Dal Gosht (Lamb and Lentils Curry)

It’s been roughly more than 10 days since I published my last post. I was pretty caught up with few things in life that have taken up more priority over anything else. Staying away from my laptop gave me more time to rest, unwind and recuperate. Although this break was “unplanned”, I realize getting myself unplugged from the blogging world for a few days was indeed so good for me that I seriously feel I should be doing this more often. 😛 But on a more serious note, I missed you all and there is a lot to catch up on. I will be eager to go through what’s been going on in the blogoshpere and I know I will get plenty of interesting stuff to read!

This dish, Dal Gosht, I had prepared a long time back but now I have got time out to share this wonderful recipe. A very delicious way to prepare lamb with lentils, this dish is quite popular in few parts of India like Hyderabad and hugely in Pakistan. The yummy combination of lentils with lamb does give you a wonderful opportunity to gulp down lamb chunks with very little guilt, knowing the fact that it includes the goodness and nutrition of lentils too. This royal dish is greatly enjoyed by non-vegetarians and it wouldn’t be exaggerating to mention that the recipe has an “oomph” factor to it. You will fall in love with it immediately the moment you bite into the deliciousness of the curry!

Ingredients:

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Cinnamon sticks – 3-4

Whole black peppercorn – 1/2 tsp

Cloves – 1/2 tsp

Onion – 1 large (finely chopped)

Tomatoes – 1 large (finely chopped)

Ginger-garlic-green chilli paste – 1.5 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder – 1 tsp

Lamb – 1/2 kg

Chilli paste – 1.5 tsp

Whipped yogurt – 1 tbsp

Split Moong lentils – 1/2 cup (boiled and cooked with a little turmeric)

Kasoori methi / Crushed Dried Fenugreek Leaves – 1 tsp

Salt – as per taste

Method:

I have used a pressure cooker to make this dish.

Heat some oil in a pressure cooker. Add the whole garam masala spices; ie cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, cloves and black peppercorn. Let them sizzle for a few seconds.

Then add the finely chopped onions. When the onions turn pink, add the ginger-garlic-green chilli paste. Saute for a few mins. Then add in the crushed or finely chopped tomatoes. Add the spices – turmeric, red chilli powder and the coriander-cumin powder. mix and saute until the tomatoes turn mushy and oil starts oozing out from the sides.

Then add the lamb pieces, whipped yogurt and red chilli paste. Mix well and saute without adding any water for at least 10-15 mins. Let the lamb saute in its own juices.

After intensive sauteing, add some water just enough to cover the lamb pieces. Let it come to a boil. Cover it and pressure cook until the first whistle on a high flame and then for 20 mins on a low flame. P.S: The cooking time for lamb might vary depending on the kind of lamb used and also the pressure cooker. 

After 20 mins, switch off the flame and let the pressure go down. Open the lid of the pressure cooker and switch on the flame. Add the boiled moong lentils and sprinkle kasoori methi powder and garam masala powder on top. Add salt to taste. Mix everything well and let this simmer for 5 mins.

Once done, delicious Dal Gosht will be ready to serve.

I served it with rice flour bhakris and a simple salad. Enjoy!