Serves
9
Prep
1 hour marinating
Cook
Approx 1 hr 10 minutes (10 mins at pressure)
Ingredients
250g dried chickpeas1 kg diced lamb (such as shoulder)1 tbs ground cinnamon1 tbs ground coriander1 tbs ground cumin1 tbs ground ginger1 tsp ground turmeric2 tsp paprika1 tsp chilli powder1 tbs vegetable oil2 onions sliced3 cloves garlic finely chopped1 x 400g tin or carton chopped tomatoes300ml lamb or vegetable stock100g dried apricots halved or roughly chopped1 lemon zest and juice1 tbs chopped fresh parsley1 tbs chopped fresh corianderTo serve: Steamed green beansCous cous2 tbs pomegranate seedsHandful whole almonds choppedNatural yogurt
Instructions
- Place the lamb and all the ground spices into a large bowl and mix really well to coat all the meat. Cover and set aside to marinate for an hour
- While the lamb is marinating, part-cook the chickpeas. Rinse the chickpeas and drain then plce in the pressure cooker with 1 tsp sea salt and half fill the cooker with cold water. Add 1 tbs vegetable oil. Place on the lid, lock into place and bring up to pressure. As soon as pressure is reached (the indicator will pop up), reduce the heat to the minimum to maintain pressure and time for 25 minutes. When the time is up, turn off the heat and allow the pressure to drop naturally. See instruction booklet for details
- Drain the chickpeas, discarding the cooking liquid, and wash the pan. The chickpeas will be cooked for longer with the meat and are not safe to eat yet
- Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in the pressure cooker and fry the onion for 3-4 minutes then add the garlic and fry gently for a further minute. Add the marinated lamb and fry for a minute or two. Add the tomatoes and pour over the stock
- Put on the lid, lock in place and select the highest pressure setting. Bring up to pressure and as soon as pressure is reached (the indicator will pop up), reduce the heat to the minimum to maintain pressure and time for 15 minutes. When the time is up, turn the valve to steam release and fast release the pressure. See instruction booklet for details
- Open the lid and stir in the chickpeas and apricots. Return to high pressure and time for a further 15 minutes. Allow the pressure to drop naturally
- Stir in the lemon juice and simmer without the lid for a few minutes to reduce the sauce slightly if required
- Prepare the cous cous according to the pack instruction then stir through the almonds and pomegranate seeds. Scatter the parsley, coriander and lemon zest over the lamb and serve with the cous cous, green beans and a bowl of yogurt to dollop on top.
Dried pulses are much cheaper and have a nice texture but take a long time to cook conventionally. Using the pressure cooker is much faster – you don’t need to soak the chickpeas overnight plus the lamb is tender, moist and full of flavour. It also means your tagine can be ready in less than half the time it would normally take!
