Dal Gosht is a deeply comforting everyday dish in Memon households — tender lamb slow-cooked with yellow lentils in an aromatic masala. The food of home, of long Sunday lunches, of mothers and grandmothers.
Ingredients
- 500g bone-in lamb shoulder, cut into pieces
- ¾ cup chana dal (split chickpea lentils), soaked 1 hour
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 3 tbsp oil or ghee
- 1 tbsp each: ginger paste, garlic paste
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1½ tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp turmeric, 1½ tsp salt
- ½ cup yoghurt
- 3–4 cups water
Tarka (finishing)
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3–4 dried red chillies
- 4–5 garlic cloves, sliced
Method
Step 1 — Brown the lamb
Heat oil, fry onions golden. Add cumin seeds, then ginger-garlic paste. Add lamb on high heat, brown all sides. Add tomatoes and dry spices, cook until oil separates. Add yoghurt, cook 5 min.
Step 2 — Add lentils
Add drained lentils and 3 cups water. Bring to boil, cover, simmer 50–60 min until lamb is tender and lentils dissolve into a thick sauce.
Step 3 — Tarka
Heat ghee until smoking. Add cumin seeds, garlic slices, red chillies — 30 seconds. Pour immediately over the dal gosht.
Garnish with fresh coriander, green chillies, and lemon. Serve with roti or basmati rice.