This recipe uses the Naga Jolokia chilli (the clues in the name!) otherwise known as the Ghost pepper.
For those that don’t know, the Naga chilli is the hottest chilli on the planet. To put that in perspective it is over 400 times hotter than Tabasco!
This means the dish I am about to share with you is hot…Very hot.
I love hot spicy curries and this certainly hits the spot. It’s an edible hot and not ‘unbearable’, but it’s not for the faint hearted. If you like a vindaloo you’ll love this!
If the thought of using Naga scares you a little (perhaps it should!), then by all means replace it with your favourite chilli and add to your required heat.
This curry is my basic lamb curry recipe with some extra oomph to flavour it up for the added heat.
The flavour is fantastic and using lamb on the bone adds so much to the dish I highly recommend you use it. If not stewing lamb is fine but you will miss out on a little richness and flavour.
Ingredients
- 500g/1lb Lamb (stewing or on the bone cubed)
- 200g/1 cup Tinned tomatoes
- 1 Large onion
- 3 Cloves of garlic
- 2 TSP Coriander seeds
- 1 TSP Cumin Seeds
- 2 Cardamom pods
- 1 TSP Turmeric
- ½ TSP Graram Masala
- 2 Indian bay leaves (or 1 regular bay leaf)
- 2 Twists of black pepper
- 1 Large pinch of salt
- 1 Naga chilli!
- 2 TBSP Vegetable oil
Serves 2-3
First off preheat your oven to 150C/300F
Then take you coriander seeds, cumin seeds and the seeds removed from the cardamom pods. Place them into a grinder or pestle and mortar and grind into a rough powder.
Heat the oil on medium heat on top of your hob in a casserole dish. Slice your onion and add it to the oil and let it fry off for a few minutes until it has changed colour.
Crush your garlic cloves into the dish and mix for about 1 minute.
Add you lamb pieces and seal, frying so that the meat changes colour.
Now put in your ground spices along with the garam Masala, turmeric and bay.
Mix well and turn down the heat to low.
CAUTION: Please note that we are about to use Naga chillies. Don’t mess with these chillies, I advise that you try not to get any on your fingers. Only use one, no matter how small it is, as using two will not be pleasant!
Chop up your Naga as small as you can seeds and all. Then add it to the dish.
Mix well then add your tomatoes, pepper and salt.
Add water until it almost reached the top of the lamb and then place in your preheated oven and leave for 1 hour with the lid on, then a further hour with the lid off.
Serve the lovely spicy Naga lamb with rice, naan or both. It would go perfectly with an onion Indian style onion salad too.
I would recommend a good dollop of plain natural yoghurt to temper the heat! Perhap this is the time to eat your curry with a lassi (a popular Indian yoghurt based drink) on the side to help you if you need it 😉
Please remember to tell me if you were brave enough to try this dish in the comments below.
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I’m a vegetarian, but do have people coming over for dinners all the time. This looks impressive! It is so difficult for me to figure out what the heck to do when my meet eating friends come for dinner.
This one is a keeper and I will remember to be careful with those peppers!
-Donna
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Donna, I promise your friends will love it 🙂
I’ve made this a number of times but I always cook it in the slow cooker for about 5 hours and use Thai finger chillies if cannot find Naga. Delicious ! My friends love it too
Bria, Great to hear you’re enjoying the recipe! The slow cooker idea sounds good,I bet you get that lamb melt in the mouth tender.
Mate – made this today as got a couple of friends over tonight. Doubled up on everything and got to say – absolutely delicious! Nice one
My pleasure, glad you liked it 🙂 I’ll be doing more styles of curry soon so watch this space!
Got one in the oven doubled up with ingredients sunk a gallon of beer in anticipation mixed with a little fear juice tastes world class – come on let’s have it!!!
Fantastic mate, enjoy! The beer sounds like a good plan too!
Had it thank you mate – fantastic flavour and if you stick to amount of naga perfect spice if you like a bit of heat but not over the top added few potatoe chunks to 700 grammes lamb to make weight 1kg so as to be precise doubling up on ingredients – only deviation added very small bit of fresh coriander at end although not necessary – what a Wednesday ice cold millers and huge pot of this – curry heaven!
Curry heaven…love it! So pleased you liked the recipe, cheers mate!
No problem it’s best curry I’ve ever made I’m hoping to mate a king prawn shutki next if you have any recipes or pointers? I’ll be using your naga recipe as a Base curry also as I’m sure it’s quite versatile if you don’t fancy naga and quite confident could quite easily turn it into a fantastic dhansak – do you have any other recipes pal?
Nick, yes you can use this sauce as a base and switch out the Naga for other chillis. I’m guessing you’re a lamb fan so try this too https://www.foodontheblog.co.uk/lamb-rogan-josh-recipe/ or search this site for ‘curry’! No recipe for the shutki, my tip would be make sure you use fresh (grey) prawns as you will get more flavoursome juiciness over precooked ones, just take care not to over cook them. Keep coming back here as I love my spicy foods and curries always get well represented…happy cooking 🙂
ok thanks for that best regards
Had to check this out after hearing you talk about this. I had some of this chilli hanging around but I don’t think I will even try to cook it. I know it will be too hot for me.
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Hey great to see you! Yes nagas aren’t for everyone, but do try the recipe with your favourite chilli as it will still make a wonderful curry…
I’ve got some on the stove, ready to go on the oven. Gonna let it ‘improve’ overnight – we all know curry tastes better the next day.
Good sized home grown peach naga in there. Had a quick taste for levels and the heat is instant, but not unmanageable.
Looking forward fo tomorrow.
Hi Antony, I hope the curry is as delicious as it sounds 😉
Cooked this today and I was really pleased with the outcome. I used one dried naga chilli and the heat was just right. Such a tasty dish, thanks for the inspiration!
Dan glad to hear you like the recipe! You do have to be careful with those nagas though…
My husband found some naga chilies in the supermarket.
Then I found this recipe.
It was really tasty and enjoyable. Our mouths got a bit warm, but it wasn’t so hot that any yoghurt or other dairy was needed.
We ate it without anything like that.
It’s a nice recipe and there’s somewhat of a chili burn, but not extreme in any way.
I have bookmarked the recipe and will make it again. Perhaps add a bit more chili, but it’s fine as it it is too.
Johanna, Really glad you enjoyed it! Add more to taste but remember Nagas can go to blistering hot very quickly 🙂
Going to try this tomorrow.
Adding some padron chillies too.
For a bit of sweetness a couple of lumps of jaggery. Robert
Robert, A bit of sweetness should be good, are you sure you’ll taste those padrons through the naga? 🙂