Jamaican curried lamb with rice and peas

Jamaica's Sunday-best curry, made here with lamb, though goat (or mutton) is the traditional meat if your butcher has it. Slow-cooked with allspice, thyme and scotch bonnet until falling apart, and served with coconut rice and peas.

Ingredients

• 900 g Diced lamb, or goat or mutton, on the bone if you can
• 25 g Curry powder, a Jamaican blend if you can find it
• 3 g Ground allspice
• 2 g Dried thyme
• 0.4 Garlic, crushed
• 20 g Fresh ginger, grated
• 2 Onions, chopped
• 4 Spring onions, chopped
• 6 g Salt
• 2 g Black pepper
• 30 ml Vegetable oil
• 1 Fresh chillies, scotch bonnet, left whole
• 400 g Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 300 g Basmati rice, or long-grain rice
• 400 g Kidney beans, 1 tin, drained
• 400 ml Coconut milk
• 2 Spring onions, lightly crushed
• 1 g Dried thyme
• 1 g Ground allspice

Method

1. Rub the lamb with half the curry powder, the allspice, thyme, garlic, ginger, onions, spring onions, salt and pepper. Leave to marinate, or overnight in the fridge.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy casserole and fry the rest of the curry powder for a minute until it darkens and smells toasty. This is the Jamaican way of 'burning' the curry and it gives the sauce its depth.
3. Add the lamb and all its seasoning and stir over a high heat until sealed all over.
4. Pour in enough water to just cover, drop in the whole scotch bonnet (don't let it burst unless you want serious heat), cover and simmer gently, stirring now and then.
5. Add the potatoes and cook uncovered until they are soft and the lamb is falling apart. The potatoes will thicken the sauce. Lift out the scotch bonnet.
6. Meanwhile, put the kidney beans, coconut milk, 250ml water, spring onions, thyme, allspice and a good pinch of salt in a pan and bring to the boil. Stir in the rinsed rice, cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat until the liquid is absorbed.
7. Fluff up the rice and peas, take out the spring onions, and serve with the curried lamb.