Mutton Dhall Gosht

Cut mutton or lamb into cubes, rinse & place in a bowl.

Marinate meat (optional) with spices including ginger & garlic paste, turmeric powder, dhania powder, jeera powder, garam masala, thyme & chilli powder. I also added a tablespoon of sourmilk (maas) but that is totally up to you if you want to add that to your marinade. Allow the meat to marinate whilst preparing the other stuff.

Place the yellow pea dhall, red lentils & the biryani dhall (masoor) in a medium sized pot.

Rinse the lentils about 5 times until the water runs clear.

Fill the pot with clean water & place on the stove-top on medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder & 1 teaspoon salt.

Allow the lentils to come to a boil, keeping extra water on hand as the water will evaporate from the boiling & you will need to add more water. The lentils should take some time time to soften up, so you will have to be patient.

When the lentils are soft, turn off the heat & set aside.

Chop onion & set aside.

Chop tomatoes & set aside.

Next, heat the cooking oil in a large pot. Add in the onions, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, thyme, curry leaves, star aniseed & jeera seeds.

Allow to simmer until onions are translucent & thereafter add in the turmeric powder, dhania powder, jeera powder, garam masala & chilli powder. Allow the spices to simmer for a minute.

Add a little boiled water if necessary to avoid the spices sticking to the surface of the pot.

Add in the tomatoes.

Mix well & allow the tomatoes to cook until soft. (+-15 minutes).

When the tomatoes are cooked, add in the mutton or lamb pieces.

Mix well & allow the meat to cook until it is soft & tender.

When the meat is cooked, drop in the cooked lentils.

Mix well & add salt to taste.

Allow the lentils & meat to cook together for about 5 minutes.

Add some fresh dhania (coriander) to the pot & mix well.

Turn off the heat on the stove-top.

This Dhall Gosht meal can be served with bread, rice, roti or pita bread just as I have served it.

The taste of the pita bread accompanied with Dhall Gosht is superb.