Spiced Lamb with Fennel, Chili, and Tomato
Kothu kari kulambu is a spiced ground lamb dish from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Seasoned ground lamb is cooked with onions, garlic, and tomatoes. A spice paste consisting of coriander, fennel, cumin, Kashmiri chilies, and curry leaves is stirred in, then cooked down with the lamb. The lamb is served with flaky parathas.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time55 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: Indian, lamb, main course, South Asian
Author: Alex Gorgos
Spice grinder
food processor
- 1 1/2 lbs ground lamb
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1” ginger
- 1 green bird’s eye chilies
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 8 curry leaves
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 roma tomatoes diced
- salt to taste
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Spice Paste
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 5 Kashmiri chilies
- 10 curry leaves
Add the 6 garlic cloves, ginger, and green chili to a food processor and process into a paste.
Mix the paste with the ground lamb and set aside.
Add the spice paste ingredients to a spice grinder and turn into a powder.
Mix the spices with a tbsp of water to create a paste. Set aside.
Heat up the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the 2 minced garlic cloves and curry leaves for a minute.
Stir in the onions and cook for 10 minutes.
Add in the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
Turn the heat up to medium high and brown the lamb for 8 minutes.
Add in the spice paste, water, and salt. Simmer for 3 minutes.
Cover the pan. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 25 minutes.
Uncover the pan. Squeeze over the lemon juice.