Bhuna Gosht Masala (Lamb Bhuna)

Bhuna Gosht Masala, or Lamb Bhuna as it more commonly known as, is a delicious and rich dinner which takes minimal effort and provides such a maximal return of flavours! It requires a basic set of ingredients and spices, so no jumping through hoops of fire for this one. But truly, this is such a wonderful meal that would go well as a special dawat/dinner with company meal or even as a special weeknight dinner!

My mother would call this style of cooking ‘charhana‘ which means ‘putting on’ in Urdu. Literally, all you do is put the ingredients into a pot, add boiling water and let it simmer. Now you forget about it for an hour whilst you browse Instagram and Pinterest do all those other important things you need to be doing. Then, you uncover, add oil and allow the water to dry off and begin to ‘bhoon‘ (sauté) the curry up.

What is the ‘Bhuna’ process?

This is where the magic happens! During the sautéing process, the ingredients begin to break down, giving a wonderfully textured and thick masala whilst also browning the meat. Winning! This process of the ‘bhoon‘ is where this dish gets its name from.

It involved lots of vigorous stirring, sautéing and drying out the curry down until it is very dry and concentrated.

The sautéing process doesn’t take long, depending on how much water you have to dry out. This step is a crucial step in much of Pakistani and Indian cooking – it’s where the flavours really deepen and the texture really comes together.

If the curry is too dry for your liking by the time the bhuna process has finished, you can add back some water to loosen the curry – I do this too. It’s just the entire process of drying it out completely is essential for the flavour and texture.

How spicy is Bhuna Gosht?

This recipe is definitely on the spicier side. Bhuna recipes tend to be very flavourful and spicy.

If you don’t want too much heat, reduce the red chilli powder to 0.25tsp.

What can I serve with Bhuna Gosht?

Serve this dish with chapattis and some form of salad, chutney or raita!

Ingredients

¾ (82 ½ g) medium onion chopped
1 ½ (185 g) tomatoes chopped
½ lb (¼ kg) lamb bone in
½ heaped tsp garlic paste
½ heaped tsp ginger paste
¾ tsp salt or to taste
1 ¼ tsp cumin powder
1 ½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp red chilli powder to taste
⅜ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
¼ tsp garam masala
2 ½ tbsp (37 ½ ml) oil
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder/degi mirch
½ handful coriander chopped