Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Andhra Chintakaya Chaap
Andhra Chintakaya Chaap (Tamarind & Ginger Lamb Chop Curry)

Andhra Chintakaya Chaap

Tamarind & Ginger Lamb Chop Curry
Non-vegetarianOrigin Andhra

Lamb chops braised with caramelised onions, tamarind and potato in a thin, tangy sauce, with ginger and mild chilli warmth.

Ground spices for the chops

3.1 gStirred in after the chops have fried (step 5)
01
2 g1 teaspoon
spice
02
1.1 g½ teaspoon
spice
Stir the mustard powder and chilli powder together before adding.

Everything else

01
1000 g10 chops
meat
02
Fresh ginger · Adrakblended to a paste (about 2 tbsp)
20 g5 cm
aromatic
03
54 g4 tablespoons
oil/fat
04
450 g
vegetable
05
149 g150 ml
liquid
06
to taste
salt
07
125 g
vegetable
08
Tamarind paste · Imli pasteheaped, or to taste
6 g1 teaspoon
souring agent
09
Coriander · Dhaniachopped, to garnish
to taste
herb

Method

  1. Put 1000 g lamb chop in a bowl with 10 g ginger root paste and turn to coat; leave for a few hours or overnight.
  2. Heat 54 g vegetable oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium heat.
  3. Add 450 g white onion and fry for 35–40 minutes, stirring and scraping up browned bits, until caramelised and light brown.
  4. Add the lamb chops and fry for 2–3 minutes.
  5. Add the masala, mix well and fry for 5 minutes.
  6. Add 50 g water and salt to taste, cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes.
  7. Add 125 g potato, 6 g tamarind paste and the remaining 99 g water; cook for 12–14 minutes until the potato is tender, adding a little more water only if needed for a very light sauce.
  8. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Don't have something?

Lamb chop
  • Pork

    Use equal weight of bone-in pork chops; cook over medium heat, taking care not to dry them out, done in 10-12 minutes.

  • Lamb shoulder

    Use equal weight cut into thick steaks; requires lower, slower braising for 45 minutes longer to become tender.

Fresh ginger
  • Ginger paste

    Use equal weight. Sauté in hot fat until the raw allium smell disappears; slightly wetter, but provides identical warmth and pungency.

  • Ground ginger

    Use 20% to 25% of the weight (1 g for every 4 to 5 g fresh). Stir into the gravy; adds peppery heat and warmth, though it misses the crisp, zesty kick of raw root.

Vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

  • Ghee

    Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.

  • Mustard oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

White onion
  • Brown onion

    Use the same weight; it is the closest everyday match, with a slightly deeper sweetness when fried.

  • Red onion

    Use the same weight; it is sharper and will tint the dish pink, so cook a little longer for sweetness.

  • Shallot

    Use the same weight; it is milder and sweeter, so reduce frying time slightly to avoid burning.

Mustard powder
  • Ground mustard seed

    Use equal weight. Finely grind whole black or yellow mustard seeds in a spice grinder; yellow gives milder heat, black gives stronger pungency.

  • Mustard seeds

    Use equal weight, crushed to a paste with a splash of water using a pestle and mortar. Adds a similar sharp bite.

Mild chilli powder
  • Mild paprika

    Use the same weight for colour and low heat; add a small pinch of hot chilli powder if needed.

  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    Use the same weight; similar colour, slightly more heat. Taste before adding more.

  • Red chilli powder

    Use half the weight and make up with mild paprika; red chilli powder is usually hotter.

Water
  • Stock

    Use the same weight in savoury dishes; it adds body, so adjust salt.

  • Milk

    Use the same weight only in doughs or creamy dishes; it makes the result richer.

  • Coconut water

    Use the same weight in curries or rice; it adds sweetness and a faint coconut taste.

Potato
  • Eggplant

    Use equal weight. Cut into large chunks; cooks down much faster (10-12 minutes) and softens into the sauce rather than staying starchy and firm.

  • Paneer

    Use 80% of the weight. Cube and add in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking; adds rich dairy protein instead of starchy bulk.

  • Dried chickpea

    Use 45% dry weight. Soak overnight and boil until fully soft before stirring into the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes.

Tamarind paste
  • Tamarind pulp

    Use 120–150% of the weight and strain; pulp is less concentrated, so simmer a little longer to thicken.

  • Tamarind extract

    Use 150–200% of the weight and reduce gently; extract is already diluted.

  • Lime juice

    Use 60–70% of the weight with a pinch of jaggery; sharper, so add near the end off the heat.

Coriander
  • Coriander leaf

    Use equal weight, chopped fresh and stirred in off the heat or used as garnish. Matches the citrus-herbal profile identically.

  • Mint

    Use 40% to 50% of the weight; chop finely and add at the very end. Adds fresh herbal brightness, but shifts the aroma toward cool menthol.

Similar dishes

Chintakkai Chaamp
Lamb Chops with Tamarind
Chintakkai Chaamp tastes more sour and minty-herbal with green-chilli heat, while this dish is thinner, milder and coriander-fresh.
  • Same: Chintakkai Chaamp shares lamb chops, onions, potato, tamarind, ginger, mustard powder and chilli with this dish, and both braise the meat in a tangy sauce.
  • Different: Chintakkai Chaamp uses green chilli, mint and tamarind extract, has much more onion, potato and oil and less lamb, and lacks this dish's coriander, added water and ginger root.
Attirachi Perelan
Malabar Spicy Lamb Curry
Attirachi Perelan is savoury and spicy with a lightly creamy coconut milk gravy and fennel, pepper and cardamom aroma, while this dish is thin, tangy from tamarind and ginger-forward with mild chilli.
  • Same: Attirachi Perelan shares lamb, potato, white onion, ginger, vegetable oil, chilli heat and a coriander garnish with this dish.
  • Different: Attirachi Perelan uses lamb leg on the bone, a turmeric marinade, tomato, garlic, fennel, black peppercorn, green bird's-eye chilli, ground coriander, Kashmiri chilli powder, green cardamom, curry leaf and coconut milk, and it lacks this dish's tamarind paste and mustard powder.
Roast Mutton
Roast Lamb
Roast Mutton tastes richer and more peppery-garlicky from its Worcestershire gravy, with less tang and less chilli warmth than this dish’s thin tamarind-ginger sauce.
  • Same: Roast Mutton shares lamb, potato, onion, ginger, vegetable oil and salt with this dish, and both are slow-cooked.
  • Different: Roast Mutton uses leg of lamb, garlic paste, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper and plain flour for a rich gravy, with no tamarind, mustard powder, mild chilli powder or coriander, while this dish braises lamb chops with tamarind and ginger in a thin sauce.
Aloo ka Salan
Lamb with Potatoes in Yoghurt Sauce
It tastes rich, creamy and gently tangy from yogurt with aromatic spice, while this dish is thin, sharply tangy from tamarind and ginger-forward with mild chilli.
  • Same: Aloo ka Salan shares lamb, potato, onion, ginger and salt with this dish.
  • Different: It uses ghee and yogurt instead of vegetable oil and tamarind, adds garlic, ground coriander, turmeric and garam masala, and simmers lamb chunks with much more potato in a yoghurt sauce rather than braising chops in a thin tamarind sauce.