Bhuna Gosht – Enjoy our dry Bhuna Gosht fry made with mutton or lamb that slow cooks in whole spices; the gosht later 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 more often than not, gosht refers to either goat or lamb; we prefer to use goat.
- Onion: Thinly slice onions and use a lot of them!
- Garlic: I use a ton of whole 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 using yogurt.
- Ground Spices: Coriander powder, Kashmiri chili powder, and turmeric flavor our bhuna gosht recipe.
- Ghee: Ghee is a staple in traditional Indian and Pakistani cuisine and develops a deep, nutty flavor to set the stage for the dish and fry the mutton.
- 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.
Gather the whole spices into a small bowl and stir in the nutmeg. Set aside.
Rinse the goat and add it to a heavy-bottomed pan along with 1 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover with the lid and cook for 1- 1½ hour over low-medium heat. Drain and remove the meat and set it aside.
Heat 1/3 cup of ghee in the same pan, and add the reserved whole spice mixture until the ingredients sputter.
Stir in the garlic and half the ginger, saute until golden.
Next, add the onions and fry until they become translucent and soften for about 8 minutes.
Return the goat to the pan and incorporate the yogurt and salt. Stir to combine and cook over high heat until the yogurt releases 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, Kashmiri chili powder, and mix well.
Adjust to high heat once again and fry until the ghee escapes to the sides of the pan. Add more ghee as needed while frying, up to 4 tablespoons. Once the ghee separates, check the salt and adjust if needed.
Continue cooking on high, stirring regularly. The goat mixture will begin to thicken and turn a rich brown color.
Garnish with cilantro and fresh ginger slices. Serve with naan or Basmati Rice.
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WHAT TO DO WITH THE LEFTOVERS
- Refrigerate – Store the leftovers in an airtight container; it will keep for 3-4 days.
- Freeze – Allow the dish to cool completely, and add it to a freezer-safe container. Bhuna Gosht will freeze for up to 2 months.
- Thaw – When you’re ready to eat, defrost it in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat – To serve, warm it 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.
YOU SHOULD ALSO TRY:
- Baked Tandoori Chicken or Grilled Tandoor Chicken
- Masoor Dal (Instant Pot and Stovetop)
- Chicken Karahi
- Eid Recipes
- Mutton Soup
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Bhuna Gosht (Mutton or Lamb Fry)
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Whole Spices:
- 6 boriya chilies (gol lal mirch), dry
- 2 bay leaves
- 1½ – inch cinnamon stick
- 3 black cloves
- 5 black peppercorns, whole
- 5 green cardamom
- 2 black cardamom
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ground
For the Gosht:
- 1 pound goat or mutton, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 large yellow onions thinly sliced
- ¼ cup garlic cloves, whole
- 4 – inch fresh ginger, matchstick, divided
- ¾ cup yogurt, full-fat
- 2½ tablespoons coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- salt, to taste
- ⅓ cup ghee, plus 3-4 tbsp ghee
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Gather the whole spices into a small bowl and stir in the nutmeg. Set aside.
- Rinse the goat and add it to a heavy-bottomed pan along with 1 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover with the lid and cook for 1- 1½ hour over low-medium heat. Drain and remove the meat and set it aside.
- Heat 1/3 cup of ghee in the same pan, and add the reserved spice mixture until the ingredients sputter.
- Stir in the garlic and half the ginger, saute until golden.
- Next, add the onions and fry until they become translucent and soften for about 8 minutes.
- Return the goat to the pan and incorporate the yogurt and salt. Stir to combine and cook over high heat until the yogurt releases 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, Kashmiri chili powder, and mix well.
- Adjust to high heat once again and fry until the ghee escapes to the sides of the pan. Add more ghee as needed while frying, up to 4 tablespoons. Once the ghee separates, check the salt and adjust if needed.
- Continue cooking on high, stirring regularly. The goat mixture will begin to thicken and turn a rich brown color.
- Garnish with cilantro and fresh ginger slices. Serve with naan or basmati rice.
Notes
- How long should I cook the goat? Unlike many of our recipes, you will note a range of cooking times. Goat takes longer to become tender, and depending on where you buy the meat, cooking time can vary some.
- Cooking Technique: We rely heavily on a cooking technique called “bhunning.” During this process, the goat first cooks down in a Dutch oven until tender and then fry’s alongside onion, garlic, ginger, and spices. The result is highly concentrated and flavorful curried meat.