Goan Lamb Xacutti - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 (4 -6 lb) leg of lamb
1 fresh coconut
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
6 garlic cloves, smashed
2 tablespoons chopped gingerroot
5 hot green chili peppers, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 onions, sliced
1 cup chopped tomato
1 tablespoon seedless tamarind paste
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Masala
30 dried hot red chili peppers, preferably Kashmiri
8 green cardamom pods
8 cloves
4 black cardamom pods
1 piece cassia or 1 cinnamon bark, 2-inch broken up
1/4 whole nutmeg, grated
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon white poppy seeds or 1 tablespoon peanuts
1 tablespoon fennel seed
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric powder
3/4 teaspoon ajwain or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon anise seed
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon mace
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

Preparation

Cut lamb into 1 1/2 inch cubes and place in non-aluminum bowl. In blender, puree lemon juice, garlic, ginger and hot green peppers. Mix with lamb; marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or refrigerate for 2 to 6 hours. Crack open coconut,discarding the liquid. Pry out coconut meat. Pare off brown out side layer; discard. Grate coconut. In dry skillet, toast coconut over medium heat, stirring often, until golden brown, about 12 minutes.
Masala:
In dry skillet, toast each spice separately over medium heat until fragrant and darkened in color. Transfer to spice grinder or blender along with toasted coconut; process until fine powder. Set aside.
In large shallow Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat; fry onions, stirring often, until goldenbrown, about 7 minutes. Stir in lamb and increase heat to high; fry. stirring, until liquid is mostly evaporated and oil begins to separate, about 12 minutes. Add masala; reduce heat to medium and fry, stirring until fragrant and oil is separated, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, tamarind, salt and 2 cups water.
Bring to simmer, reduce heat to medium- low and cook, partially covered and stirring often, until meat is tender and sauce is thick and clings to meat, about 1 1/2 hours.