and Chickpea Curry

Born from an overly crowed fridge and an apathetic desire to grocery shop, this lamb and chickpea curry was conceived. It uses many typical pantry items and is very easily adapted to what you have around. In fact I encourage you adopt my sluggish attitude when making this, it seems to taste better done that way.

It works very well with leftover lamb or beef, just skip the browning stage and toss the meat directly into curry when simmering.

To me, the crunchy sweetness that the almonds and pomegranate seeds have make this dish. However, the pomegranate could easily be swapped with some dried fruit such as chopped dates or apricots if pomegranate is out of season.

The spice blend is inspired by Ras El Hanout, a Moroccan blend usually made from dried pepper, herbs, and turmeric. I decided to incorporate some more eastern-Mediterranean flavors like mint, aleppo pepper, and sumac. These spices add an almost floral-like tartness to the dish. As already stated, don't hesitate to mix and match spices with what you have around. Keep the amounts modest and it won't disappoint. Besides lamb and chickpea curry, the spice blend will also work sprinkled on some grilled vegetable or with some spiced chickpeas.

Lamb and Chickpea Curry

The crunchy-sweetness of almonds and pomegranate pair well with this spiced lamb and chickpea curry.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

(Optional Soak): 2 hours hours

Total Time: 4 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Author: Redwood Kitchen

Servings: 6

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Ingredients

Spice Blend

• 1 tablespoon smoked hot paprika
• 2 teaspoon dried mint
• 2 teaspoon sumac
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 teaspoon aleppo pepper, (or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Curry

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 white onion, (halved and sliced into half-moons)
• 1 " ginger, (peeled and minced)
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves garlic, (minced)
• 1 lb lamb shoulder or leg, (cut into 1″ chunks)
• 1 cup dried chickpeas, (or canned, juices reserved)
• 1 green bell pepper, (cored and chopped into 1″ chunks)
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• ½ cup almonds, (roughly chopped)
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds
• salt, (to taste)
• fresh mint (for serving)
• steamed basmati rice, (for serving)

Instructions

If using dry chickpeas, bring chickpeas, 4 cups of water, and a big pinch of salt to a boil in a small saucepan and then simmer for 1-2 hours, or until tender. Skip if using canned beans.

Heat a large saucepan or dutch oven over a medium-high flame and then add all the spices and dry toast until very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from pot and crush with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.

In the same pot, add the olive oil and lamb chunks and sear on all sides until browned, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot.

Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt to the pot and saute for 10-12 minutes. Stir often until the onions begin to brown on the edges. Then, add the ginger, garlic, bay leaf, and ground spices and cook for another 1-2 minutes until very fragrant.

Add the cooked chickpeas, including the reserved liquid to the pot and scrap any browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula. If using canned chickpeas, add about 1 extra cup of water. Then, add the canned tomatoes, green pepper, and reserved lamb to the pot, cover and simmer on low for 2 hours.

After the 2 hours, the curry should be thick and smooth but if it is still runny continue to cook uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes. Taste and adjust for salt.

Remove from heat and top with crushed almonds and pomegranate seeds. Serve over basmati rice with fresh mint.

Course: dinner

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Keyword: almonds, chickpea, curry, lamb, pomegranate

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