When it is cold, rainy and wet, the body craves food that warms the soul. Some fragrant lamb curry spooned up with chunks of soft naan is just what is required to counter the effects of the weather.

Madras No. 4 Lamb Curry

The Ingredients

• 1 packet Madras Curry No. 4 whole spice blend
• 2 pounds leg of lamb (Trader Joe’s has boneless butterflied lamb leg, which is what I used)
• 1/2 medium onion
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• Fleur de Sel
• Pinch of sugar
• 4 Tablespoons plain yogurt

The Cooking

Trim and dice the lamb into 1 inch cubes. Grind the Madras Curry No. 4 with a mortar and pestle. Mix half of the freshly ground spices with the lamb and set aside. Next, chop the onion finely and sweat in two tablespoons of oil. Throw in a pinch of sugar – this will give the onions a beautiful brown color thanks to the magic of caramelization. When the onions have taken on a nice brown hue, pour in the remaining ground spices with a generous pinch of Fleur de Sel. Stir for a few minutes until the onions and spices are good friends.

Add the spice-coated lamb cubes into the onion mixture and stir well to sear the meat. Cover the pan, turn the heat down low and wait 10 minutes, which will allow the meat and spices to get well acquainted with the sauteed onions. Next, mix in four tablespoons of fresh yogurt, stir, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the lamb is tender.

Serve with hot naans. I used Trader Joe’s naans imported from India.

Yields 4-6 servings

Part of the fun of serving an Indian curry is having all the fun little condiments that go with it. Will it be a 3 or 5 (or more?) boy curry? Rumored to have been called a “boy” in reference to the servinf staff, each “boy” represents a condiment providing an additional note of flavor. And in this area things are pretty free form: it’s all about you and your tastes. You can add a little more fire with things like hot lime pickle, or cool the heat off with a bit of raita or plain cucumber. Add some sweet like with golden raisins or bananas, or a bit of salt with the addition of lightly salted nuts. Chez Spice Mogul, one of us tends to like the salty, savory accompaniments that add a bit more heat, while the other prefers the sweeter, fruit based additions. No arguments though: The great thing is everyone can tweak their dish their own way, without hassling the cook! Here are a few of the very simple condiments to a add to a traditional curry meal:

• Diced cucumber
• Banana slices
• Shredded coconut flakes (unsweetened)
• Golden raisins
• Raita (or plain yoghurt)
• Chopped hard boiled egg
• Chutney, such as Major Gray, mint or mango
• Indian pickles such as a lime pickle or radish pickle
• Cashew nuts
• Roasted chopped peanuts
• Diced tomatoes

The best way to envision your curry is like a canvas on which you get to paint a vivid picture of flavor, so do as we do chez Spice Mogul: experiment, have fun and report back. Serve them with all the “boys”, or serve only a few, but they are guaranteed to make a good meal into a really great one.

Ok, so chez Spice Mogul we are just a little obsessed with gin. Why, you may ask? It’s certainly not the most popular of spirits. People seem to lean much more to fancy schmancy vodkas when looking for a kick. The really great thing about gin is its amazing food friendly qualities. And we are not talking a bout delicacy and nuance here as with an aged Bordeaux or Burgundy, we’re talking strong flavors and some pretty intense palate cleansing capabilities. Heavily seasoned dishes like a Madras Curry or our Bangkok Curry recipe cry out for a beverage that can keep up and not be over powered. Let’s face it, it’s hard to compliment a highly seasoned and highly spiced dish, but something needs to get in there to compliment the flavors , cleanse your palate and keep you going back for another bite. Enter the gin martini. Its cool, crisp blend of juniper and other botanicals compliments everything from Indian curries to steaks and iceberg lettuce salads (with blue cheese dressing of course).

So next time you enjoy a full flavored, spicy dish, instead of reaching for a beer or glass of Reisling, shake yourself a nice dry martini instead and enjoy an even bigger party in your mouth.