Spicy Lamb with Saffron and Almonds Recipe (Badami Gosht)

Spicy Lamb with Saffron and Almonds Recipe (Badami Gosht)
This dish, flavored only with sweet spices and using no chili at all, will be popular with everyone, even children. A good introduction to spicy food. Ingredients :
1 X 1.5 kg 1/2 teaspoon 3 tablespoons 3 teaspoons 1 cup 2 tablespoons 2 tablespoons 1 6 6 1 4 cloves 2 teaspoons 2 teaspoons 2 tablespoons 1 tablespoon	Leg of lamb Saffron strands Boiling water Salt Yoghurt Ghee Oil Small stick cinnamon Cardamom pods, bruised Whole cloves Large onions, finely chopped Garlic, finely chopped Finely grated fresh ginger Ground cumin Ground almonds Chopped fresh mint
Method : Bone the lamb. Trim skin and excess fat from meat and cut into 5 cm cubes. Soak saffron strands in the boiling water until soft, about 10 minutes. Then press strands between fingers to diffuse as much color and fragrance as possible. Stir saffron and salt into the yoghurt in a large bowl. Add lamb and mix well. Cover and let stand at room temperature while preparing the rest of the ingredients. Heat ghee and oil in a heavy saucepan with a well-fitting lid. When hot add the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and fry over medium heat for a minute or two. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and continue frying and stirring until onion is soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add ground cumin and fry for a minute longer. Drain lamb from yoghurt marinade and add to the pan, turning pieces of lamb so that they come in contact with the heat on all sides. Add the marinade and ground almonds. Stir half cup water into any marinade and ground almonds. Stir half cup water into any marinade remaining in bowl and add to pan. Stir well, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 1 hour or until lamb is tender and gravy thick. Towards end of cooking stir with wooden spoon to ensure gravy does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with mint, replace lid for 5 minutes, then serve hot with rice.