Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Bhuna Gosht (II)
Bhuna Gosht (II) (Roasted Lamb)

Bhuna Gosht (II)

Roasted Lamb
Non-vegetarian●●●Origin AwadhPrep 30 minutesCook 1 hour

A richly spiced, slow-cooked lamb dish where meat is browned and roasted in concentrated aromatics to produce a thick, clinging sauce with a deep, savoury flavour.

Ground spices

14 gMixed with water and fried with the onions (step 3)
01
Ground coriander · Dhania Powder
3.6 g2 teaspoons
spice
02
Ground cumin · Jeera Powder
2.6 g1 teaspoon
spice
03
Ground turmeric · Haldi
3 g1 teaspoon
spice
04
Chilli powder · Lal Mirch Powder
5 g2 teaspoons
spice
Blend with 2 tablespoons of water to create a loose paste.

Whole spices

6 gBloomed in the hot oil (step 1)
01
Bay leaf · Tej Patta
0.5 g1 leaf
spice
02
Clove · Laung
0.2–0.3 g3–4 cloves
spice
03
Black cardamom pod · Badi Elaichi
3.8 g2 pods
spice
04
Cassia bark (Chinese cinnamon) · Dalchiniabout 2.5cm / 1 inch long
1.3 g1 piece
spice
Leave whole to temper directly in the oil.

Ginger and garlic pastes

31 gAdded alongside the ground spice paste (step 3)
01
Ginger paste · Adrak PasteMake it: Pisi Adrak →
16 g1 tablespoon
aromatic
02
Garlic paste · Lahsun PasteMake it: Pisi Lehsun →
16 g1 tablespoon
aromatic
Combine together in a small bowl.

Everything else

01
Vegetable oil · Tel
114 g125 ml
oil/fat
02
Onion · Pyazsliced
300 g2 onions
vegetable
03
Bone-in lamb · Mutton with bonecut into medium-sized pieces
1000 g
meat
04
Salt · Namak
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Warm 114 g vegetable oil in a large, heavy pan set over medium heat, then tip in the whole spices and 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, frying for roughly 1 minute until sizzling and fragrant.
  2. Tumble in 300 g sliced onion and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until richly browned.
  3. Add the ginger and garlic pastes, the ground spices paste, and salt to taste, stirring continuously for 1 to 2 minutes.
  4. Add 1000 g lamb and fry for around 30 minutes, turning regularly and splashing in a trickle of water if the bottom starts to stick.
  5. Pour in 250 ml hot water, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and gently simmer for 15 minutes until the gravy thickens.
  6. Raise the heat and roast the meat, stirring steadily, until the oil separates and floats to the top, then remove from the heat.

Don't have something?

Ground coriander
  • Coriander seeds

    Dry-roast lightly in a pan and grind to a fine powder; use equal weight (1:1). Offers a noticeably fresher, brighter citrus note.

  • Ground cumin

    Use 50% to 75% of the weight. Lacks the floral, citrusy profile of coriander and turns the gravy heavier, earthier, and darker.

  • Garam masala

    Use 50% of the weight and stir in near the end of cooking. Adds warmth and depth since it contains ground coriander, but introduces stronger spices like clove and cinnamon.

Ground cumin
  • Cumin seed

    Dry-roast briefly and grind finely; use equal weight (1:1). Imparts an even punchier, nuttier, toasty aroma than pre-ground cumin.

  • Ground coriander

    Use equal weight (1:1). Adds mild, lemony sweetness rather than cumin's smoky, earthy bite; curries will taste lighter and less savoury.

  • Black cumin seeds

    Grind finely; use 60% to 75% of the weight. Produces a darker, more complex, smoky-herbal flavour suited to rich gravies.

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.

Chilli powder
  • Red chilli powder

    Use 100% of the weight. Provides direct, sharp heat and red colour in equal measure.

  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    Use 150% to 200% of the weight if matching colour, but add a pinch of black pepper or hot chilli if you need equivalent fiery heat.

  • Cayenne pepper

    Use 75% to 100% of the weight. Offers a sharp, clean heat with slightly less earthy depth and less crimson colour.

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.

Bay leaf
  • Cinnamon stick

    Use a 2 cm piece (about 1 g) for every 1 to 2 bay leaves. Fry in whole-spice temperings; provides the cassia-like warmth typical of Indian tejpatta.

  • Ground cinnamon (cassia)

    Use 0.5 g per leaf. Stir into the sauce during simmering; gives the same warm woodiness but darkens the colour slightly.

Clove
  • Ground cloves

    Use 1 g ground for 4 g whole (or 1 small pinch per 2 to 3 whole cloves). Add with spice powders; disperses intense warmth quickly, so use with restraint.

