Spinach Lamb Keema

Sometimes a good hearty non-veg curry is all you need on a Sunday! Just like Sunday roasts are a traditional in British culture, a good curry is the equivalent in Indian culture. Growing up I'd always look forward to Sunday lunch as I knew we would be having either chicken, prawn, lamb or fish curry, usually accompanied with rice and naan - the full works!

Lamb is my favourite meat to work with, purely because of how juicy it is! It retains flavour so well and isn't so dry that you need to douse it in tonnes of tomato soup. However, I'm not a huge fan of the meaty taste, so to counteract that I use two special ingredients that balance it out and give it extra juiciness and taste:

AUBERGINE

Is there anything this vegetable can't do?! Because of the very subtle almost flavourless taste, it is a great base for any non-veg curry sauce as it soaks up the water and spices and thickens it, leaving a beautiful aromatic consistency. It works best when it has been blitz in a chopper to form 'mince'.

SPINACH

Not only is this a great addition simply because of the vitamin and mineral content that is great for your health, the bitter taste of it pairs perfectly with the taste of lamb to counteract it, giving a delicious hint of a leafy taste! Again, this works best if it is blitz in a chopper, however finely chopped also works.

Enjoy this mouth watering dish with some rice, naan/chapati (or both!). If you're counting your carbs you can pair with my Healthy Flatbread Rotis (pictured) which are lower in calories and higher in carbs than normal rotis!

TOP TIPS:

Only use passata as your tomato sauce as chopped and plum tomatoes give out more water which in turn waters down the taste of the dish.

Always allow this to cook on a constant slow heat. I know this takes longer, however simmering the dish will allow the flavours to infuse better and the sauce will also produce less water - much like cooking in a slow cooker.

INGREDIENTS (serves 3-4):

• 500g 10% fat lamb mince (you can use one with higher fat content if you desire, however this is mean less protein overall)

• 100g spinach - blitz in a chopper or finely chopped by hand

• 1 small red onion - blitz in a chopper or finely chopped by hand

• 1/2 aubergine - blitz in a chopper or finely chopped by hand

• 1/2 - 3/4 cup passata

• 1 tbsp garlic - minced or finely chopped

• 3/4 tbsp ginger - minced or finely chopped

• 1/2 - 3/4 tbsp green chilli - minced or finely chopped (put in more if you like it spicy)

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp coriander cumin powder

• 1/4 tsp garam masala

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 3 whole cloves

• 1 tsp rapeseed oil

• freshly chopped coriander for garnish

METHOD:

1. Heat the oil on high heat in a large pan. Add in the cinnamon stick and cloves and allow to darken slightly. Add onions and sizzle for 30 seconds on high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover to sautee for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking.

2. Add in ginger, garlic, chilli and sizzle for 30 seconds. Sprinkle in salt, turmeric, and coriander cumin powder then mix. Add in aubergine and stir until everything is mixed well. Cover and allow to cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Place in the lamb mince, using your spoon to break it up as much as possible whilst simultaneously combining in with the masala mix. Once fully combined, cover to allow the lamb to cook thoroughly - about 10 minutes. Stir every now and then to avoid sticking.

4. Once the lamb has fully cooked through, drop in the spinach and mix well until it has wilted. Pour in the passata (if you want it saucier use 3/4 cup, otherwise 1/2 cup should do). Stir until combined then cover and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you feel like the curry is becoming too thick, add a little more passata and/or a splash of boiling water until you achieve your desired consistency - it should be thick but runny enough that 'pours'.

5. Stir in the garam masala and freshly chopped coriander before serving. Garnish with more coriander if desired.

NUTRITIONAL INFO - Per serving (based on the above producing 4 servings):

271 kcal

9.8g carbs

13.2g fat (6.1g saturated)

27.7g protein

5.1g sugar