Lamb Curry with Mustard Oil, Turmeric, Chilli and Ahuna Masala
In this authentic Indian recipe, lamb shoulder is marinated in a homemade ahuna masala spice mix before cooked slowly in a saucepan. The meat comes out tender and fragrant, ready to serve with rice or flatbread.
Introduction
This curry is also known as matka gosht, which refers to a one-pot meat curry hailing from the Champaran district of Bihar. The classic way of cooking this is low and slow in a clay pot, so all the meat juices mix with the spices and onions. It’s important to get really good-quality lamb (or mutton, as is traditional) as there is no additional water, so the gravy is made from the flavour of the spices, onions and lamb juices. You can also smoke the lamb with coal for additional flavour. To do this, heat a small piece of charcoal over a high heat, then place it into a small bowl with a few cloves and a little ghee. Place the bowl in the saucepan of curry and cover with a lid. The smoke will flavour the gravy with the warmth of the cloves. Take the bowl out after 10 minutes.
Ingredients
| 3 tbsp | mustard oil |
| 250g (9oz) | onions, thinly sliced |
| 1 | dried kashmiri chilli |
| 1 heaped tsp | kashmiri chilli powder |
| ½ tsp | ground turmeric |
| ½ tsp | ground nutmeg |
| 700g | bone-in lamb shoulder, diced into bite-size pieces |
| 2 tbsp | vegetable oil |
| 3 | dried bay leaves |
| 3 | black cardamom pods |
| 6 | garlic cloves, roughly crushed |
| 2 | green bird’s eye chillies, slit lengthways (optional) |
| chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves, to finish | |
| salt | |
| For the ahuna masala | |
|---|---|
| ½ tsp | black peppercorns |
| 1 tsp | cumin seeds |
| 1cm (½ inch) | cinnamon stick |
| 1 tbsp | coriander seeds |
| 1 tsp | fennel seeds |
| 4 | cloves |
| 6 | green cardamom pods (seeds only) |
| 1 blade of | mace |
| 1 tbsp | white poppy seeds |
| 1 tbsp | daria dal (roasted split gram/channa dal) |
Method
First, smoke the mustard oil. Pour it into a small frying pan over a high heat and bring to smoking point, then remove from the heat and leave to cool before using.
Next, make the ahuna masala. Put all the ingredients except the poppy seeds and daria dal into a dry frying pan over a low heat and toast for 5 minutes, shaking the pan often. Remove from the heat and add the poppy seeds and daria dal, then leave to cool. Blend to a powder in a spice grinder and set aside.
Put the mustard oil, onions, dried chilli, chilli powder, turmeric and nutmeg into a large bowl. Mix in the lamb and masala, cover and marinate for 1 hour, or overnight in the refrigerator.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large non-stick saucepan over a medium heat. Add the bay leaves and black cardamom pods and as they sizzle, add the garlic and fry for a few seconds. Add the marinated lamb along with all the marinade and cook, sealing the lamb, for 6 minutes. Now reduce the heat and place a frying pan or tawa over the heat. Place the saucepan of curry inside the frying pan. This will prevent it from sticking and help with the slow-cooking process. Season to taste, then cover and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring a few times to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan.
When the meat is tender, add the green chillies (if using) and chopped coriander and serve.
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