(Gluten Free, Dairy Free | Whole30 & Paleo-Friendly) Summer is saying goodbye. As sad as it is to see the sunny, blue-sky days of summer go, I do have a sweet spot for autumn. Not only is it my birthday season, but it also is filled with chunky sweaters, pumpkin spice and comfort food. Three of my favourite things! This curry is the perfect comfort food: flavourful, filling and fantastic. I especially liked changing things up a bit with the lamb, but if you’re more of a beef person, just switch out the lamb for beef. If you’d like to make this a meat-free dish, just skip the meat and substitute with lentils (or another favourite source of protein)–most of the flavour comes from the amazing spice mix so you won’t miss much!

Ingredients for Lamb Curry

• 1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
• 2 onions, halved and finely sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• A thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger, grated
• 500g (1 lb) stewing lamb, cubed (I used lamb steak and cubed it)
• 1 tin of full-fat coconut milk
• 500ml water or vegetable broth
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 2 courgettes, diced
• 1 red pepper, roughly diced
• Juice of 1 lemon or lime
• 2 large handfuls fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Ingredients for Sri Lankan Spice Mix

• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground coriander (cilantro)
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• ¼ tsp chilli powder or fresh chilli, to taste
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp ground cardamom

Directions

1. Heat the ghee or coconut oil in a large casserole dish over low heat and gently fry the onion, garlic, ginger and all the spices for the Sri Lankan spice mix for 10 minutes until soft.
2. Add the cubed lamb, coconut milk and water (or vegetable broth), then turn the heat up and leave to simmer for 2-3 hours until the lamb is tender.
3. Add the carrot and turn up the heat to a medium simmer. After 8 minutes, add the courgette and red pepper.
4. After another 8 minutes, check all the veg is tender and season, if needed. Squeeze in some lemon or limejuice to taste and add half of the fresh coriander.
5. Serve each bowl with more fresh coriander on top.

Tip: Serve with cauliflower rice (recipe below!).

Cauliflower Rice Ingredients

• 1 cauliflower
• 1 tsp ghee or coconut oil
• 2 tbsp water
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Cauliflower Rice Directions

1. Remove the cauliflower leaves and the tough end of the stalk. Use a food processor or the coarse teeth on a grater to grate the cauliflower into rice-sized pieces.
2. Add the ghee or coconut oil to a pan with the grated cauliflower and the water. Stir to mix.
3. Cook over medium heat, lid on, to let the grated cauliflower steam for 4-6 minutes until tender. After a few minutes, check to make sure that there is still enough water on the bottom of the pan to stop it catching. Once the cauliflower is tender, season to taste and serve.

Source | Hemsley Hemsley, ‘The Art of Eating Well’