Bhuna gosht is a type of lamb curry recipe popular across Pakistan. Whole spices are sautéed in hot oil and then the lamb or mutton pieces are added before being slow cooked to perfection. This lamb curry is packed full of spices and is loaded with flavour. The blend of spices adds to the richness of this lamb bhuna and as this lamb or mutton curry cooks the mutton or lamb release their juices to give a delicious mutton masala gravy. Bhuna curry is a restaurant classic curry and now with this recipe it can be made at home! Serve it along with soft, homemade naan or chapatti for a delicious homemade meal that tastes truly authentic.

Now, in general my family is not really a fan of lamb (apart from my dad that is). We all much prefer chicken over lamb and that’s in anything, whether it’s in curries or anything else. However, I felt like we have been eating chicken way too much this Ramadan. So, I wanted to mix it up. I think every iftar we have had some form of chicken to eat. One time it was chicken wraps and then it was chicken curry and then it was chicken pasta bake. I could go on and on, but let’s talk about this bhuna gosht recipe.

Lamb bhuna curry is different to the normal lamb curry because it involves sautéing whole spices before adding in the lamb or mutton. Also, traditionally bhuna gosht (gosht is the Urdu word for lamb, by the way) doesn’t have water, or if it does it is minimal. It is meant to be more of a dry curry and the masala clings on the pieces of meat. If you are looking for a lamb curry with more of a watery consistency, then my lamb curry recipe is just the one for you!

The list of ingredients seems extensive. But as you add in everything almost all at once basically anyone could cook it. The longest time it takes to cook is the time it takes for the lamb to cook. Give it a stir every 20 minutes or so and you can just carry on doing your thing. Watch your favourite movie, read a book, or have a cup of tea.

Speaking of tea, I have discovered these new biscuits. They are my new favourite. They taste sooo good. The only problem is that they don’t sell them anywhere! I can only find them in Quality Save and there is NO Quality Save in the city I live. I bought 10 packets when I went to Manchester the other day and have them just stored in the cupboard. The 10 packets won’t last very long because I know my siblings will steal all of them.

Anyway, that is completely irrelevant. Let us get back the lamb curry recipe that I am supposed to be talking about. With the cooking of the lamb the time it takes may vary. It can take quite a long time, but that is to be expected. When you cover it with the lid don’t keep checking it. Only check it every 20 minutes or so. If you keep taking the lid on and off then it will take longer to cook. This is quite a spicy curry, so if you can’t handle heat very well then you may need to adjust the spices to suit your taste.

Usually I use lamb, but mutton could also be used in this recipe. Bhuna mutton. I have never actually heard of a curry like that, but it would work out the same. The difference between lamb and mutton meat is the age. Lamb meat is from sheep that is less than one years old whereas mutton meat is typically three years or older. Lamb is more tender that mutton so requires less cooking time. So, if you do decide to use mutton instead, be sure to alter the cooking times accordingly.

In all of my curry recipes I only ever use fresh garlic and ginger. My mum forbids me from using the paste versions. However, if you want to you can use ginger paste and garlic paste. In this recipe you can replace the garlic cloves with 2 teaspoon of garlic paste and the fresh ginger with 2 tsp ginger paste.

This lamb bhuna gosht curry has pieces of succulent and spicy lamb slathered in a masala gravy.

Bhuna Gosht

by Sadia Halimah Aziz

This traditional and authentic lamb bhuna gosht recipe is perfect for curry night. Made by sautéing whole spices until fragrant beforeadding in onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic to make a delicious, spicy masala sauce that clings to the tender and succulent lamb pieces. Serve with chapatti or homemade naan for the ultimate Sunday dinner!

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 1 hr 10 mins

Total Time 1 hr 20 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Pakistani/Indian

Servings 6 servings

Calories 628

Ingredients

  

• 50 ml Vegetable Oil
• 1 kg Lamb/Gosht or mutton
• 3 Onions/Pyaz finely diced
• 4 Tomatoes chopped
• 6 Garlic Cloves/Lehsan chopped
• 1 inch Ginger/Adrak crushed
• 1 tsp Black Peppercorns
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 inch Cinnamon/Darchini
• 3 Black Cardamom Pods/Bari Elachi
• 2 tsp Salt/Namak
• 1 tbsp Chilli Powder/Laal Mirch Powder
• 2 tsp Garam Masala
• 2 tsp Turmeric Powder/Haldi
• 2 tsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves/Methi
• 2 Green Chillies/Hari Mirch finely chopped
• Coriander/Dhaniyaa finely chopped

Instructions

 

• In a large pot heat up the vegetable oil on medium heat until hot
• Add the black peppercorns, bay leaf, cinnamon and black cardamoms then sauté the whole spices for 1 minute until fragrant
• Add the lamb, finely diced onions, chopped garlic cloves, crushed ginger, chopped tomatoes and salt then mix until all the ingredients are evenly distributed before covering with a lid and allow to cook on medium heat for 1 hour until the lamb has released its water and is tender – the cook time may take up to 1 hour 30 minutes depending on the lamb
• Remove the lid and add the chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and dried fenugreek leaves then cook the spices for 4-6 minutes
• Add the finely chopped coriander and green chillies and cook for another 1 minute until the oil has separated – the oil has separated when there are small bubbles appearing and the oil has formed a thin layer on top
• Your bhuna gosht is ready!

Video

Keyword curries, dinner, indian, lamb, pakistani, spicy