Lamb and Vegetable Curry

1# well trimmed lamb

1T coconut oil

2 big carrots - chopped

1-1½c chopped celery

1 lg. white onion

2 lg. garlic cloves - sliced

1 sm.-med. piece of ginger

1T coconut oil

1 15oz. can diced tomatoes

¼c chunky peanut butter

1 lg. sweet potato

1T curry powder*

1T sugar

8oz. coconut milk

Saute' the lamb until nicely browned.  Water and coconut oil should be absorbed-evaporated at this point.  In a 3 quart pot, saute' the next group of ingredients until their scents are released.  Add a little water, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes.  Put the next group of ingredients in the pot, add the meat, cover and simmer 45 minutes.  Check for flavor and poke the carrots to see if they're done the way you like.  Pour the coconut milk in, stir and bring back to a low bubble.  Serve now, or chill and serve later to bring out all the flavors.  Mmmm Curry!!

*Indian curry is a deep love, and an endless fascination for me.  In times past, and possibly carried through to the present, families in India created their own blend of spices, pleasing to their family.  It became their very own signature blend.  The recipes were passed down from generation to generation and often guarded, with exact ingredients and their proportions a secret!

I first dabbled in curry after the wonderful discovery of cans of AROY-D Curry in an Asian market.  They make red, yellow and green curry sauce to be simmered, combined with meat and vegetables.  The red is heavenly!  I can no longer find this online and I'm not close to any ethnic markets where it's usually sold.  I do have the AROY-D brand of curry paste, sold in tubs.  I have the red, green and yellow-massaman.  There are also wonderful little glass jars of Thai curry paste, found in the Asian section of the ethnic aisle.  Start cautiously with these, the pastes tend to be very spicy.  I also have many containers of curry powders I've found in the ethnic aisles of grocery and specialty spice stores.  The one I used here is one of my favorites.  It's mild-medium and has wonderful flavors.  I just counted - I currently have 17 different curry products, pastes and powders, in my kitchen!

Curry! 🥘 Try it!  Be Bold - Be Creative. . .Happy Cooking! . . . Lin