Lamb In Hot Coconut Sauce (Kolhapuri Rassa) (India)

Recipe Instructions Preparation Time: 40 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes PREPARATION: 1. Mix the marinade ingredients and add the lamb. Stir well and reserve for 30 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy pan and add the whole spices. Saute for a minute and add the onion. Saute until pale and golden and add the coconut. Saute well until brown. Add the tomato, stir and take off the heat.

Cool this mixture and grind to a coarse paste in a food processor.

Heat the remaining oil in another heavy pan. Remove the lamb from the marinade and saute until brown. Add the marinade and a little water, cover and cook until nearly done.

Add the ground paste and simmer for 5 minutes. Check the salt and remove from the heat.

Serve very hot with plain boiled rice or rotis. NOTE: This recipe comes from the north which grows cassia as well as a special variety of carrot that is almost wine-colored and full of flavor. If you do manage to get deep-colored carrots for this recipe, so much the better. Carolyn's Note: If you are interested in Indian herbs and spices I highly recommend "The Indian Spice Kitchen, by Monisha Bharadwaj, Dutton Publishing, ISBN 0-525-94343-9, 1997, $29.95. It is organized by individual spices, herbs, spice mixtures, etc., tells how each grows, the appearance and taste, buying and storing; medicinal and other uses, and culinary uses with recipes. It is fully illustrated with color photos including a photo of each of the highlighted ingredients (so you know what you are looking for). I have included several recipes from the book to give you the flavor and variety found in the book. Of the 20 some Indian cookbooks I own, I find it to be the most useful and the most comprehensive.