Lamb tagine recipe

This lamb tagine uses a classic spice mix to create a beautifully aromatic dish you’ll want to cook again and again. As well as giving food a flavour explosion, spices are great for your health. According to Ayurvedic medicine (an ancient belief system in Hinduism), spices are used to affect the balance of the digestive system, and some can even have antiseptic or healing qualities.

For the sweet touch, we’ve used raisins and apricots in this recipe, but you can try experimenting with different types of dried fruits to really make this dish your own creation.

Ingredients (serves 4)

2tbsp olive oil

2 onions, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2tsp sweet paprika

2tsp ground ginger

1tsp ground coriander

1tsp ground cumin

1tsp turmeric

½tsp ground allspice

½tsp cayenne pepper

Pinch of saffron

2 cinnamon sticks

900g lamb shoulder, trimmed of as much fat as possible and diced into 3–4cm pieces

400g tin tomatoes

1tbsp honey

1 handful of raisins (about 30g)

100g dried apricots

25g flaked almonds

300ml water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

125g cooked chickpeas (tinned are fine), drained and rinsed

To serve:

Chopped fresh parsley

Method

Heat the oil in a wide saucepan that has a lid and cook the onions gently for 10–15 minutes until soft and starting to brown. Then add the garlic and all the spices – including the cinnamon sticks – and continue to cook for a couple of minutes to let the spices release all their great flavours.

Next throw in the lamb pieces and cook for five to eight minutes until all the meat has sealed and the spices have begun to work their way into the flesh.

Add the tomatoes, honey, raisins, apricots, almonds and water. Grind over a generous helping of black pepper and a few good pinches of salt and stir everything together. Cover with the lid but allow a little steam to escape. Cook gently on the hob for one and a half hours.

Add the chickpeas and continue cooking, still allowing some steam to escape, for another 30 minutes. Test for seasoning and adjust if you think it needs it. The stew should be lovely and thick, so if it’s not quite there yet, remove the lid completely and cook for a little longer.

Serve with bulgur wheat or couscous and sprinkle with chopped parsley.