Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Reshmai Gosht
Reshmai Gosht (Fried Slivers of Meat)

Reshmai Gosht

Fried Slivers of Meat
Non-vegetarian●●●Origin HyderabadPrep 15 minutes, plus cooling timeCook 1½ hours

Tender lamb is simmered, shredded into thread-like strands, and fried until crisp around the edges in fragrant ghee. Topped with sweet browned onions and broken cashews, it offers a rich, savoury crunch.

Meat seasoning masala

16 gMixed into the shredded meat (step 3)
01
Ginger paste · Adrak PasteMake it: Pisi Adrak →
8 g½ tablespoon
aromatic
02
Garlic paste · Lahsun PasteMake it: Pisi Lehsun →
8 g½ tablespoon
aromatic
03
Chilli powder · Lal Mirch Powder
to taste
spice
Stir together into a uniform paste.

Everything else

01
Boneless lamb shoulder · Boneless mutton shoulder
500 g
meat
02
Ghee
125 g
oil/fat
03
Salt · Namak
to taste
salt
04
Onion · Pyazsliced into rings
150 g1 onion
vegetable
05
Cashew nut · Kajubroken
12 g8 cashews
nut/seed

Method

  1. Place 500 g lamb in a large pot with 250 ml water and simmer over low heat for roughly 1 hour until tender and all the moisture has evaporated.
  2. Transfer the cooked meat to a sturdy board and pound it with a mallet or heavy pestle until it separates into fine, thread-like shreds, picking out and discarding any sinew or fat.
  3. Put the shredded meat into a mixing bowl, season with salt to taste, add the meat seasoning masala, and toss thoroughly until evenly coated.
  4. Melt 125 g ghee in a wide frying pan over medium heat, add 150 g onion, and fry for 5 to 7 minutes until deep golden brown, then scoop out with a slotted spoon to cool.
  5. Add the spiced meat shreds to the hot ghee and fry for about 10 minutes until the edges are crisp, then lift out with a slotted spoon onto a plate.
  6. Crush the reserved fried onions over the meat and scatter with 8 cashew nut pieces to finish.

Don't have something?

Boneless lamb shoulder
  • Boneless lamb

    Use same weight; ordinary boneless lamb works well, though shoulder is a little richer.

  • Boneless leg of lamb

    Use same weight but simmer 10 minutes less, as leg is leaner and can dry out.

  • Leg of lamb

    Use same weight, cut off the bone into pieces; cooking time is similar but keep pieces even.

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.

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.

Ghee
  • Unsalted butter

    Use 120% of the weight; melt gently over low heat to avoid burning the milk solids, which will yield a softer, creamier richness rather than a nutty aroma.

  • Vegetable oil

    Use 85% of the weight; holds high cooking temperatures without smoking, but the final dish will lack traditional dairy depth.

  • Mustard oil

    Use equal weight; heat to smoking point and cool slightly before cooking, bearing in mind it introduces an assertive, pungent edge.

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.

Cashew nut
  • Almond

    Use 100% of the weight. Soak in boiling water and slip off skins before frying or grinding; gives a lighter, slightly less sweet richness to curries.

  • Poppy seed

    Use 60% of the weight for gravies. Soak in warm water and grind into a fine paste to thicken royal kormas without adding heavy oiliness.

  • Shelled peanut

    Use 100% of the weight. Roast, skin, and grind; creates a thicker, earthier texture typical of Maharashtrian and western Indian curries.

Similar dishes

Bhuna Gosht (I)
Spicy Roast Lamb
Bhuna Gosht (I) is more moist and earthily spiced, lacking the crisp, fried texture and sweet, nutty crunch of this dish.
  • Same: Bhuna Gosht (I) also slow-cooks lamb using onions, ginger paste, garlic paste, and chilli powder.
  • Different: Bhuna Gosht (I) uses vegetable oil instead of ghee, adds ground turmeric, and reduces whole pieces of lamb into a clinging sauce rather than shredding and frying the meat with cashews.
Bhuna Keema
Roasted Minced (Ground) Lamb
Bhuna Keema tastes like a dry, concentrated minced lamb curry with lemon brightness and herb and green chilli notes, while this dish tastes rich and savoury with crisp ghee-fried lamb strands, sweet browned onions, and cashews.
  • Same: Bhuna Keema and this dish both use lamb, onion, ginger paste, garlic paste, chilli powder, and salt, and both rely on browned onions and frying for flavour.
  • Different: Bhuna Keema uses ground lamb, vegetable oil, turmeric, green chilli, coriander leaf, mint, and lemon juice, while this dish uses boneless lamb shoulder, ghee, and cashew nuts and is simmered then shredded and fried crisp.
Tash Kebab
Steamed Slices of Lamb
Tash Kebab is softer, moister, and more aromatic with a slight tang from the yogurt, lacking the dry, crisp, and nutty finish of this dish.
  • Same: Tash Kebab also uses lamb cooked with ghee, onions, ginger paste, garlic paste, and chilli powder.
  • Different: Instead of shredding and crisp-frying the meat with cashews, Tash Kebab steam-cooks sliced lamb with yogurt, garam masala, saffron, and a much heavier layer of onions.
Chippa Gosht
Lamb Cooked in a Clay Pot
Chippa Gosht tastes citrusy and slow-cooked with turmeric and aromatics, while this dish is richer and crunchier from ghee frying with sweet onions and cashews.
  • Same: Chippa Gosht and this dish both use lamb seasoned with ginger paste, garlic paste, chilli powder and salt.
  • Different: Chippa Gosht uses turmeric, raw papaya paste, lemon juice, coriander leaf and vegetable oil, and cooks lamb in chunks in a clay pot, while this dish uses ghee, onion and cashews and shreds then fries the meat.