Makes 4 servings
15 deseeded dried red chillies
3½tsp cayenne pepper
1tsp cumin seed
6 cloves
5 cm cinnamon stick
10 peppercorns
1 star anise
5 cm piece of ginger
6 garlic cloves
1tbsp tamarind pulp
5tsp cider vinegar
2 medium onions
700g diced lamb (or pork)
80ml oil
Grind the chillies, cayenne, cumin, cloves, peppercorns, and star anise to a fine powder. Puree the ginger, garlic and onions, then add to the spice mixture to make a paste.
Stir the paste into the meat and leave to marinade for as long as you can bear - half an hour minimum, up to 24 hours in the fridge if you can wait that long. The book I got this from said that the best thing to do was cook it a day in advance and keep it in the fridge, in which case you only need to marinade for half an hour as the meat will be sitting in the paste for a day anyway.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the meat, cooking on a high heat for five minutes and then reduce to a simmer and add a cup of water to make a sauce. Simmer until the meat is tender and serve with rice or roti.