Lamb pasanda is made out of an excellent quality cut of meat, which makes it a sumptuous dish. It is a soft, creamy curry that is further smoothed by the pre-cooking tenderisation of the lamb. For a normal lamb pasanda, leave out the almonds; putting them in makes this a badam lamb pasanda.

The ingredients you will need are:

450 grams of lamb (sirloin or fillet).
1 large onion.
3 cloves of garlic.
Salt.
1 teaspoon of coriander seeds.
1 inch of root ginger.
2 or 3 tablespoons of plain yoghurt.
A quarter of a pint of fresh single cream.
2 tablespoons of blanched almonds.
1 medium-strength green chilli.
A handful of fresh coriander.
1 teaspoon of amchoor.
Half a teaspoon of cumin seeds.
Half a teaspoon of grated nutmeg.
A quarter of a teaspoon of turmeric.
Half a teaspoon of chilli powder.
Paprika.
Oil, ghee, or unsalted butter.
1 teaspoon of garam masala.

Pound the lamb with the end of a rolling pin or, if you have one, a steak mallet. Cut it into strips about half an inch wide and thick, and about an inch and a half long, and put the meat in a bowl with about half a teaspoon of salt, the chilli powder and the amchoor. Set this bowl aside for about four hours for the flavours to soak into the meat.

Peel the fresh chilli, garlic and ginger before putting them all into a blender with the yoghurt and blending them together.

Roast the coriander and cumin seeds in a dry frying pan, allow them to cool, and then grind them to a fine powder. Also grind the almonds.

Heat the oil, ghee or butter in a heavy-bottomed pan while you mince the onion, then gently fry it until it has softened. Before it begins to brown, add coriander, cumin, turmeric and nutmeg and turn the heat down to allow them to fry gently for a few minutes.

After turning the heat back up, add the meat to the pan and fry it until it changes colour.

Add the yoghurt mixture slowly, stirring between additions so it becomes incorporated into the pan, then cook for about five minutes before adding a quarter of a pint of water. Stir well, turn the heat down to a very low setting, and allow the whole to simmer for about an hour.

Then, add the cream, the almonds and the garam masala before stirring well and allowing to cook for a further five minutes.

When you are ready to serve your curry, sprinkle on some paprika and garnish the dish with fresh coriander leaves.