This is a very popular dish in Delhi, where it is made with bone-in cubes of goat meat. I generally make it with lamb. I like to serve this with Indian flatbreads. Store-bought pita bread or tortillas would be good too. A vegetable and a legume should be included at dinnertime.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4¿6

　　6 tablespoons olive or canola oil

　　8 cardamom pods

　　Two 2-inch cinnamon sticks

　　8 whole cloves

　　1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

　　1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds

　　1 cup (4 ounces) finely chopped onions

　　2 pounds boneless lamb from the shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

　　1 1/4 cups yogurt (whole-milk or low-fat), lightly beaten

　　2 tablespoons ground coriander

　　2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger, or 1 teaspoon powdered ginger

　　1/2–3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

　　1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

　　

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F.

　　

Step 2

Pour the oil into a large, wide, ovenproof pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, and fennel and stir once. Add the onions and fry until they have just begun to turn brown. Add the meat and all the remaining ingredients. Stir to mix and bring to a simmer. Cover, first with foil, crimping the edges, and then with the lid, and place in the oven. Bake for 1 1/4 hours or until the meat is just tender, stirring now and then. Uncover and bake another 15–20 minutes or until the meat is a bit more dried out and slightly browned. Stir now and then during this period.

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.