Pyaaz Tamatar Gosht (Onion-Tomato Lamb Curry)

Reiver found discount lamb at the butcher's last week, so I turned it into a tasty curry! I haven't had a chance to do many lamb curries, so this was a treat. It was also very easy. Definitely going on the "favourites" list!

Pyzza Tamatar Gosht

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne or Kashmiri chilies
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 4 tsp. ginger paste
• 4 tsp. garlic paste
• 450g stewing lamb
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 4 cardamom pods (pref. black, but green is also okay)
• 2 bay leaves
• 250-400mL canned tomato (pasta) sauce¹
• 1/4 c. fried onions²
• 1/4 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine the coriander, cumin, salt, paprika, cayenne/Kashmiri chilies, turmeric, ginger paste, and garlic paste and toss with the lamb to coat. Let stand for 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil over medium to medium-high heat.
3. Add the cardamom pods and bay leaves and sizzle for 20-30 seconds.
4. Add the lamb and sear for 5-8 minutes.
5. Add the tomato sauce, fried onions, and water and bring to a boil.
6. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

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¹ The original recipe only calls for 1 c. of tomato sauce. I used ~350mL and it was great and Reiver said that he wouldn't've minded it with even more sauce, so I think I'll just use the whole tin next time. Follow your heart! ^Back
2 Iyer calls for 1/4 c. of fried onion paste here. I didn't really want to make fried onion paste, so I just tossed in 1/4 c. of fried onions along with 1/4 c. of water. This seemed to work very well and I wouldn't hesitate to use this approach again. ^Back

Chana Rajmah (Chickpeas and Kidney Beans)

An easy legume curry with a thick, spiced, tomato sauce. Iyer suggests that it's good -- if non-traditional -- with cornbread instead of or as well as rice.

Chana Rajmah

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. dried chickpeas
• 1/2 c. dried kidney beans
• 4 1/2 c. water, divided
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. panch phoron
• 1/4 c. fried onion paste
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies¹
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. jaggery
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Rinse the chickpeas and kidney beans and place them in a pressure cooker/InstantPot with 4 c. of water.
2. Pressure cook (high) for 75 minutes followed by a 15-minute natural release.
3. Meanwhile, melt the ghee over medium-high heat.
4. Add the panch phoron and sizzle for 15-20 seconds.
5. Add the onion paste, ginger paste, and garlic paste, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~5 minutes.
6. Add the coriander, salt, Kashmiri chilies, and turmeric and cook for ~1 minute. Be careful not to burn the spices.
7. Add the tomato paste and sugar and cook for another minute.
8. Add the remaining 1/2 c. water and scrape to deglaze the pan.
9. Cook for a minute or two, then set aside until beans are ready.
10. Once beans are cooked, add the sauce to the pressure cooker and stir to combine.
11. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
12. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

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Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. dried chickpeas
• 1/2 c. dried kidney beans
• 4 1/2 c. water, divided
• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. panch phoron
• 1/4 c. fried onion paste
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies¹
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. jaggery
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

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¹ The original recipe calls for 1 tsp. ground Deggi chilies or 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne + 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika. I didn't have any Deggi chilies, so I decided to swap in and equal amount of ground Kashmiri chilies instead of using the cayenne-paprika substitute. ^Back

Aloo Gosht (Lamb with Potatoes)

I had initially been thinking of doing a fenugreek and lamb curry. But that one calls for almost a full kilo of lamb. Which would've been fine. But I only had one kilo and I wanted to be able to get a couple recipes out of it, so I picked two others that each called for smaller quantities of lamb. I really liked the palak gosht that I made with the first bit of lamb, but I think I like this one even more!

Aloo Gosht

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. black cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. ground kashmiri chilies
• 450g stewing lamb
• 225g russet (or other floury) potatoes, cubed
• 1/4 c. canola (or other neutral) oil, divided
• 1/4 c. fried onion paste
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine garlic paste, cumin, coriander, salt, black cumin, fennel, and kashmiri chilies.
2. Add lamb and stir to coat. Cover and chill for 1-24 hours.
3. Heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add the potatoes, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~10 minutes.
5. Remove potatoes from pan and set aside.
6. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil to the pan.
7. Add the lamb along with its marinade and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for ~5 minutes.
8. Add the fried onion paste and the tomato paste and mix in, scraping the bottom of the pan.
9. Stir in the water and bring to a boil.
10. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is tender (~25 minutes).
11. Add potatoes and cook, covered, for another 5-10 minutes.
12. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with rice and/or flatbreads.