WHAT’S COOKING: Easy one-pot lamb chop curry and rice

In the freezer was a pack of six slim lamb loin chops. It was cold and grey out. They had to become a curry.

I confess to having been avoiding spices since my heart surgery of five weeks ago. Related issues have impacted my diet, nothing serious, but when it’s this cold sometimes you just need a good old curry.

So I kept it mild but flavourful. A gentle hand with the masala, but deft use of some spicy seeds to add some character.

I used my hefty buffet casserole dish for this. It makes for gentle, even cooking.

This dish needs a fair amount of water. For a curry, I usually use one part chopped tomatoes to one part water, but that’s when I’m cooking the rice separately. So, once the chops, onions and spices had been simmered together for a while, I added a can of chopped tomatoes to the dish, and a can of water using the same tin.

At this point I also added cubed potatoes and made sure they were submerged.

Once the curry had been simmering for about 45 minutes, I rinsed some basmati rice (four times, as is my habit, draining each time), and sprinkled it into the dish. It needs a quick stir to submerge the rice grains, and it needs more liquid. So I added a second can of water, stirred, and the contents of the buffet were on their way to become a one-pot curry.

Fifteen minutes before the curry was to be served, I added frozen peas, returned it to a simmer, and cooked for another quarter of an hour.

1 heaped Tbsp masala as hot or mild as you like (for a stronger, hotter curry add a second or third tablespoon)

In a suitable heavy cast-iron pot, on the stove top, add a little oil on a moderate heat.

Add the spices, stir, and leave them in the oil on the heat until the seeds start to pop. Now add the onion and garlic, stir, and simmer for 2 minutes.

Add the lamb chops and coat them in the contents of the pan.

Sprinkle in the masala and turn the chops over to coat them again. This distributes the spices for a better curry.

Add the can of chopped tomatoes and a can of cold water using the same tin. Season with salt, but not pepper.

Add the peeled and cubed potatoes, pushing them under the liquid.

Simmer for about 45 minutes, then add the (four-times) rinsed rice (and second can of water) and distribute it evenly. Continue cooking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes, then add the frozen peas.

The chill will cool down your curry immediately, so gently bring it back to a simmer and then let it cook gently for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Taste and decide whether the salting is to your liking, adjust if necessary, and serve garnished with choppe