Put the ginger, garlic, and 4 tablespoons water into the container of an
electric blender. Blend well until you have a smooth paste.
Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over a medium-high flame. Brown the meat
cubes in several batches and set to one side. Put the cardamom, bay leaves,
cloves, peppercorns, and cinnamon into the same hot oil. Stir once and wait
until the cloves swell and the bay leaves begin to take on colour. This just
takes a few seconds. Now put in the onions. Stir and fry for about 5 minutes or
until the onions turn a medium-brown colour. Put in the ginger-garlic paste and
stir for 30 seconds. Then add the coriander, cumin, paprika-Cayenne, and salt.
Stir and fry for another 30 seconds. Add the fried meat cubes and juices. Stir
for 30 seconds. Now put in I tablespoon of the yoghurt. Stir and fry for about
30 seconds or until the yoghurt is well blended. Add the remaining yoghurt, a
tablespoon at a time, in the smae way. Stir and fry another 3-4 minutes.
Now add 1 1/4 cups of water. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil, scraping
in all browned spices on the sides and bottom of the pot. Cover, turn heat to
low, and simmer for about an hour or until meat is tender. (The meat could also
be baked, covered in a preheated 350'F oven for the same length of time or
until tender.) Every IO minutes or so, give the meat a good stir. When the meat
is tender, take off the lid, turn the heat up to medium, and boil away some of
the liquid. You should end up with tender meat in a thick, reddish-brown sauce.
All the fat that collects in the pot may be spooned off the top. Sprinkle the
garam masala and black pepper over the meat before you serve and mix them in.