This recipe is from Madhur Jaffrey’s “An Introduction to Indian Cooking,” 50th Anniversary Edition, 2023. Our Board member Kip Bergstrom, AKA “The Perishable Cook”, whose website can be found here: https://theperishablecook.com/, recently made this delicious dish using local Luna Bleu https://www.lunableufarm.org/ spinach. All ingredients were sourced right here at the Co-op. We hope that you give it a try to celebrate the local spinach that is on our shelves now.

Ingredients
3 pounds fresh spinach
3 medium-sized onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
A piece of fresh ginger, 2 inches long and 1 inch wide, peeled and coarsely chopped
7-8 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 fresh hot green chile, chopped (optional), or up to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 pounds boneless meat from shoulder of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes (or shank, neck or leg)
1 cinnamon stick, 2 inches long
7 whole cloves
7 whole cardamon pods
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 medium-sized canned tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon garam masala

Instructions
1. In a large pot, bring about 5 quarts of water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, trim and wash the fresh spinach thoroughly in cold water . Make sure you
get all the sand out.
3. Drop the spinach in the boiling water, a pound batch at a time, and let it boil till the
leaves wilt. As each batch wilts, scoop it out into a colander and run cold water over it.
When all the spinach is done, squeeze out most of the water and mince it. Keep aside in
a bowl.
4. Place the chopped onions, chopped ginger, garlic, green chili, and 5 tablespoons of
water in a blender and blend at high speed until you have a smooth paste (about 1
minute).
5. Heat the oil in a 5-quart heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Pat dry the cubes of
meat thoroughly on paper towels. Put 7 or 8 pieces at a time into the hot oil and brown
them on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
6. Put the cinnamon stick, clove, cardamom pods, and bay leaves in the same hot oil. Stir.
When the bay leaves begin to darken (10 to 20 seconds), add the paste from the blender
(keep face averted). Keep stirring and frying for 10 minutes until the mixture darkens (if
it sticks to the bottom, add a teaspoon of water at a time and keep frying).
7. Now lower the heat and continuing to stir and fry constantly, add at intervals first the
coriander, cumin and turmeric, 2 minutes later the chopped tomato, then about 5
minutes later the yogurt, and finally 2 minutes later the browned meat cubes. When the

meat and spices are well mixed, put in the spinach. Add salt, bring to a boil, then lower
the heat to allow the mixture to simmer gently for 50 minutes. (Most meat gives out
enough water to cook in its own juices, as it were. If you find that the meat is sticking,
you can add up to ½ cup of warm water). Stir occasionally as it cooks.
8. At the end of cooking time, uncover, increase heat, and cook rapidly until most of the
liquid evaporates, leaving a thick sauce. Put in the garam masala and stir gently, being
careful not to break meat pieces.

Kip’s Comment

This is an outstanding recipe from what is one of the best English language Indian cookbooks
ever written. I’ve thought a lot about what makes it so good, and I think it is the precise
sequence and intervals by which the ingredients are added, which allows them to keep their
distinct flavors while blending with the whole. It helps to have each ingredient ready to be
added right after you finish browning the meat cubes.