Nadiya Hussain’s Slow-Cooked Lamb Daleem
Warm and rich with spices, Nadiya's slow-cooked lamb stew is one for cold evenings. Serve with fresh ginger, chillies, and a squeeze of lemon.
From the book
Nadiya’s Everyday Baking
95 simple and delicious new recipes as featured in the BBC2 TV show
Moving beyond cookies and cakes, with great baking recipes for every type of day, meal, and occasion
Fun flavour twists offer new takes on classic recipes
Introduction
Daleem is a slow-cooked hearty stew with everything that you can think of that is good for you. It’s filling and it’s warming – it’s quite literally a hug in a bowl. I remember eating it during monsoon season in Bangladesh. I was travelling with my uncle back from my aunt’s, which was a boat trip, a bus ride and a 4-mile walk away. We got caught out in the rain and I’m so glad we did, as we sheltered in a badly lantern-lit stall that sold just one thing: daleem! A massive vat was surrounded by customers, all taking away dried banana leaf plates filled generously to the brim and served with soft bread. It’s a taste memory that will stay with me for ever. So, I have created my own version for us to enjoy. We may not get monsoons, but we know a thing or two about miserable weather.
Ingredients
| 200g | porridge oats |
| 200ml | olive oil |
| 2 | large cinnamon sticks |
| 3 | bay leaves |
| 1 tbsp | cumin seeds |
| 3 | large onions, finely diced |
| 2 tbsp | salt |
| 190g jar of | chopped garlic |
| 180g jar of | chopped ginger |
| 2 tbsp | garam masala |
| ½ tsp | ground turmeric |
| 1 tbsp | chilli powder |
| 2 tbsp | ground coriander |
| 400g tin of | green lentils, drained |
| 1kg | lamb, diced |
| 1.5l | water |
| To serve: | |
|---|---|
| fresh ginger, cut into thin sticks | |
| chopped green chillies | |
| lemon wedges |
Essential kit
You will need: a large flameproof casserole dish with a lid.
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas mark 6.
Pop a large frying pan onto a high heat and add the oats straight in. Stir the oats till they are a lovely golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
Take a large flameproof casserole dish, one that has a lid, and put on a medium heat. Add the oil and as soon as it is hot, add the cinnamon, bay and cumin seeds. As soon as the spices start to sizzle and you can smell them, add the onion and salt and mix till the onion has just a tiny bit of colour.
Now add the garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, chilli, ground coriander, lentils and lamb. Mix it all through well and top off with 1.5 litres of water. Add the toasted oats, which will really thicken the sauce and give a toasted flavour. Pop the lid on and bake for 2 hours. Check the curry, give it a good stir and add a little more water, if necessary. Return to the oven for a further hour.
Have all your serving bits ready: ginger sliced, chillies chopped and wedges of lemon. Take the daleem out of the oven. It should be cooked till totally broken down. Some people like to blend this mixture, but I much prefer it to stay exactly as it is, with lots of texture.
Serve yourself a bowl. Sprinkle over the ginger, chilli and a good squeeze of lemon. You can even serve it with soft pillowy bread like I first had it.
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