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Indian cooking / Dishes / Ishtoo (I)
Ishtoo (I) (Lamb Stew (I))

Ishtoo (I)

Lamb Stew (I)
Non-vegetarian●●●Origin Delhi/BhopalPrep 30 minutesCook 2 hours

A slow-cooked lamb stew infused with whole spices, layered with sweet onions and tangy yogurt to create a rich, mellow gravy.

Whole spices for the stew

10 gCombined with the meat and aromatics in step 2
01
Dried red chilli · Sukhi Lal Mirch
10–12 g10–12 chillies
spice
02
Clove · Laung
0.4–0.4 g5–6 cloves
spice
Leave whole.

Everything else

01
Ghee or vegetable oil · Ghee ya tel
228 g250 ml
oil/fat
02
Lamb chops and hind leg pieces · Muttoncut into pieces
1000 g
meat
03
Onion · Pyazthinly sliced
1000 g
vegetable
04
Yogurt · Dahiwhisked
259 g250 ml
dairy
05
Garlic · Lehsun
3 g1 clove
aromatic
06
Salt · Namak
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Warm 228 g vegetable oil or ghee in a wide, heavy-bottomed pot set over the lowest heat.
  2. In a large bowl, thoroughly combine 1000 g lamb cut into pieces, 1000 g thinly sliced onion, 259 g whisked yogurt, 3 g garlic, the whole spices for the stew, and salt to taste.
  3. Transfer the mixture into the warm pot. Fit with a tight lid and let it simmer gently for around 2 hours, until the meat becomes thoroughly tender.

Don't have something?

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 chops and hind leg pieces
  • Lamb shoulder

    Use the same total weight; cut into chop-sized and larger pieces, and simmer 10–15 minutes longer.

  • Mixed lamb pieces

    Use the same weight; keep bone-in pieces for flavour and adjust time to the largest piece.

  • Lamb leg

    Use the same weight; cut into pieces, but it will be leaner and less gelatinous.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Similar dishes

Jangli Maas
Rustic Hunter's Lamb
Jangli Maas tastes purely of rich, fatty meat and sharp chilli heat, lacking the sweet, tangy, and aromatic notes provided by the onions, yogurt, and spices in this dish.
  • Same: Both are slow-cooked lamb dishes braised in ghee or oil with dried red chillies.
  • Different: Jangli Maas strips out the onions, yogurt, garlic, and cloves, cooking the meat solely in fat, salt, and chillies without a gravy.
Baant
Lamb in a Spicy Sauce
Baant has a sharper, more pungent, and earthy flavor from the mustard oil and ginger, lacking the mild, tangy sweetness provided by this dish's yogurt and onion base.
  • Same: Baant is also a simmered lamb curry prepared with onions, garlic, dried red chillies, and an identical amount of cooking fat.
  • Different: Baant uses mustard oil instead of vegetable oil or ghee, adds ginger, turmeric, and coriander seeds, and omits both the yogurt and the large quantity of onions found in this dish.
Qorma Dilpasand
Lamb Korma (II)
Qorma Dilpasand tastes more heavily spiced and more yogurt-tangy, with a richer ghee base and less onion sweetness than this dish.
  • Same: Qorma Dilpasand is a slow-cooked lamb dish with onions, yogurt, dried red chilli and clove, like this dish.
  • Different: Qorma Dilpasand uses 250 g ghee, 517 g yogurt, 250 g onion, ginger, garlic, coriander seeds, cinnamon, bay leaf, green cardamom, black peppercorn, mace and garam masala, while this dish uses 228 g oil or ghee, 259 g yogurt, 1000 g onion, garlic, dried red chilli and clove.
Bhutua
Spicy Fried Offal (Variety Meats)
Bhutua tastes sharper from mustard oil and chilli-coriander, without this dish's sweet onion and tangy yogurt mellow gravy.
  • Same: Bhutua shares slow cooking, dried red chilli and salt with this dish.
  • Different: Bhutua uses mixed offal, mustard oil, turmeric and coriander seeds, and lacks this dish's lamb, onion, yogurt, garlic, clove and ghee.