Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Do Pyaza
Do Pyaza (Spiced Lamb)

Do Pyaza

Spiced Lamb
Non-vegetarian●●●Origin AwadhPrep 40 minutes, plus cooling timeCook 1 hour 10 minutes

A richly spiced lamb curry built around onions cooked in two distinct styles—pureed into the gravy and fried crisp—yielding a deep, savoury sauce with warming whole and ground spices.

Stewing spices

8 gAdded to the pan with the lamb and yoghurt (step 3)
01
0.3–0.4 g4–6 cloves
spice
02
1.1–1.4 g6–8 pods
spice
03
4.2 g2 teaspoons
spice
04
2.6 g1 teaspoon
spice
Keep together in a small bowl; they enter the pan as a single batch.

Everything else

01
Onion · Pyazroughly chopped
250 g
vegetable
02
24 g1 piece
aromatic
04
250 g
vegetable
05
Lamb · Goshtcut into pieces
1000 g
meat
06
259 g250 ml
dairy
07
2 g2 tablespoons
herb
08
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Purée 250 g roughly chopped onion in a blender until smooth and set aside. Separately blend 24 g peeled ginger into a fine paste and set aside.
  2. Warm 300 g ghee or vegetable oil in a broad, heavy pan over medium heat. Tip in 250 g sliced onion and fry for 5–7 minutes until deep golden brown. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a plate, allow to cool, then crumble thoroughly with your hands.
  3. Add 1000 g lamb pieces, the onion paste, ginger paste, 259 g whisked yogurt, the stewing spices, and salt to taste into the hot fat remaining in the pan. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking and adding small splashes of water if the base catches, until the meat is cooked through and the moisture has mostly reduced.
  4. Stir in the crushed fried onions, 2 tsp garam masala, 2 g chopped coriander leaf, and 250 ml water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer gently for about 30 minutes before taking off the heat.

Don't have something?

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
  • 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.

Ghee or vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use equal weight; handles high tempering heat well and keeps flavours neutral.

  • Butter

    Use equal weight; cook over gentle heat to prevent browning the milk solids too quickly.

Lamb
  • Pork

    Use equal weight of pork shoulder or collar; cut into identical cubes and braise, reducing cooking time by 15-20 minutes.

  • Chicken

    Use equal weight of bone-in chicken thighs; curry simmers in roughly 25 minutes instead of over an hour, with a much lighter sauce.

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.

Yogurt
  • Plain yogurt

    Use 100% of the weight. Whisk thoroughly until smooth before stirring into warm gravies to prevent curdling.

  • Single cream

    Use 90% of the weight combined with 10% lemon juice to replicate the lactic tang and rich body in marinades and curries.

Green cardamom pod
  • Green cardamom seed

    Use 35 to 40% of the total pod weight; lightly bruise the seeds before frying in oil to release their essential oils.

  • Ground green cardamom

    Use 20 to 25% of the pod weight (about 1 generous pinch per pod); stir in toward the end of cooking so the delicate floral notes do not dissipate.

  • White cardamom pod

    Use 1:1 by pod count or weight; crack gently before using, though it is slightly less intensely floral.

Cumin seed
  • Ground cumin

    Use 70% of the weight; add with ground spices or sauce bases rather than hot oil tempering, where it scorches quickly and turns bitter.

  • Black cumin seeds

    Use equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.

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.

Garam masala
  • Ground cumin

    Use 50% of the weight mixed with equal parts ground coriander and a pinch of ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground green cardamom. Sprinkle near the end for a warming finish.

  • Lentil stew spice mix

    Use 75% of the weight. Simmer briefly in the gravy; imparts roasted warmth and complexity, though it adds a slight tang and earthy lentil undertone.

Coriander leaf
  • Coriander

    Use equal weight finely chopped; this is the exact same fresh herb.

  • Mint

    Use half the weight finely chopped; provides vibrant green freshness, though the flavour profile becomes noticeably cooler and sharper.

Similar dishes

Elayachi Gosht
Cardamom-flavoured Lamb
Elayachi Gosht tastes sharper, tangier, and intensely cardamom-forward, whereas this dish is richer and warmer with a distinct savoury sweetness from caramelized onions.
  • Same: Both recipes braise lamb with generous amounts of onions, yoghurt, ginger, chilli powder, and green cardamom.
  • Different: Elayachi Gosht uses far more yoghurt, fresh green chillies, and large amounts of black and ground green cardamom, but uses less fat and omits the cumin seeds, cloves, garam masala, and two-stage pureed and fried onion method of this dish.
Qorma Dilpasand
Lamb Korma (II)
Qorma Dilpasand tastes more yogurt-sour and whole-spice aromatic, with less cumin and chilli powder heat than this dish.
  • Same: Qorma Dilpasand shares lamb, onion, ginger, yogurt, ghee, green cardamom, clove and garam masala with this dish.
  • Different: It adds garlic, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, black peppercorn, mace, coriander seeds and dried red chilli, uses more yogurt and less ghee, and lacks this dish's cumin seed, chilli powder, coriander leaf and second batch of fried onion.
Dahiwala Meat
Lamb in Yoghurt Sauce (I)
Dahiwala Meat tastes tangier and more aromatic from its larger yogurt amount and black cardamom/cinnamon, while this dish tastes richer and more savoury from ghee and crisp fried onions.
  • Same: Dahiwala Meat shares lamb, yogurt, onion, ghee, clove, green cardamom, garam masala, chilli powder and coriander leaf with this dish.
  • Different: Dahiwala Meat adds garlic paste, black cardamom, cinnamon, green chilli and ground coriander, uses far less ghee (66 g vs 300 g) and more yogurt (517 g vs 259 g), and lacks this dish's cumin seed and pureed-plus-crisp onion treatment.
Aloo Gosht
Lamb with Potatoes
Aloo Gosht tastes tangier from tomato and starchier from potato, with less fat and no yogurt richness, than this dish's deep savoury onion and yogurt sauce.
  • Same: Aloo Gosht shares lamb, onion, ginger, cumin seed, chilli powder, garam masala, clove, green cardamom and a spiced fat-based curry method with this dish.
  • Different: Aloo Gosht adds pan-fried potato, tomato, garlic, black cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf and mace and uses only 114 g oil or ghee with no yogurt or crisp fried onion, while this dish uses 1000 g lamb, 300 g fat, yogurt and onion in pureed and fried forms.