This a versatile dish and I use it as a main in itself but it can also be used as a filling for samosas, spicy lamb pastry tortellinis, or my keema bread. You can alter the amount of sauce in the final curry to suit the final use of the dish.

If you have some of the curry paste I previously shown then this really doesn’t take much time at all to make.

Again, I have to extoll the virtues of my excellent local butchers Bashford and sons they minced the meat from pieces while I waited. You can’t ask for better than that and I know I never need to worry about horse (or anything else) making it’s way into my food. If you are lucky enough to find a local butcher do try and support them – the rewards are well worth it.

Ingredients

1 portion of homemade curry paste (aprox 150g)

400g minced lamb (or, as I prefer, 200g minced lamb and 200g minced pork)

2 peeled and diced larger carrots (aprox 130g)

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 8ths (aprox 200g)

1 packet of spinach (aprox 260g) washed and chopped.

handful of fresh chopped coriander

Method

If your paste is frozen, gently defrost it in the microwave using either the defrost or low power setting and keep checking and stirring it up.

Put the diced carrots and the potatoes in a pot of boiling water and simmer them away until the potatoes are tender and split easily with a fork. Careful not to take them too far or they will turn to mash in your curry sauce. Remove from the water and drain in a colander but reserve the water.

Fry the mince meat in batches in a dry pan to brown it. Season it with some salt as you fry each batch. When it’s browned, remove it with a sieved spoon to a bowl and set it aside. There’s no need to add any oil to the pan, as quite a lot of fat will come out of the mince meat as you brown it. This fat can be drained off after you have finished frying all the meat….. or…. you can just leave it in and cook the rest of the curry in that fat which will make it taste even better (but a bit higher in calories and cholesterol!).

In to the pan you’ve just fried the meat in, add the curry paste and heat it gently until simmering and add some of the reserved starchy potato water (about a ladle full). Next, add back the fried mince and stir it in well to coat all the meat. add the drained potatoes and the carrots and stir it all in. Add more of the water until it’s as saucy as you like it. Allow to simmer down for 5 minutes to thicken a little and just before you remove it from the heat, stir in the chopped spinach leaves. Add the coriander, stir in and serve.

It has a tendency to thicken as it cools in the fridge – which is perfect if you plan to use it to make the lamb pastry tortellinis, or my keema bread.