This curry is characterised the combination of sweet cinnamon and savoury cardamom spices. I love dishes created from the fusion of different cultures. This curry origins were derived from the many Indonesian immigrants who settled in Cape Malay during the 17th century. The spices are very Indonesian in flavour but the addition by local of fruits and vegetables creates a sweet mild aromatic curry that is reminiscent of African tagine style dishes. It is traditionally served with rice but it is just as good with mashed potatoes. If you are new to curries and particularly wary of anything spicy then this is a great starting place. The ingredient list seems massive but if you use a crock pot it is just so easy to add everything and let the slow cooker do the rest.
Heat oil /ghee in a sauce pan or crock pot with a sear function. Add garlic, onion, ginger and sauté for 5 min. Mix vinegar with cap malay spice mix and add to the saucepan with onions.
Add diced or whole lamb, brown well on high heat for 5min. Add beef stock, tomato dried apricots, eggplant, bell peppers, if using a saucepan bring the pot to the boil and then reduce and simmer for 1.5 hours if using a crock pot set the function to slow cook 4 hours.
red bell pepper and eggplant can be replaced with 2 carrots and 1 banana.