Enjoy dry bhuna gosht fry made with mutton or lamb that slow cooks in whole spices. The gosht fries in onion, garlic, and ginger, resulting in a highly concentrated and flavorful meal you will crave.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
- Mutton or Goat: Gosht means meat in Hindi, and usually refers to goat or lamb.
- Onion: Thinly slice onions and use a lot of them to flavor and create caramelization.
- Garlic: I use a ton of garlic cloves to make this recipe, a heaping 1/4 cup, to be exact.
- Ginger: Ginger cooks alongside the meat and serves as a tasty garnish at the end.
- Yogurt: Tenderize the goat with yogurt.
- Ground Spices: Finish the bhuna gosht recipe with ground coriander powder, Kashmiri chili powder (paprika), and turmeric powder.
- Ghee: Ghee is a staple in Indian and Pakistani cuisine and develops a deep, nutty base for the dish.
- Whole Spices: We use boriya chilies, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, black gloves, black peppercorns, green cardamom, black cardamom, and stir in ground nutmeg since whole nutmeg can be difficult to come by.
How to Make Bhuna Gosht
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Gather the whole spices into a small bowl and stir in the nutmeg. Set them aside.
Step 2: Rinse the goat meat and add it to a Dutch oven with 1 cup of water and one teaspoon of salt.
Cover with the lid and cook for 1- 1½ hours over low-medium heat. Drain and remove the meat and set it aside.
Step 3: Heat ⅓ cup of ghee in the same pan, and add the reserved whole spices; warm until they begin to sputter.
Then, stir in the garlic and half of the fresh ginger; saute for 1 minute.
Step 4: Add the onions and fry until they soften and become translucent, for about 10 minutes.
Step 5: Nestle the reserved goat into the pan and add yogurt and one teaspoon of salt; stir to combine, then cook over high heat until the yogurt releases the liquid.
Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pan with a lid. Allow the dish to simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
Step 6: Stir in the coriander powder, turmeric, and Kashmiri chili powder.
Step 7: Adjust to high heat once fry or bhuna until the ghee escapes to the sides of the pan. Once the ghee separates, check the salt and adjust if needed.
Continue cooking on high to bhunify the goat, stirring regularly, until the dish thickens and turns a rich brown color.
Step 8: Garnish with cilantro and fresh ginger slices. Serve with naan or basmati rice.
Expert Tips
- Unlike many of our recipes, this one has a range for cooking time. The goat takes longer to become tender; the cooking time is influenced by where you purchase the goat and how fresh the meat is.
- I rely heavily on a cooking technique called “bhunning.” During the cooking process, the goat tenderizes in a Dutch oven. Then, it fries in the pan with onions, garlic, ginger, and spices. The result is a highly concentrated and caramelized meat and onion dish.
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Serving Suggestions
- Bread: Naan, Roti, Paratha, Chapati
- Rice: Jeera Rice, Basmati Rice, Mutton Yakhni Pulao
- Salad: Avocado Cucumber Tomato Salad, Chickpea Salad, Kachumber Salad
- Sauce: Easy Raita, Chutney, Serrano Crema
What to do With the Leftovers
- Refrigerate – Store the leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze – Let the dish cool completely, and transfer it to a freezer-safe container. Bhuna gosht freezes for 2-3 months.
- Thaw – Defrost the leftovers in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat – Warm the leftovers on the stovetop, and prepare your rice or naan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this recipe in an Instant Pot?
1. Gather the whole spices into a small bowl and stir in the nutmeg. Set aside.
2. Rinse the goat and add it to an Instant Pot along with 1 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of salt.
3. Secure the lid and cook for 1 hour in manual high pressure. Drain and remove the meat and set it aside.
4. Then, add the garlic and half of the ginger, and cook in saute mode until golden.
5. Next, add the onions and fry until they become translucent and soften for about 8 minutes.
6. Return the goat to the pan and mix in the yogurt and salt. Stir to combine, and let it cook in saute mode until the yogurt releases liquid.
7. Cover the Instant Pot with the lid, but do not seal it. Allow the dish to simmer for about 5 minutes.
8. Stir in the coriander powder, turmeric, Kashmiri chili powder, and mix well.
9.Remove the lid and continue to fry until the ghee escapes to the sides of the pot. Add more ghee as needed while frying, up to 4 tablespoons. Once the ghee separates, check the salt and adjust if needed.
10. Continue cooking in saute mode, stirring regularly. The goat mixture will begin to thicken and turn a rich brown color.
11. Garnish with cilantro and fresh ginger slices. Serve with naan or basmati rice.
More Indian Recipes:
Bhuna Gosht
- Dutch Oven or Wok
- 6 boriya chilies
- 2 bay leaves
- 1½ – inch cinnamon stick
- 3 black cloves
- 5 black peppercorns
- 5 green cardamom
- 2 black cardamom
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ground
- 1 pound goat meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided, plus more to taste
- ⅓ cup ghee, plus 3-4 tbsp ghee
- 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup garlic cloves
- 4 – inch fresh ginger, julienne, divided
- ¾ cup yogurt, full-fat
- 2½ tablespoons coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- Gather the whole spices into a small bowl and stir in the nutmeg. Set them aside.
- Rinse the goat meat and add it to a Dutch oven with 1 cup of water and one teaspoon of salt. Cover with the lid and cook for 1- 1½ hours over low-medium heat. Drain and remove the meat and set it aside.
- Heat ⅓ cup of ghee in the same pan, and add the reserved whole spices; warm until they begin to sputter. Then, stir in the garlic and half of the fresh ginger; saute for 1 minute.
- Add the onions and fry until they soften and become translucent, for about 10 minutes.
- Nestle the reserved goat into the pan and add yogurt and one teaspoon of salt; stir to combine, then cook over high heat until the yogurt releases the liquid.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pan with a lid. Allow the dish to simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
- Stir in the coriander powder, turmeric, and Kashmiri chili powder.
- Adjust to high heat once fry or bhuna until the ghee escapes to the sides of the pan. Once the ghee separates, check the salt and adjust if needed.
- Continue cooking on high to bhunify the goat, stirring regularly, until the dish thickens and turns a rich brown color.
- Garnish with cilantro and fresh ginger slices. Serve with naan or basmati rice.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.
- Unlike many of our recipes, this one has a range for cooking time. The goat takes longer to become tender; the cooking time is influenced by where you purchase the goat and how fresh the meat is.
- I rely heavily on a cooking technique called “bhunning.” During the cooking process, the goat tenderizes in a Dutch oven. Then, it fries in the pan with onions, garlic, ginger, and spices. The result is a highly concentrated and caramelized meat and onion dish.