You could forgive me for my interrupted occurrences because I have brought this super awesome Indian lamb curry in the traditional dhaba style only for you! Not sure what the heck this dhaba style is? Read on to discover more!
With each passing day, we grow a bit. Not only physically but mentally as well. Our environment contributes a lot towards our growth. Had it not been the environment I am currently in, I might have been a completely different person doing entirely different things in life and living with entirely opposite desires may be!
Do you wonder like the same sometimes? The reason behind this chain of thought is that a recent change in my environment has brought in significant change in my mental well-being.
Although we love to boast (well many of us if not all!) a long friend list in our social media account, but we all know inside that there are only few who are actually the ‘friends‘! I have recently rediscovered those special few during totally unexpected turn of events!
I feel I have become a happier person now after rediscovering friendship in its true sense and this discovery has brought out all the positivity inside me and has helped me connect with the real world as comfortably as I connect with my very own virtual world!
Just like I learn a new trick of cooking every time I cook a new dish, such incidences teach us many truths of life and these learnings, I believe, are the only thing worth living for!
To share an example with you guys, today’s recipe of spicy Indian lamb curry dhaba style is something new that I tried for the first time and it gave me immense pleasure. In this recipe of lamb curry, I tried my hands on dhaba style cooking which is very much pro-Indian and have a rustic characteristic of its own.
I know it’s being a roller coaster time for my blog with too many downs than ups! I am guilty as charged and I don’t have valid excuse to save my grace! I know you all love me and only because of your love and support I am still going strong.
Do stand by me for some more time till I settle things down at my end and be as regular here as I was before. I promise I will! I so much want to make this blog my full-time job, but at the moment I am not in a position to afford quitting my day job.
It’s not that I dislike my 9 to 5 job (9 to 10 to be honest!) or anything (I do like playing with numbers which is what a business analyst does!), but I love more to be in kitchen and play with my cooking ingredients to churn out new & exciting dishes which would tantalize our taste buds! Just like this spicy dhaba style lamb curry!
Today’s recipe of spicy lamb curry is dedicated to all my lovely friends who has become very close to my heart and a very important part of my life. This lamb curry is an authentic Indian recipe which is majorly popular on the highways.
Dhabas are those very important food stalls which serve you delicious food on your road trips. They have their own style of cooking which may not be on a very healthier side, but in terms of taste they can give the fine dining restaurants a run for their money!
The dhaba style lamb curry is rich and full of all traditional Indian flavors which will lure you back to highways again and again and you will never wish your road trips to ever end just like the true friendship!
- Lamb meat – 500 gms (I used a mix of bone-in and boneless pieces)
- Ginger paste – 3 tbsp
- Garlic paste – 3 tbsp
- Yogurt – 1 cup
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Red chilli powder – ½ tsp
- Salt – ½ tsp
- Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
- Coriander seeds – 2 tsp
- Black peppercorn – 1 tsp
- Cinnamon – 2 inch stick
- Mace – 1 tsp (about 2 inch piece)
- Onions – 5, large, finely chopped
- Dry red chilli – 2
- Cinnamon sticks – 1 inch piece
- Cloves – 4 to 6
- Green cardamom – 4 to 6
- Bay leaves – 2
- Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
- Garam masala – 1 tsp
- Mustard oil – 6 tbsp
- Ghee (clarified butter) – 2 tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Freshly chopped coriander – 1 cup
- Wash the lamb and trim off any excess fat though this is optional. You can retain the fat for extra richness.
- Add all the ingredients listed under marinade to the lamb and give a good mix so that all lamb pieces are coated well with the yogurt-spice mixture. Cover (preferably with a cling-film) and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to overnight.
- Next put together the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks, mace and whole black peppercorn in a spice grinder and grind it till they turn into a fine powder. Set aside.
- To make the curry, you can use either of the 2 options – pressure cooking or slow cooking. Put a pressure cooker or a heavy bottomed pan (if slow cooking) on high flame and add the oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds, dry red chillies, bay leaves, clovers, cardamom and cinnamon sticks. Let the spices crackle and bring out the aroma.
- Add in the chopped onions and saute for 10 minutes on medium heat until golden brown. Next add turmeric and red chilli powder and stir well.
- As the spices become fragrant, add the marinated lamb along with all the marinating liquid and stir everything to combine. Saute for couple of minutes on medium heat.
- Then add the prepared spice mix and mix well. Cover and let the lamb cook under low-medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes without putting the pressure valve. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan. This process of sautéing the lamb in oil with the spices brings out maximum flavor and creates delicious taste which is beyond any explanation.
- If you are slow-cooking, continue with this process and once the spice starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, add about 2 cups of water and bring to boil. Then simmer and cover the pan and let the lamb cook for another 30 minutes or until the meat turns tender. You may need to add water in between if the spices still stick to the bottom.
- If you are pressure cooking, add about 1 & ½ cups of water after sautéing the lamb well with the spices. Then tightly attach the lid with the pressure valve on and put the cooker on medium flame. Let the cooker stand until 3 whistles and then switch the flame off.
- Uncover the cooker lid only after all the pressure is vented out and check if the meat is cooked to your liking. If not, cover the lid again and cook until another 1 or 2 whistles.
- Once the meat is fully cooked (pressure cooked or slow cooked), adjust the desired consistency of the curry by adding more water if too thick or boiling off excess water it too thin. Add garam masala and ghee and give a final mix.
- Finally sprinkle the freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve the dhaba style lamb curry piping hot with fluffy white rice or some butter naans! Enjoy!
Liked the recipe? Let us know!