Despite what you may think, this dish is simplicity itself. Some call it Curried lamb, some just say, “Lamb Curry.” Whatever name you give it, you can’t go wrong. In the Barrio on 110th Street we would experiment with lamb by adding curry powder to it. My father and I like it spicy so we would use 1 to 2 tablespoons of curry, depending upon how hot we liked it. My mom would use perhaps a teaspoon. She liked her curry dishes mild. That’s the beauty of this recipe; you prepare it according to your taste.

Actually, this recipe is a variation on the classic lamb stew, Caldo de Cordero, we prepared back in Harlem, and which is featured prominently in in the lamb section in my first cookbook: Puerto Rican Cuisine in America (Running Press). As noted, only difference is that we add curry to it.

To this day, we normally serve this dish with pasta or rice. As our circumstances and palate have grown, we paired it with other grains, such as couscous or quinoa. A couple of times we’ve paired it with kasha (whole wheat groats) and it still comes out good. You’re never limited by a good, delectable recipe.

Ingredients:

2 pounds lamb stew meat, cut into ½-inch chunks
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
½ cup olive oil (some prefer a mix of olive oil and butter)
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth, or more as needed
2 carrots, washed (do not peel), sliced about ½-inch thick or more

Instruction:

  1. Wash lamb under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Season lamb with salt and pepper.
  3. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
  4. Whisk in flour to form a thick paste. Cook and stir until golden in color, about 5 to 7 minutes.
  5. Whisk in chicken broth. Cook and stir until thickened, about 5 minutes more. If needed, add more broth to reach desired consistency,
  6. Add 2 tablespoon curry powder (or to taste). Stir to combine.
  7. Add lamb, cover, reduce heat and cook until lamb is tender, about 15-20 minutes. I’ve seen recipes where they say cook lamb for 1 hour or more. My experience has been that lamb cooks pretty fast if cut into ¼ to ½-inch cubes. You don’t need to cook it an hour or more. Just use common sense.
  8. Stir in carrots, cover and cook for 8 minutes more. Serve with lamb over favored grain or pasta.
    Yield: 6 servings or more