Dal Gosht | Lentil and Meat Curry

Dal Gosht recipe is a popular meat and lentil dish simmered with freshly ground spices in onion-tomato gravy and is best served with rice or rotis.

Dal refers to lentils and it can be chana, toor, masoor, urad etc. Gosht refers to the meat or flesh of lamb or goat. You can add cooked meat to cooked dahl along with a few whole and ground spices, and onion-tomato gravy for a delicious curry inspired by Mughal cuisine.

Dal gosht is not the same thing as Dalchaa. Growing up, I have had dalchaa that our neighbours back home used to share. You will find my Aloo Gosht recipe similar to this protein-packed dal gosht.

The dal gosht recipe is adopted and customized to suit a region. So, you will find different dal gosht recipes across India and Pakistan. This recipe is inspired from the culinary flavours of South-West-India.

Ingredients

• Whole spices: fennel seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, cardamom, black cardamom, cloves, star anise, black stone flower, bay leaf, and kasuri methi.
• Dal: chana dal (split chickpeas or Bengal gram)
• Meat: Boneless or bone-in mutton or lamb.
• Ground spices: turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and coriander powder.
• Oil: cooking oil and ghee.
• Veggies: red onions, green chillies, ginger garlic, tomatoes, and curry leaves.

Black Stone Flower (shaiba leaves / dagad ka phool / kalpasi) was reason enough for me to try the recipe! You will love the aroma this lichen gives when it comes in contact with hot oil.

How to make it?

• Pressure cook the lentils
• Pressure cook the gosht meat
• Prepare the onion-tomato gravy
• Add the cooked meat and lentils to the gravy
• Prepare tadka and pour over the curry
• Serve hot with rice or roti

📖 Recipe

Print Recipe

Dal Gosht | Lentil and Meat Curry

Dal Gosht, a meat and lentil dish simmered with freshly ground spices in onion-tomato gravy is best served with rice or rotis.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Soaking Time4 hrs

Total Time5 hrs 10 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: dal gosht recipe

Servings: 3 people

Author: Famidha Ashraf

Equipment

• 1 Pressure cooker

Ingredients

Dry roast and grind to a powder

• 1½ teaspoons fennel seeds
• 1½ teaspoons cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 5 green cardamom
• 2 black cardamom cannot be substituted so if you don't have then skip it.
• 6 cloves
• 1 star anise

Boil or Pressure Cook the lentils

• ½ cup channa dal split chickpea lentils, soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight
• 1½ cup water
• salt to taste

Pressure cook the meat

• 750 grams mutton washed and drained (You can use lamb or beef with or without bone)
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• ½ cup water

For the dal gosht

• 3 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 piece black stone flower (Dagad Phool or Patthar ka Phool or Kalpasi)
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 medium-sized red onions sliced finely
• 4 green chillies slit
• 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
• 2 medium-sized tomatoes chopped
• 2 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi crushed

Tadka

• 2 tablespoons ghee
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 5 garlic cloves sliced thin or crushed
• 6 to 8 curry leaves
• 3 dry red chillies
• ½ teaspoon red chilli powder

Instructions

Prepare the spice mix

• Prepare the spice mix by dry roasting the whole spices in a thick-bottomed pan until fragrant. Switch off and let it cool. Grind to a powder and keep aside.
  1½ teaspoons fennel seeds, 1½ teaspoons cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon black peppercorns, 2 inch cinnamon stick, 5 green cardamom, 2 black cardamom, 6 cloves, 1 star anise

Pressure cook

• Pressure cook the soaked lentils until done and transfer to a bowl and keep aside.
  ½ cup channa dal, 1½ cup water, salt to taste
• Pressure cook the meat in the same cooker until done.
  750 grams mutton, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, salt to taste, ½ cup water

Prepare Dal Gosht

• Heat ghee in a saucepot.
  3 tablespoons cooking oil
• Add and saute the black stone flower, onions, bay leaf and green chillies.
  1 piece black stone flower, 1 bay leaf, 3 medium-sized red onions, 4 green chillies
• Add and cook the ginger garlic paste, tomatoes and ground spices and saute until mushy and oil surfaces.
  2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste, 2 medium-sized tomatoes, 2 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 2 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi
• Add all of the cooked meat and the cooked lentils.
• Add more hot water as the gravy will get thicker as it sits because of the lentils.
• Bring to boil and simmer the gravy until desired consistency.

Prepare tadka

• Heat ghee in a small shallow pan or tadka pan.
  2 tablespoons ghee
• Add cumin and wait for it to crackle.
  1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• Add garlic cloves and fry till golden.
  5 garlic cloves
• Add the curry leaves and dry red chillies.
  3 dry red chillies, 6 to 8 curry leaves
• Add the red chilli powder and switch it off.
  ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
• Pour the tadka over the dal gosht pot, mix and cover the pot.
• Serve dal gosht with rice or any Indian flatbreads.

Adapted from Cubes and Juliennes.