Indian cooking
Baant (Lamb in a Spicy Sauce)

Baant

Lamb in a Spicy Sauce
Non-vegetarian●●●Origin UttarakhandPrep 15 minutesCook 1¼-1¾ hours

Tender lamb simmered in a pungent mustard oil and ginger-garlic gravy with a warm kick of chilli and coriander.

Spices for the paste

7 gBlended with ginger and garlic in step 1
01
3 g1 teaspoon
spice
03
3.4 g2 teaspoons
spice
Leave whole with the ground turmeric ready for pureeing.

Everything else

02
228 g250 ml
oil/fat
03
Onion · Pyazthinly sliced
250 g
vegetable
04
to taste
salt
05
3 g1 clove
aromatic
06
24 g1 piece
aromatic

Method

  1. Place 3 g garlic, 24 g peeled ginger, and the spices for the paste into a blender with a splash of water, processing to a smooth paste.
  2. Warm 228 g mustard oil in a heavy-based pan set over high heat, then drop the temperature slightly. Add 250 g thinly sliced onion and fry for around 4 minutes until pale golden.
  3. Stir in the pureed spice paste and salt to taste, frying vigorously for roughly 1 minute.
  4. Add 1000 g lamb and fry, turning the pieces regularly, until deeply browned.
  5. Pour in 2 litres of warm water and bring the liquid to a rolling boil. Lower the heat to medium and simmer gently for 1 to 1½ hours until the meat is completely tender, topping up with extra warm water if it dries out.

Don't have something?

Mixed lamb pieces
  • Lamb piece

    Use the same weight; cut into even 3 cm pieces so they cook at the same rate.

  • Lamb shoulder or leg

    Use the same weight; cut into 3 cm pieces. Shoulder is juicier and leg is leaner, so check tenderness.

  • Boneless lamb

    Use the same weight; it cooks faster, so reduce simmering by about 10 minutes and check early.

Mustard oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use equal weight. It handles high-heat cooking well, but lacks the signature pungent, nasal heat of mustard oil.

  • Vegetable oil

    Use equal weight. Neutral in flavour, so your curry will lack the characteristic Bengali or North Indian pungent punch.

Onion
  • Shallot

    Use equal weight, finely sliced. Shallots soften and brown faster, giving a slightly sweeter and more delicate base to curries.

  • Cabbage

    Use 80% of the weight, finely shredded and browned slowly with a pinch of asafoetida. Replicates the bulk and natural sweetness in gravies without allium.

Garlic
  • Garlic paste

    Use equal weight. Fry gently in oil or ghee with the ginger; incorporates smoothly into curries without visible minced bits.

  • Garlic powder

    Use 15% to 20% of the weight (about 1 g for every 5 to 6 g fresh cloves). Whisk into sauces; gives a savoury, toasted garlic flavour without raw pungency.

  • Shallot

    Use 1.5 times the weight, very finely minced. Sauté until golden; provides savoury allium sweetness, though it lacks garlic's pungent sulphur bite.

Ginger
  • Fresh ginger

    Use equal weight; scrape off the skin and grate or finely julienne according to the recipe.

  • Ginger paste

    Use equal weight; stir straight into the sizzling aromatics, taking care as the extra moisture may spit.

  • Ground ginger

    Use 15 to 20% of the weight; add alongside ground spices, noting it imparts warm, dry heat rather than zesty freshness.

Ground turmeric
  • Ground ginger

    Use 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.

  • Saffron

    Steep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Dried red chilli
  • Dried kashmiri chilli

    Use equal weight whole. Fry in hot oil or ghee as tempered spice; gives a richer red colour with slightly milder heat.

  • Red chilli powder

    Use 50% to 70% of the weight. Stir into the oil with ground spices; distributes heat evenly throughout the dish without whole chilli skins.

Coriander seeds
  • Ground coriander

    Use 75% of the weight; stir in along with wet masala or tomato purée rather than frying in hot oil, as the fine powder burns instantly.

  • Cumin seed

    Use 50% of the weight for tempering in hot oil. Lacks the floral, sweet citrus flavour of coriander, introducing warm, pungent earthiness instead.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 50% of the weight in tempering; provides pleasant aromatic sweetness, though noticeably aniseedy rather than citrusy.

Similar dishes

Bhutua
Spicy Fried Offal (Variety Meats)
It tastes much hotter and more intensely rich and oily, lacking the sweet, aromatic flavours of the ginger, garlic, and onion gravy in this dish.
  • Same: Bhutua shares the same mustard oil base seasoned with ground turmeric, dried red chilli, and coriander seeds.
  • Different: Instead of lamb simmered with onions, ginger, and garlic, Bhutua uses offal fried in twice the amount of mustard oil with a much higher proportion of dried red chilli.
Keeme ke Samose
Lamb Samosas
Keeme ke Samose is crisp, savory, and rich with a mild yogurt tang, lacking the pungent mustard oil punch and dried chilli heat of this dish.
  • Same: Both recipes feature lamb seasoned with onions, ginger, garlic, ground turmeric, and coriander seeds.
  • Different: Instead of simmering lamb in a mustard oil gravy, Keeme ke Samose mixes minced lamb with yogurt and fresh coriander leaf, encases it in pastry, and deep-fries it in ghee or vegetable oil without dried red chilli.
Garhua
Lambs' Feet
Garhua is much hotter due to a far larger quantity of dried red chilli, with a rich, gelatinous mouthfeel and smoky whole-spice notes.
  • Same: Both dishes simmer lamb in mustard oil with onions, ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander seeds, and dried red chillies.
  • Different: Garhua uses lamb trotters slow-cooked overnight instead of regular lamb cuts, halves the mustard oil, and adds bay leaf, black cardamom, and fresh coriander leaves.
Kaleji ka Salan
Liver Curry
Kaleji ka Salan tastes tangy and yoghurt-rich with savoury liver, while this dish tastes pungent from mustard oil with a warm chilli kick.
  • Same: Kaleji ka Salan shares onion, ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander and salt with this dish, and both are spiced gravies.
  • Different: Kaleji ka Salan uses liver instead of lamb, plain yogurt as a souring agent, vegetable oil instead of mustard oil, and mint; it lacks this dish's dried red chilli and coriander seeds.