  • Allspice berries

    Use 100% of the weight whole in tempering. Imparts a warm, clove-like aromatic profile combined with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon.

  • Black cardamom pod

    Use 1 pod for 3 to 4 cloves in whole tempering. Shares a camphor-like warmth and medicinal depth, though it introduces a distinct smoky undertone.

Black peppercorn
  • Coarsely ground black pepper

    Use 75% of the weight. Add midway through simmering; spreads heat evenly through the dish instead of delivering isolated bursts.

  • Ground black pepper

    Use 50% of the weight. Stir in near the end of cooking; significantly darkens light gravies and provides an immediate, sharp bite.

Black cardamom pod
  • Ground black cardamom

    Use 0.5 g of ground seeds for each whole pod. Stir directly into the curry base; delivers identical smoky flavour without woody husks.

  • Green cardamom pod

    Use equal pod count or weight. Crack slightly and fry whole; tastes sweet, menthol-fresh, and floral rather than dark and smoky.

Cassia bark
  • Ceylon cinnamon

    True cinnamon: thinner, papery quills, milder and sweeter. Use about 1.5 times the weight, and taste.

  • Ground cinnamon (cassia)

    Use about a third of the weight (0.5 g ground for a 2.5 cm piece), stirred in with the ground spices rather than fried whole, since the powder burns quickly.

  • Cassia buds

    Use 60-70% of the weight; stronger and more peppery, so taste before adding more.

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.

Ginger paste
  • Fresh ginger

    Use equal weight; peel and grate very finely on a microplane or pound to a fine paste in a mortar.

  • Ginger

    Use equal weight; mince finely and crush with the flat of a knife before frying.

  • Ground ginger

    Use 20% of the weight; add directly with the dry spice powders, though it yields an earthier, less pungent profile.

Garlic paste
  • Garlic

    Use equal weight; crush or finely grate to a smooth pulp to replicate the same fresh, pungent moisture in your base gravy.

  • Garlic powder

    Use 20 to 25% of the weight; mix with a teaspoon of water before adding to oil so it does not burn, noting it lacks the fresh bite.

Bone-in lamb
  • Boneless lamb

    Use 75–80% of the weight; brown as usual and simmer 15–20 minutes less, as there is no bone to slow cooking.

  • Lamb shoulder

    Use same weight, cut into pieces and keep any bone for stock; cooking time is similar but the curry will be richer.

  • Leg of lamb

    Use same weight, cut into pieces; it is leaner, so simmer 10 minutes less and do not overcook.

Similar dishes

Nahari
Morning Delight
Nahari tastes tangier, more aromatic, and less chilli-heavy, with a smooth, flour-thickened gravy rather than a dry, intensely roasted sauce.
  • Same: Nahari also slow-cooks lamb using onions, ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander, chilli powder, cinnamon, cloves, and black cardamom.
  • Different: Nahari cooks in pungent mustard oil rather than vegetable oil, incorporates yogurt, black pepper, and chickpea flour to make a velvety stew, and omits the cumin and bay leaf used in this dish.
Malgoba
Thick & Spicy Lamb Curry
Malgoba tastes tangier and creamier from the yogurt, with a richer ghee base, while this dish is more dry-roasted and concentrated in its clinging spice sauce.
  • Same: Both are slow-cooked bone-in or leg/shoulder lamb dishes built on onion, ginger, black cardamom, clove, black peppercorn, ground coriander, turmeric, and chilli powder.
  • Different: Malgoba uses ghee instead of vegetable oil, adds a large amount of plain yogurt and a little plain flour, and lacks this dish's garlic paste, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick.
Mirchiwala Gosht
Peppery Lamb Curry
Mirchiwala Gosht is much tangier and delivers a sharper, multi-layered chilli heat compared to the concentrated, roasted, and purely savoury profile of this dish.
  • Same: Mirchiwala Gosht also slow-cooks lamb with onions, black cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves.
  • Different: Unlike this dry-roasted dish, Mirchiwala Gosht stews the meat in a large yogurt base with ghee and incorporates five forms of chillies—fresh green, whole dried red, yellow, Kashmiri, and standard chilli powder—while omitting bay leaf and fresh ginger paste.
Masaledar Mutton
Lamb Masala
Masaledar Mutton tastes more tangy from tomato and fresher from green chilli in a ghee-rich onion-tomato sauce, while this dish tastes more roasted and savoury with a thick clinging sauce.
  • Same: Masaledar Mutton shares slow-cooked lamb, onion, ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric, coriander, cumin, chilli powder, bay leaf and salt with this dish.
  • Different: Masaledar Mutton adds ghee, tomato, garam masala, green chilli and extra ginger, while this dish uses only vegetable oil and includes whole black cardamom, clove, black peppercorn and cinnamon.