This is my #3. We’ve all got a list of our favorite foods. For some it’s quite extensive, but mine is only 5 dishes long. I must’ve had a sheltered childhood. Whatever. I’m one of those people who don’t like to eat the same meal on consecutive days. That’s not to say I don’t like leftovers. I do… just not the next day. So there are only 5 things that I will eat day after day (and I do for #1).

This is my first attempt at making Dal Gosht. I have no recipe, just my understanding of how the final product has to taste. Some like to make the Dal and Lamb Curry separately and then mix them together, and that’s good for them. I don’t like doing dishes, so I wanted a one-pot meal.

Ingredients

• 1 – 1.5 lbs. Lamb Shoulder or Leg (cut into 1.5 – 2″ pieces)
• 1 cup washed Red Lentils (Masoor Dal)
• 2 cups Water
• 2 tsp. Salt
• 2 tsp. ground Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. Chili Powder (to taste)
• 1 med. Onion (sliced thin)
• 1 head of Garlic (rough chop)
• 1 tsp. Ginger Paste
• 2 diced Jalapenos (to taste)
• 1/4 cup Canola Oil
• 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Fried Onions
• 2 tbsp. chopped Cilantro
• sprinkle of Garam Masala

Method

It’s time to prep. Cut up your Onion, Garlic, and Jalapenos. In a pot, heat the Oil on med. Add the Onion, Garlic, Jalapenos, and Salt. Don’t wait too long or the oil will splutter and burn you and/or the veggies.

 

After it gets some color it’s time to bring the meat to the party. Once the meat browns, add Turmeric and Chili Powder. Roast the spices for a few min.

Now add the Lentils, Water and Ginger. Mix well.

Bring to boil. Then cover and lower the heat to low. After 1hr. check on it. Do a taste test for the correct salt and spice level. The lentils should be creamy, the onions dissolved, and the meat tender. If not, cover and let cook some more, checking every 20 – 30 min.

Done.

Well kind of. If you’ve ever cooked lentils, you’ve probably noticed that it will look like drywall compound after sitting for an hour. So you need to put a little oil on the surface to keep the Dal from drying out.

This is called Baghar, there are other names for it and every cook has their own variation. Heat the Olive Oil in a small frying pan. When the surface has a slight shimmer add the Fried Onions and stir it about. Now the trick is to pour it over the Dal Gosht right before the onions turn black. I let mine get a few shades darker than in the picture, but it happens too fast for me to photograph. I may need an assistant for future experiments.

 

After the onions have stopped sizzling, garnish with Cilantro and Garam Masala. I make my own Garam Masala and will put up a recipe for it. However, if you don’t have any it’s okay to go without.

Serve with naan or roti.