Step 1

Melt half the ghee over a medium heat and fry the onion, ginger, garlic, green and red chillies until the onions are just soft, 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Step 2

Put the yoghurt into an electric blender or food processor, add the onion mixture and blend to a puree. Keep aside.

Step 3

Heat the remaining ghee or butter over a low heat (do not overheat ghee) and add the black cumin seeds, followed by the spice mixture and the ground poppy seeds. Stir and fry for 1 minute.

Step 4

Add the meat, adjust heat to medium high, stir and fry until meat changes colour, 4-5 minutes. Cover the pan and let the meat cook in its own juice for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally during this time.

Step 5

Add the blended ingredients and mix thoroughly. Rinse out blender container with 175ml of warm water and add this to the meat. Stir with the salt and bring the liquid to the boil, cover the pan and simmer until the meat is tender. Stir occasionally during the first half of the cooking time, but more frequently towards the end to ensure that the thickened sauce does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Step 6

Stir in the ground almonds and half the coriander leaves, cook uncovered for 2-3 minutes.

Step 7

Remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon juice, mix well. Garnish with the remaining coriander leaves and sprinkle the crushed pistachio nuts on top. Serve with rice and aubergine raita.