Bengali Lamb Curry with Shatkora
When 41-year-old IT teacher Fateha Khanom stepped into the MasterChef UK tent in 2024 for the show's landmark 20th series, she carried with her decades of culinary memory and a deeply personal mission. A British-born Bangladeshi from Birmingham, Fateha's father had run an Indian restaurant in Wolverhampton for over 25 years—yet at home, the family ate something entirely different: the authentic Bengali dishes of their heritage. 'I always wondered why my father cooked Indian dishes at his restaurant and not our Bengali dishes, which are totally different in terms of flavours and use a range of fruits and vegetables unique to Bangladesh,' Fateha explained. Her signature dish—lamb curry with shatkora—was a tribute to her late father, who passed away in 2011. John Torode praised the dish: 'The spicing of the lamb's great. The lamb's still quite moist, which is good. Like the shatkora. That's nice and sharp. Your breads, I think, are fantastic.' Gregg Wallace added: 'I'm impressed by the a…
Source: Relaxed Recipes
Ingredients
- PREPARE THE SHATKORA
- If using frozen shatkora, defrost in cold water for 1 hour. Cut the shatkora int
- BUILD THE FLAVOR BASE
- In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat until
- Add the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, black cardamom, green cardamom pods, cloves,
- Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequ
- Stir in the minced garlic, ginger, and green chillies. Cook for 2 minutes until
- ADD THE LAMB AND SPICES
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, and Kashmiri chil
- Increase heat to medium-high. Add the lamb pieces and salt, stirring to coat tho
- Pour in 1½ cups of water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the po
- SLOW COOK TO TENDERNESS
- Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for
- After 1 hour, the lamb should be becoming tender. If the liquid has reduced sign
- Stir in the prepared shatkora pieces. The citrus needs time to cook down and inf
- FINISH THE CURRY
- After 30 minutes with the shatkora, check the lamb—it should be fork-tender and
- Remove from heat. Stir in the finishing garam masala and most of the fresh cilan
- Let the curry rest, covered, for 10 minutes. This allows the flavors to meld and
- Transfer to a warm serving dish and scatter with remaining fresh cilantro. Serve