Lamb cooked in warming spices
Gosht meaning red meat and Beliram being the famous historical head chef in Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s kitchen, was renowned for being the best cook of that time. And who was Maharaja Ranjit Singh? Popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab – the lion of Punjab – he was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire ruling the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. Did you know he fought his first battle at the tender age of 10?!
It’s been said that the Maharaja was so happy with the dish, he himself named it ‘Gosht Beliram’ so that his name would always be remembered through his recipe.
Meanwhile, in 1970’s Southall, my lovely Dad who hailed from generations of a farming background in the Punjab, was now working as a labourer. He started working in a rubber factory and then moved on to work for BEA – British European Airways which merged with BOAC – British Overseas Airways Corporation – to form what we now know as British Airways. My mother in law to this day still calls it BOC – as she also worked there for many years. Does anyone else have a connection to the airline?
So Dad ate simple meals consisting of vegetarian dishes during the week but come the weekend and he was ready to eat like a King – and his Queen, my Mum would make this delicious lamb curry for the whole family. I hope you will enjoy it as much as Maharaja Ranjit Singh and my kind, humble, loving Dad did.
Ingredients – Serves 6
For the marinade –
1 kilo of lamb leg – cleaned and cut into pieces – ask the butcher to throw the bone in too
3 heaped tbsp of yogurt
2 heaped tbsp chopped ginger
2 heaped tbsp chopped garlic
Green chillies to taste
1 heaped tsp turmeric
1 heaped tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
Salt to taste
2 tsp kashmiri chilli
2 tsp garam masala
1 cup fried onions – fry 2 sliced red onions in a little oil until they caramelise, then lay out on a tray and dehydrate in the oven on a low heat – alternatively you can use the air-fryer for this. Or buy ready-made from any good Indian grocer.
- Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate until needed, for a minimum 3 hours and remove 30 minutes before you plan to cook
For the sauce –
1 tbsp ghee
1 tbsp cooking oil
2-inch piece of cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves torn into pieces
4 green cardamom
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp crushed coriander seeds
2 large onions diced finely
300g plum tomatoes – pureed in a blender or mashed
2 large potatoes – cubed and par-boiled – this is optional
A handful of chopped coriander leaves to garnish
- Heat the oil and ghee in a deep heavy based pan on a medium low heat and once warm add the cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom and cumin and coriander seeds
- When the hard spices begin to move in the pan and release their oils, add the diced onions and sauté on a medium heat until they are caramelised and brown in colour – adding a pinch of salt can help this process
- Now add the marinated meat to the pan and turn the heat up to high as you fry the meat for a few minutes
- Turn the heat to low and cover and cook for 30 minutes
- Pour on the tomatoes, stirring in well and fry on high heat for about 3 minutes, until the oil rises to the top of the pan, and then lower the heat and cover and cook for a further 30 minutes
- If you feel the sauce is drying out then add a little boiled water from the kettle to loosen it up
- Once the meat is almost cooked through, add the potatoes if using, and cover and and cook on a low heat until the meat is tender, stirring regularly.
- Garnish with the chopped coriander and serve with roti, naan or rice