Make sure your Halloween Night goes frighteningly well with fun costumes and fabulous food!  Try this wonderfully warming spicy lamb and pumpkin dish this Halloween, served in a carved pumpkin for a feel-good 'fright-factor', perfect after a long night of Trick or Treating....

Try this wonderfully spicy and hearty pumpkin dish to both perk you up and warm you up this Halloween Night....The lamb in this curry contains iron and Iron aids brain health. A deficiency of iron can lead to poor mental performance and even a lack of concentration! Keep alert this Halloween Night with this brain-boosting lamb curry...

A deliciously hearty curry dish, perfect for those cold, dark, wintry evenings. This North Indian dish is studded with tender pieces of lamb and has the added surprise of cubes of sweet pumpkin melting in a rich, spicy sauce.

 

Ingredients

4 Tbs Vegetable oil

1 lb. Lamb (shoulder meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes)

1 Cup Chopped Onion

3 Black or Green Cardamom pods

1 Tbs. fresh Ginger (peeled and grated)

2 tsp. minced Garlic

2 Tbs. ground Coriander

½ tsp. ground Turmeric

1 cup chopped Tomato

1 Tbs. Tomato paste

2 cups Chicken stock (or Water)

1 ½ tsp. Salt, (or instead, add salt to taste)

1 lb. Pumpkin or Butternut Squash, (peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces)

1 Tbs. Garam Masala

1/4 cup chopped fresh Coriander

 

Method:

 

1.      In a large, heavy, flameproof baking dish over high heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the oil. When hot, add a few pieces of the lamb and sear until they are lightly browned all over but not cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining lamb.

 

2.      Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the remaining 2 Tbs. oil to the baking dish. When hot, add the onion and cardamom and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in the ginger, garlic, ground coriander and turmeric.

 

3.      Return the lamb to the baking dish along with the tomato, tomato paste, stock and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the meat is tender when pierced with a fork, about 2 hours. Alternatively, place the covered baking dish in a preheated 350ºF oven for 2 ½ hours.

 

4.      About 20 minutes before the meat is done, stir in the pumpkin, cover and continue cooking until the lamb and pumpkin are tender and cooked through. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Transfer the curry to a warmed dish, taking care not to crush the pumpkin. Sprinkle with the garam masala and coriander and serve immediately.