Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 2 tbsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tbsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon stick
• broken into pieces
• 5 cloves
• 1 tbsp ground turmeric
• 4 lamb shanks
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 green birds' eye chilli
• 2 garlic cloves
• peeled
• 1.5cm/¾in piece fresh root ginger
• peeled
• 1 onion
• peeled
• thinly sliced
• 12 curry leaves
• 3 cardamom pods
• 2 bay leaves
• 400g/14oz tin chopped tomatoes
• 200ml/7fl oz beef stock
• 2 tsp tamarind juice
• 325g/11½oz chapati flour (available in some supermarkets and Asian grocers)
• plus extra for dusting
• 1½ tsp salt
• 170-230ml/6-8fl oz water
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 shallots
• peeled
• finely sliced
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions

• For the madras curry powder
• place all of the curry powder ingredients into a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.
• For the lamb madras
• season the lamb shanks all over with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large non-stick casserole pan and sear the lamb shanks for 1-2 minutes on all sides
• or until golden-brown all over. Remove the lamb shanks from the pan and set aside.
• Blend the chilli
• garlic and ginger in a small food processor to a paste
• adding a splash of water if necessary.
• Place the pan used to cook the lamb back over a high heat and add the onions (add a splash of oil to the pan if it is too dry). Fry for 2-3 minutes
• or until softened and starting to colour.
• Add 2½ tablespoons of the curry powder to the pot along with the garlic
• chilli and ginger paste
• curry leaves
• cardamom and bay leaves. Stir well.
• Return the lamb shanks to the pan and cover with the chopped tomatoes
• beef stock and tamarind juice. Season
• to taste
• with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover the pan with a lid simmer over a low heat for 2 hours
• or until the lamb is very tender.
• Meanwhile for the chapatis
• sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and gradually mix in enough of the water to form a soft dough (you may not need all of the water). Cover and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface
• lightly knead and then divide equally into 12 balls. Roll out each ball as thin as possible.
• Heat a frying pan over a high heat and add the oil. Cook the chapatis one at a time
• frying for 1-2 minutes on both sides or until golden-brown and puffed up.
• For the fried shallots
• dust the sliced shallots in the flour. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over a high heat and fry the shallots for 2-3 minutes
• or until golden-brown and crisp. Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper.
• To serve
• remove the lamb shanks from the pan and place one on each serving plate. Place the pan back over a high heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced to a thick sauce
• enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour the sauce over the lamb shanks and garnish with the crisp shallots. Serve the chapatis on the side.