Sanjay Aggarwal set up a successful business selling his mother’s unique spice blends more than ten years ago. Here is one of his favourite recipes
Lamb raan with super-spiced potatoes
Serves 4
2. Put the ginger purée, garlic purée yoghurt, onion, garam masala, tandoori masala, harissa (if using), mint, lemon juice and salt into ablender. Blitz to form a paste.
3. Rub the paste all over the lamb with your hands, massaging it into the cuts. Place into a large zip-lock freezer bag, seal and put it in the fridge for two or three days.
4. When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 170C fan/375F/gas mark 5.
5. Put the lamb and all the marinade into a roasting tin. Cover with foil and cook for 2½ hours. If you like your lamb well done, add an extra half hour to the cooking time.
6. This step is really important. Set a timer and baste the lamb every 20 to 25 minutes to keep the meat moist. You will notice each time you take it out to baste that the marinade will have cooked down more and more. Eventually it will start to stick to the base of the tin. At this point you need to add about three tablespoons of water.
7. Forty-five minutes before the cooking time is up, add the shallots to the roasting tin and give everything a stir. This is also the time to prepare your potatoes. Cook the new potatoes for ten minutes in a saucepan of boiling water with a good pinch of salt. Drain, then let them steam-dry in a colander for five minutes.
8. Put the potatoes into a separate roasting tin with the butter, oil, spring onions, lime juice, curry powder, salt and pepper. Give everything a good stir and pop the tin into the oven with the lamb to let the potatoes cook and crisp up. When you put the potatoes into the oven, take the foil off the lamb, give it another good baste (and a little more water if needed) to let the top of the meat brown for the remainder of the cooking time.
9. Take out the lamb, cover with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Turn up the oven to high, give the potatoes a stir and let them continue to crisp up in the oven while the lamb rests. Slice a small red onion finely and soak in white wine vinegar while the potatoes finish cooking.
10. Transfer the lamb to a platter, scatter with some of the pickled red onion and carve the meat at the table. Serve the potatoes in a separate dish, sprinkled with the coriander.
Top tip: Carve any lamb that’s left over after you’ve eaten and add it to the remaining marinade sauce for an amazing leftover meal. You can add a little water, yoghurt or cream to create more sauce.
Spice Kitchen: Vibrant Recipes and Spice Blends for the Home
Cook by Sanjay Aggarwal is published by Quadrille, price £22
Lamb raan with super-spiced potatoesServes 4
- Half a leg of lamb (about 1kg)
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp ginger purée
- 1 tsp garlic purée
- 250g Greek yoghurt
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp tandoori masala
- ½ tsp harissa (optional)
- Handful of fresh mint leaves
- Juice of a lemon (or two limes)
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 shallots, peeled but left whole
- 500g baby potatoes, skin on and halved
- 40g butter
- 3 tbsp vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 6 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
- Juice of ½ lime
- 1 tsp curry powder
- ½ tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Pickled red onion
- Bunch of coriander roughly chopped
2. Put the ginger purée, garlic purée yoghurt, onion, garam masala, tandoori masala, harissa (if using), mint, lemon juice and salt into ablender. Blitz to form a paste.
3. Rub the paste all over the lamb with your hands, massaging it into the cuts. Place into a large zip-lock freezer bag, seal and put it in the fridge for two or three days.
4. When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 170C fan/375F/gas mark 5.
5. Put the lamb and all the marinade into a roasting tin. Cover with foil and cook for 2½ hours. If you like your lamb well done, add an extra half hour to the cooking time.
6. This step is really important. Set a timer and baste the lamb every 20 to 25 minutes to keep the meat moist. You will notice each time you take it out to baste that the marinade will have cooked down more and more. Eventually it will start to stick to the base of the tin. At this point you need to add about three tablespoons of water.
7. Forty-five minutes before the cooking time is up, add the shallots to the roasting tin and give everything a stir. This is also the time to prepare your potatoes. Cook the new potatoes for ten minutes in a saucepan of boiling water with a good pinch of salt. Drain, then let them steam-dry in a colander for five minutes.
8. Put the potatoes into a separate roasting tin with the butter, oil, spring onions, lime juice, curry powder, salt and pepper. Give everything a good stir and pop the tin into the oven with the lamb to let the potatoes cook and crisp up. When you put the potatoes into the oven, take the foil off the lamb, give it another good baste (and a little more water if needed) to let the top of the meat brown for the remainder of the cooking time.
9. Take out the lamb, cover with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Turn up the oven to high, give the potatoes a stir and let them continue to crisp up in the oven while the lamb rests. Slice a small red onion finely and soak in white wine vinegar while the potatoes finish cooking.
10. Transfer the lamb to a platter, scatter with some of the pickled red onion and carve the meat at the table. Serve the potatoes in a separate dish, sprinkled with the coriander.
Top tip: Carve any lamb that’s left over after you’ve eaten and add it to the remaining marinade sauce for an amazing leftover meal. You can add a little water, yoghurt or cream to create more sauce.
Spice Kitchen: Vibrant Recipes and Spice Blends for the Home
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