Daal Gosht

Ingredients

• 200 g chana daal, washed and soaked in water for 1 hour, then drained
• 750 g bone-in mutton, cut into medium pieces and washed
• 5 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 1½ tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• ½ cup plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1½ tsp salt, or to taste
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 3 green chillies, slit lengthwise
• 800 ml hot water
• ½ tsp garam masala powder
• 2 tbsp ghee, for the tarka
• 1 tsp cumin seeds, for the tarka
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, for the tarka
• 3 whole dried red chillies, for the tarka
• 3 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger, cut into thin matchsticks, to garnish

Instructions

1. Soak the chana daal in plenty of water for 1 hour, then drain. Wash the mutton and pat it dry, and slice the onions, tomatoes and chillies while you wait.
2. Heat the oil in the pot over medium heat. Fry the sliced onions, stirring often, until deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Lower the heat if they darken too fast.
3. Add the mutton and ginger-garlic paste. Turn the heat up to medium-high and fry, stirring, until the meat loses its raw pink colour and the oil begins to shine, about 12 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to low and add the yogurt, turmeric, chilli, coriander, cumin and salt. Stir constantly for 2 minutes so the yogurt does not curdle, then add the tomatoes and green chillies.
5. Cook the masala over medium heat until the tomatoes break down and oil separates at the edges, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle in a splash of water if it catches on the base.
6. Add the drained daal and the hot water, and stir well. In a pressure cooker, seal the lid and cook for 25 minutes after full pressure, then let the pressure release naturally. In an open pot, cover and simmer on low for about 1 hour 15 minutes, until the mutton is tender.
7. Open the pot. The mutton should pull easily from the bone and the daal should be soft and starting to break down. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, mashing a few daal grains against the side, until the gravy is thick and spoonable. Stir in the garam masala.
8. For the tarka, heat the ghee in a small pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, and when they sizzle, add the garlic and dried chillies. Fry for about 1 minute until the garlic is light golden, without letting it burn.
9. Pour the hot tarka over the daal gosht, cover for 2 minutes to trap the aroma, then stir gently. Garnish with fresh coriander and ginger matchsticks.

Tips

• Brown the onions well. Their sweetness and colour give the gravy its depth, so do not rush this step.
• Soaking the daal helps it cook at the same pace as the mutton, so you get soft grains without the meat turning stringy.
• Have the water hot when you add it. Cold water can slow the cooking and make the meat tougher.
• If the gravy thickens too much on standing, loosen it with a few spoonfuls of hot water rather than cooking it further.