Makai Ka Soweta is a lamb and sweetcorn curry from the Rajasthan region in India.
Peanut butter and chocolate. Ham and cheese. Cinnamon and Apple. Cranberry and Camembert. Smoked salmon and cream cheese. Lamb and corn. Hang on. What?
Chances are you read through the paragraph above and it made sense like a sheet of well-composed music until it shockingly hit a wrong note at the end. The flavour combination of lamb and corn isn't an obvious one, yet when I tasted it it just worked. Tender lamb with warming spices accompanied with the sweet crunch of sweetcorn ending with a tangy note thanks to the yogurt and lemon juice used in the recipe. This unique recipe came about aptly from an arid part of the world, Rajasthan. Corn helps water retention in the body and yogurt also cools the body in this hot climate.
A special thanks to head chef at Cinnamon Club, Rakesh Nair, who demonstrated three recipes (this one, Butter Chicken and Brinjal Bhaji) to me in the restaurant's brand spanking new kitchen.
For those of you who simply can't get enough of Indian food and who would like to learn more about the cuisine, masterclasses are held at Cinnamon Kitchen. Each time the theme is different and changes with the season. It's the perfect gift to that special someone in your life!
Cook More Indian Food At Home
- The Curry Secret: How to Cook Real Indian Restaurant Meals at Home
- The New Curry Secret
- How To Make British Indian Restaurant (BIR) Style Meals
- Rick Stein's India
📖 Recipe
Makai Ka Soweta
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 lamb shoulder, boned, trimmed off excess fat and cut into 1 inch dices
- 100g (4oz) ghee or clarified butter
- 12 cloves
- 4 black cardamom pods
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 white onions, finely chopped
- 6 green chillies, split lengthwise
- 5ml (1 tsp) ground turmeric
- 5ml (1 tsp) ground cumin
- 5ml (1 tsp) ground coriander
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 200g (7oz) sweet corn [frozen or canned is fine]
- 250ml (1 cup) plain yogurt
- 250ml (½ cup) lamb stock or water
- 6 cm (2 ½ inch) piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 50g (2oz) chopped fresh coriander
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Heat the ghee in a heavy-based pan and add the cloves, cardamom and bay leaf.
- When they start to crackle, add the onions and cook on a medium heat until golden.
- Add the chillies, turmeric, ground cumin, coriander and salt and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the garlic paste and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add the lamb and cook for 4-5 minutes, until lightly browned, then add three-quarters of the corn and all the yogurt.
- Keep stirring until the yoghurt has been incorporated thoroughly or else it will split and make the curry grainy.
- Once yoghurt has incorporated and comes to a boil again, add the water and cook gently for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the corn is nearly mashed and the sauce begins to thicken.
- Add the ginger, coriander and the remaining corn kernels, add a little more lamb stock or water if required and reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Check seasoning and squeeze in the lemon juice.
- Serve hot with pilau rice or bread.
Notes
- I would recommend bay leaves for this recipe, but if you would prefer to not use them, feel free to experiment with any of these bay leaf substitutes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Pan Fry
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Calories: 497
- Sugar: Sugars
- Sodium: 1275 mg
- Fat: 38.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.7 g
- Fiber: Dietary Fiber
- Protein: 27 g
- Cholesterol: 101 mg
Renil M. George
Ahh Indian dish. Always my favorite. <3
★★★★★