I got the inspiration for this dish after tasting my buddy Noopur’s bright and fresh-tasting curried mutton the other day. She’s a fellow CrossFitting foodie who obsesses about what’s she’s going to eat all the time – just like me. Noopur told me the secret to her recipe is to use lots of lemon juice and chopped cilantro. Here’s a simplified (and bastardized) American version of her phenomenal recipe.
Ingredients (Serves 2-3 people)
For the lamb
- 2.5 pounds pastured lamb spare ribs
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tablespoons curry powder (I use Maharajah Style Curry Powder)
For the sauce
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- ½ pound ripe tomatoes
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon curry powder (I use Maharajah Style Curry Powder)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- juice from 1 lemon
- 1 ¼ cup chopped cilantro, divided
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
Toss the spare ribs with 2 teaspoons salt…
…and 1 tablespoon curry powder.
Use your hands to thoroughly coat the ribs.
Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of four hours and up to a day.
When you’re ready to cook off the ribs, melt the coconut oil over medium heat in a 6-qt pressure cooker.
Brown the spare ribs in two batches…
…and remove them to a plate when they’re done.
While the ribs are sizzling, grab the onion and tomatoes…
…throw them in a blender…
…and blitz until smooth.
Once the spare ribs are seared…
…add the minced garlic to the empty pot off the heat.
I take the pot off the heat so the garlic doesn’t burn – that’ll add a yucky metallic taste and it’ll ruin your curry.
Stir the garlic until fragrant (30 seconds) before adding the tomato and onion puree.
Put the pot back on a burner set at medium heat.
Add curry powder, salt, 1 cup chopped cilantro, and lemon juice.
Bring to a boil…
…and add the lamb back in.
Mix the spareribs to coat with curry sauce.
Lock on the pressure cooker lid and increase heat to high to bring up to high pressure. Once high pressure is reached, decrease the heat to low to maintain high pressure for 20 minutes.
Let the pressure release naturally (10-15 minutes).
Scoop the grease off the top and discard. Taste and adjust for seasoning and stir in scallions and ¼ cup chopped cilantro.
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013) and Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017)!
