Lamb with prunes, chilli, coriander and spice mix

Method

1. Cut the lamb into 5cm pieces, trimming away any fat. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Place a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. When it is really hot (starting to smoke), brown the lamb in small batches (to avoid overcrowding the pan). Turn the meat to colour on all sides but don’t fiddle with it any more than you need to. As each piece is ready, remove it from the pan and set aside on a plate, while you brown the rest. Wash the coriander, separate the leaves and set aside for garnishing if you like, then finely chop the root and stems.
2. Once all the meat is browned and put aside, pour off excess fat from the pan, lower the heat slightly and add the onions. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or so, until they have begun to soften. Add the ginger, tamarind water, garlic, chillies, spice mix and chopped coriander root and stems. Cook, stirring, for a further 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, increase the heat a little and bring to the boil. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves and cinnamon and bring back to the boil.
3. Put the meat back into the pan, cover with the lid and turn the heat down to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. After this time, the meat should be almost tender and your base note flavours in place. To balance the flavours, you now need to add the tamari (for salt, depth and colour), maple syrup (for sweetness), prunes (for texture) and lime juice to balance the earthy tones of the spices. Stir well, turn the heat up very slightly and cook for another 30 minutes.
4. Before serving, check the seasoning and scatter over some roughly torn coriander leaves if you like.