It seems kind of unfair that Durban should enjoy warm weather AND hot food this winter. Durban is famous for its curries, and thanks to the generous chefs at The Oyster Box hotel in Umhlanga, you can spice up your winter with this mouthwatering lamb curry recipe!

But first, some quick fun facts…

  • The Durban Curry has a history that goes back over 150 years to the 1860s, when Indians were brought to Durban as labourers. The Indians brought along their curry spices from the provinces of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, but when these eventually ran out they were forced to adapt their recipes to spices that were readily available.
  • The British coined the term “curry” while ruling in India. All spicy sauce and gravy-based Indian dishes were classified as curry – a term adopted from Portuguese dishes “caril” or “carree”. The Portuguese in turn adapted these from the Indian words “karil” and “kari” which referred to seasonings and some sautéed dishes.
  • Durban has the largest population of Indians outside of India.
  • The Victoria Street Market is one of the best places to buy ingredients for a Durban Curry.
  • The Ocean Terrace restaurant at The Oyster Box serves a daily curry buffet with at least 11 curries, including meat, fish, and vegetarian options.

Ocean Terrace buffet

Let’s get cooking…

Ingredients

1 large onion, sliced into rings
1 sprig fresh curry leaves
Oil
15ml (1Tbsp) garlic and ginger paste
60ml (4Tbsp) mixed masala
2ml (½Tbsp) turmeric
2 medium-sized jam tomatoes
1kg deboned leg of lamb or stewing lamb, cubed
4-5 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and quartered
Fresh coriander leaves, chopped
Fresh loaf of white bread

Method

  1. Fry the onion and curry leaves in a little heated oil until the onion is soft.
  2. Stir in the garlic and ginger paste, masala, and turmeric.
  3. Add the tomatoes and braise for about 3 minutes.
  4. Add the meat, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
  5. Add the potatoes and about 60ml (¼ cup) water, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
  6. Add the chopped coriander leaves towards the end of the cooking time.
  7. Season with salt if necessary.
  8. Serve with rice and sambals* or fresh white bread.

*sambals are small side dishes of chopped peanuts, onion and tomato, grated coconut, fruit chutneys, and sliced bananas.

 

Go on, give this recipe a try and let us know how it turns out!

 

You may also like: Chilli poppers – the perfect winter starter recipe, the South African bunny chow recipe, and our blue cheese and chive mash recipe!

 

Images courtesy of The Oyster Box