Bengali Lamb Curry with Shatkura

A recipe for Bengali lamb curry with shatkura, pilau rice, rice flour roti, and a tomato and red onion salad for two. The shatkura is a citrus fruit which is often used to flavour Bengali or Bangladeshi recipes because of its sharp almost lemon like flavour. A great favourite as it marks out this type pf cuisine.

Fateha from Birmingham on Masterchef UK (series 20, Eps. 1 2024) did this as her opening dish and its worth repeating here from what I could see on the TV simply because of the combinations. It wont be hers exactly because I have no idea what spice combinations were used but the guys at our local Bangladeshi takeaway suggested these spices as typical. I didn’t realise that shatkura was added to almost all savoury dishes if a lemon differences was required. The roti can be substituted with a naan bread too because soaking up those lamb curry juices is something else. Add a lentil dal as a side dish – the three dal version looks superb.

Bengali Lamb Curry with Shatkura

Ingredients:

• 300g lamb, cut into cubes
• 1 shatkura (Bengali citrus fruit similar to lime), thinly sliced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 green chilies, slit
• 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons mustard oil (or any cooking oil)
• Fresh coriander leaves for garnish

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add chopped onions. Sauté until golden brown.
2. Add ginger-garlic paste and green chilies. Sauté for a minute.
3. Add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and red chili powder. Mix well.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they turn mushy.
5. Add the lamb cubes and salt. Cook until the lamb is browned on all sides.
6. Add enough water to cover the lamb and bring it to a boil. Then lower the heat, cover, and let it simmer until the lamb is tender.
7. Once the lamb is cooked, add the sliced shatkura and cook for another 5-7 minutes until the shatkura is tender.
8. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.

Pilau Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Basmati rice
• 1 ¾ cups water
• 1 tablespoon ghee or butter
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear.
2. Heat ghee or butter in a pan and add cumin seeds. Let them splutter.
3. Add the rinsed rice and sauté for a minute.
4. Add water and salt. Bring it to a boil.
5. Lower the heat, cover, and let it simmer until the rice is cooked and the water is absorbed.
6. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.

Rice Flour Roti

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice flour
• Warm water (as needed)
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, mix rice flour with salt.
2. Gradually add warm water and knead into a soft dough.
3. Divide the dough into equal-sized balls.
4. Roll each ball into a thin roti.
5. Heat a skillet over medium heat and cook each roti until golden brown spots appear on both sides.
6. Serve hot.

Tomato and Red Onion Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 tomato, thinly sliced
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• Fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• Thin slices of green chili (optional)
• Salt to taste
• Lime juice (optional)

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, combine tomato slices and red onion slices.
2. Season with salt and lime juice if using.
3. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and thin slices of green chili.
4. Toss well and serve as a refreshing side salad.

Revised version from ours of 7th May, 2021