Friday night is usually a time people treat themselves to a takeaway in winter due to the cold weather, but you easily can cook the same dish at home with the right recipe.
Mary Berry’s Friday night curry is made with tender lamb, fresh tomatoes and lentils all cooked in the same pan, and is the perfect comfort dish to celebrate the start of the weekend.
This simple dish is the best homemade meal for anyone craving a curry as it is not only delicious but much cheaper and healthier than ordering out.
The recipe serves six people making it great for the whole family as it is guaranteed to be loved by both adults and children alike. Plus, only using one pan means you can save time on washing the dishes.
Mary Berry first shared this beloved dinner in her cookbook ‘Mary Makes It Easy’ and strongly advised the reader to serve it with basmati rice and poppadoms.
READ MORE: Jamie Oliver’s Friday night chicken kebabs are ‘easy’ and prep takes 15 minutes
Instructions
To begin, make the curry paste. Place the dates in a small bowl then pour over 75ml of boiling water over them. Leave to soak for 15 minutes until plump.
Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the dates and place them in a food processor. Add in three tablespoons of the soaking water from the small bowl and blend until smooth.
Finely grate the garlic cloves and chop up the red chilli pepper. Add the garlic, pepper, tomato puree, cumin, coriander and garam masala to the ingredients in the food processor. Blend once again until you have a thick curry paste.
Season the lamb chunks with salt and pepper then place a frying pan on the stove on a high heat. Add the lamb chunks and cook until fully cooked which you may have to do in batches. Cook for roughly around 10 to 15 minutes until the lamb is fully brown, then set aside for now.
Chop up the onions and tomatoes into slices. Add another two tablespoons of oil as well as the onions then cook for around four to five minutes. Once cooked, stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste and chicken stock, then bring to a boil.
Return the lamb to the pan and add the lentils. Give the curry mixture a good stir and reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering.
Place the lid on top of the pan and leave to simmer for one hour and 30 minutes.
Remove the lid and continue to simmer for 10 extra minutes until the lamb is tender and the sauce is rich and thickened.
Check the seasoning and then sprinkle coriander on top of the curry.
Your delicious Friday night curry is now ready to serve.
