Palak Meat (Meat in Spinach Gravy)

This is from Week 2 of my Indian cooking class - we had a weeks' break due to snow in Wellington, but we still get 6 classes, which is great.

Ingredients:
300-400g diced lamb
1 tsp cumin seeds

Coarsely grind the next three spices together:
2 green and 2 black cardamoms
4 cloves
2" stick of cinnamon (note - just a thin piece, not an entire curled up piece like you buy at the supermarket - break it up into pieces of bark)

1 bay leaf
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 tsp crushed ginger-garlic (one of each, or two of either one)
2 large chopped tomatoes or 4 Tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
salt to taste
300-500g frozen spinach
1 Tbsp cumin powder
1 Tbsp coriander powder

Method:
1. Cook spinach in ½ cup of water until well cooked.
2. Add a little salt to the spinach
3. Blend it or churn in food processor to make a thick paste (we used a stick blender). Keep it aside.
4. In a large saucepan, pour 3 Tbsp oil. When hot, add bay leaf and cumin seeds. Then add onions and saute until golden brown.
5. Add ginger-garlic and saute.
6. Add tomatoes and saute until the oil leaves the masala.
7. Add tumeric, chilli powder and salt.
8. Add meat and the coarsly ground cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon. Saute meat for 10 minutes until you see the oil separating from the meat.
9. Add 2½ cups of water and let the meat cook on a medium heat.
10. When the meat is well cooked, add the spinach puree and cumin/coriander powders and cook on a medium heat for about 10 minutes.

Serve with roti or rice.