Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Parsi Salli Boti
Parsi Salli Boti (Apricot Lamb Curry with Crispy Potato Straws)

Parsi Salli Boti

Apricot Lamb Curry with Crispy Potato Straws
Non-vegetarianOrigin Mumbai

A Parsi-style lamb curry with a rich, sweet-sour gravy from apricots, jaggery and vinegar, warm spices, and a topping of crisp potato straws.

Whole spices for the oil

1.3 gAdded to the hot oil at the start (step 3)
01
0.9 g5 pods
spice
02
0.4 g6 cloves
spice
Keep whole: they go into the hot oil together.

Ground spices for the sauce

8 gStirred in after the ginger-garlic paste (step 6)
Keep ground and ready to add together.

Finishing spices

2.4 gStirred in after the heat is turned off (step 12)
01
Cumin seed · Jeeracoarsely ground
1.1 g½ teaspoon
spice
02
1.3 g½ teaspoon
spice blend
Keep ground; add off the heat.

Everything else

01
Fresh ginger · Adrakroughly chopped
20 g5 cm
aromatic
02
Garlic · Lehsunroughly chopped
18 g6 cloves
aromatic
03
Tomato · Tamatarroughly chopped
100 g
vegetable
04
16 g1 tablespoon
vegetable
05
54 g4 tablespoons
oil/fat
06
260 g
vegetable
07
Lamb leg · Raancut into 3 cm (1¼ in) pieces
850 g
meat
08
1.5 g1 chilli
vegetable
09
298 g300 ml
liquid
10
25 g2 tablespoons
sweetener
11
16 g4 solds
fruit
12
15 g1 tablespoon
souring agent
13
to taste
vegetable

Method

  1. Blend 10 g ginger, 18 g garlic and a splash of the 298 g water to a smooth paste. Scrape out and set aside.
  2. Blend 100 g tomato and 15.6 g tomato purée to a fine paste. Set aside.
  3. Heat 54 g vegetable oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the whole spices for the oil and let them sizzle for a few seconds.
  4. Add 260 g onion and fry for 15–17 minutes, stirring, until softened and browned.
  5. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for 1 minute, stirring. Add a splash of water and scrape the pan bottom.
  6. Add the ground spices for the sauce and fry for a few seconds.
  7. Add the tomato mixture, stir well and fry for 2–3 minutes.
  8. Add 850 g lamb, cut into 3 cm pieces, and cook for 5 minutes, turning to coat with the masala and seal all over.
  9. Add 2 g green chilli and 150 g of the 298 g water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer over low heat for 40 minutes, stirring a few times.
  10. Add the remaining water, cover and simmer over low heat for a further 40 minutes, stirring a few times, until darker and richer.
  11. Add 25.2 g jaggery or caster sugar, 16 g dried apricot and 15 g malt vinegar. Cook for 1 minute.
  12. Turn off the heat and stir in the finishing spices.
  13. Top with potato straws to taste.

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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.

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.

Tomato
  • Tomato purée

    Use 40% to 50% of the fresh tomato weight mixed with a splash of water. Imparts a deeper red colour, thicker sauce, and slightly sweeter cooked flavour.

  • Plain yogurt

    Use 60% of the weight, whisked smooth and added on low heat. Provides rich body and sourness, though the gravy becomes paler and creamier.

Tomato purée
  • Tomato

    Use 200% to 250% of the weight. Finely grate or blend fresh tomatoes, then cook them down until the moisture evaporates and the oil separates.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Kashmiri chilli powder or mild paprika
  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    Use the same weight; this is the first half of the book's option and gives the best red colour with mild heat.

  • Mild paprika

    Use the same weight; add a pinch of cayenne pepper for warmth. Slightly less colour.

  • Paprika

    Use the same weight and add cayenne pepper to taste; works but is less aromatic.

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.

Lamb leg
  • Leg of lamb

    Use the same weight; cook as directed, allowing extra time if bone-in.

  • Lamb hind leg

    Use the same weight; practically the same cut, so follow the recipe timings.

  • Lamb shoulder

    Use the same weight; fattier and softer, so skim fat and cook 10–15 minutes longer.

Green bird's eye chilli
  • Bird's eye green chilli

    Use the same weight; heat and flavour are very close.

  • Green chilli

    Use 1.5 to 2 times the weight; deseed for less heat. Larger chillies are more watery.

  • Fresh green chilli

    Use 1.5 to 2 times the weight; chop finely and adjust heat by tasting.

