Narciso’s Lamb Xacuti

Grandad’s Xacuti was legendary—a masterpiece no one ever quite managed to duplicate, despite his best efforts to share the secret. Even when I stood right beside him, meticulously recording every pinch, dash, and handful as he cooked, my own attempt fell just short of his magic. While I’ve written down his official recipe here, anyone who ever sat at Narciso’s table knows the true secret remains an ongoing quest. If you manage to crack the code and find that missing piece, be sure to let us know!

Ingredients.

1.5 - 2kg Lamb

Xacuti Spice Masala

Dry Ingredients

30 red chillies

3 tbsp coriander seeds

1 level tbsp meth seeds

1 level tbsp sesame seeds

1 level tbsp dried mace

2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

12 green cardamons

5-6 black cardamons

2 tsp black mustard seeds 

10 whole cloves

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

10-20 black peppercorns

2 inches cinnamon stick

1 tbsp star anise

1tbsp tefla (tirpal / Sichuan pepper) (or substitute with grated lemon rind)

1 tsp black cumin seeds (shahi jeera)

Wet Ingredients

1 small onion, sliced

1-2 inches fresh ginger

1 whole bulb garlic, peeled

50gm fresh coconut (or 2-3tbsp desiccated coconut)

1tsp turmeric powder

2-3 tbsp tamarind paste (or 2 walnut sized pieces of dried tamarind, soaked in hot water and strained for pulp.

Cooking Steps

Step 1 - Toast the Dry Spices

  1. Heat a dry pan over a medium heaat.
  2. Roast each dry spice separately for under a minute until fragrant
    Watch closely:  Toast chillies until just smoking (do not burn) and flash fry sensitive spices like mustard and black cumin for just a few seconds.
  3. Transfer toasted spices to a plate and let them cool competely.

Step 2 - Roast the Coconut & Onions

  1. In the same dry pan, lightly toast the sliced onion until soft and translucent.  Set aside.
  2. Toast the coconut along with the 1 tsp turmeric over low heat until medium golden brown and aromatic.  Remove immediately to prevent scorching.

Step 3 - Grind the Dry Spices

  1. Add all cooled dry spices to a spice grinder and pulse into a fine powder.
  2. Blend the paste:  In a high-speed blender or food processor,combine the ground dry spices,roasted onion, toasted coconut-turmeric mix, ginger, garlic, and tamarind pulp.
  3. Add a small splash of water (just enough to help the blades move) and blend into a thick,smooth masala pas

Other ingredients:
8 medium onions- cut fine
1 tbsp tamarind concentrate mixed with 1 tbsp of water
1 tbsp vinegar

Make the Xacuti

Heat the oil in a large, heavy based pan over a medium-high heat.  Fry the lambin batches until nicely browned on all sides.  Transfer the browned meat to a plate and set aside.

Caramelise the onions

In the same pan add the 8 sliced onions.  Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, until soft and deeply golden brown.

Add the ground xacuti masala to the fried onions.  Fry for a couple of minutes, strinng continuously.

Add the lamb and any juices back to the pan.  Stir in the tamarind paste, 1tbsp vinegar,salt and enough water to just cover the meat.  Bring to a gentle boil,cover tightly, and reduce the heat to low.  Simmer for 40 minutes until the meat is tender.

If the lamb is still tough, transfer the covered pan to a preheated over (180C/Gas Mark 4) for a further 30 minutes until tender.

Remove from the heat, pour in the fresh lemon juice, and stir well.  Taste for salt, let it rest covered for 5 minutes, and serve hot with  poories or pulao and a tomato, chilli and onion salad.