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.

Jaggery or caster sugar
  • Light brown soft sugar

    Use the same weight. It has mild molasses and is close to caster sugar with a little colour; taste and adjust.

  • Dark brown sugar

    Use 90% of the weight. It has stronger molasses, which suits dishes where jaggery was intended; dissolve fully.

  • Honey

    Use 75% of the weight. Reduce other liquid by about 20% and add off the heat; it brings its own floral flavour.

Dried apricot
  • Dried fig

    Use the same weight, chopped. Slightly less tart and more seedy; add a little lemon juice if the dish needs tang.

  • Date

    Use 80% of the weight, chopped. Much sweeter and softer, so reduce any added sugar.

  • Raisin or sultana

    Use the same weight. Sweeter and smaller; reduce sugar and expect less tartness.

Malt vinegar
  • White malt vinegar

    Use the same weight; sharper and clearer; reduce salt slightly.

  • White vinegar

    Use 90% of the weight, diluted with 10% water; harsher, so taste.

  • Lime juice

    Use the same weight; fresher sourness but no malt flavour; reduce salt.

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.

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.

Potato straw
  • Potato salli

    Use the same weight; it is effectively the same fried potato garnish. Add at the end so it stays crisp.

  • Potato

    Use the same weight of raw potato, cut into very thin matchsticks, soak, dry and deep-fry. It takes 10–15 minutes longer but gives the same fresh potato crunch.

  • Crisp chickpea-flour noodles

    Use the same weight; it is crisper and nuttier, not potato-flavoured. Add just before serving.

Similar dishes

Attirachi Perelan
Malabar Spicy Lamb Curry
Attirachi Perelan tastes savoury, spicy and lightly creamy, while this dish tastes sweet-sour and rich from apricots, jaggery and vinegar with a crisp potato topping.
  • Same: Attirachi Perelan shares lamb leg on the bone, onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, green chilli, Kashmiri chilli powder, vegetable oil and green cardamom with this dish.
  • Different: Attirachi Perelan marinates the lamb in turmeric and adds fennel, black pepper, coriander, curry leaf, potato chunks and coconut milk, while this dish uses dried apricot, jaggery, malt vinegar and crispy potato straws and has no coconut milk or curry leaf.
Bengali Kosha Mangsho
Marinated Lamb Curry with Mustard, Yoghurt and Spices
Bengali Kosha Mangsho tastes tangy and warmly spiced from yoghurt, mustard oil and lemon, while this dish tastes sweet-sour from apricots, jaggery and vinegar.
  • Same: Bengali Kosha Mangsho shares bone-in lamb, onion, tomato purée, ginger, garlic, cardamom, clove, turmeric and Kashmiri chilli with this dish.
  • Different: Bengali Kosha Mangsho uses yoghurt, mustard oil, cassia bark, ground coriander, ground cumin, potato chunks and lemon juice, while it lacks this dish’s dried apricots, jaggery, malt vinegar and crispy potato straw topping.
Jardalu Boti
Lamb Cooked with Apricots
Jardalu Boti tastes more apricot-heavy and sweeter from much more dried fruit and sugar, with cinnamon and black pepper warmth and less vinegar tang, and it lacks this dish's crisp potato straw texture and jaggery-vinegar sweet-sour punch.
  • Same: Jardalu Boti shares lamb, onion, ginger, garlic, tomato, vegetable oil, green cardamom, garam masala, dried apricots, vinegar and sugar with this dish, and both build an onion-tomato curry with apricot sweetness and vinegar tang.
  • Different: Jardalu Boti uses 250 g dried apricots versus 16 g here, far more oil and tomato, cinnamon stick and ground black pepper, granulated sugar instead of jaggery, less vinegar, and no potato straws, turmeric, clove, tomato purée or green chilli, and it is slow-cooked without a crisp topping.
Aloo Gosht
Lamb with Potatoes
Aloo Gosht tastes like a savory, potato-heavy homestyle curry rather than this dish's sweet-sour apricot gravy with a crisp potato-straw finish.
  • Same: Aloo Gosht shares with this dish a lamb curry base of onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, vegetable oil, garam masala, cumin, cardamom and clove.
  • Different: Aloo Gosht uses 1500 g potato and spices such as bay leaf, cinnamon, black cardamom and mace, but it lacks this dish's dried apricots, jaggery, malt vinegar and crispy potato straw topping.