Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Sasranga
Sasranga (Baked Spicy Minced (Ground) Meat)

Sasranga

Baked Spicy Minced (Ground) Meat
Non-vegetarian●●●Origin AwadhPrep 45 minutesCook 1¼ hours

A spiced, layered minced lamb bake enriched with cream, eggs, dried fruit, and toasted nuts, sliced into firm, savoury wedges.

Ingredients

01
Ghee or vegetable oil · Ghee ya telplus extra for brushing
47 g3½ tablespoons
oil/fat
02
Blanched almond · Badamslivered
18 g2 tablespoons
nut/seed
03
Raisin · Kishmishchopped
50 g
fruit
04
Onion · Pyazsliced
60 g
vegetable
05
Ground lamb · Keemapreferably from leg or shoulder
1000 g
meat
06
Ginger · Adrakpeeled and chopped
12 g1 piece
aromatic
07
Green chilli · Hari Mirchde-seeded and chopped
60–90 g10–15 chillies
vegetable
08
Coriander leaf · Hara Dhaniachopped
~1 g1 sprig
herb
09
Egg · Anda
200 g4 eggs
egg
10
Lime juice · Nimbu Ka Ras
15 g1 tablespoon
souring agent
11
Single cream · Malai
127 g125 ml
dairy
12
Salt · Namak
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Brush a 20 cm (8-inch) round baking tin with a little extra oil or ghee and line the interior with baking paper.
  2. Warm 47.2 g ghee or vegetable oil in a large, heavy pan over medium-low heat. Fry 2 tablespoon slivered almonds for 30 seconds until pale gold, then lift them out with a slotted spoon. Toss in 50 g chopped raisins, sizzle for 30 seconds, and transfer them out of the pan.
  3. Drop 60 g sliced onion into the remaining oil and fry for 5 to 7 minutes until richly browned. Scoop onto paper towels to drain, then crumble coarsely.
  4. Add 1000 g ground lamb and salt to taste to the pan. Cook over medium heat for roughly 10 minutes until all liquid cooks off, then stir-fry the meat for 1 minute. Pour in 1 litre of water, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes until the mince is tender and no liquid remains.
  5. Stir together the fried almonds, raisins, crushed onions, 12 g chopped ginger, 60–90 g chopped green chilli, and 1 g chopped coriander leaf in a bowl. In a second bowl, lightly beat 4 eggs with 15.3 g lime juice.
  6. Spread half of the cooked meat across the base of the lined tin. Drizzle over half of the 127 g single cream, scatter half of the nut and herb mixture, and pour over half of the beaten egg mixture, pressing down lightly to level. Layer the remaining meat, cream, nut mixture, and egg on top in the exact same order.
  7. Bake for about 30 minutes until the bake has fully set and feels firm. Leave to cool down, then portion into wedges.

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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.

Blanched almond
  • Almond

    Use the same weight; cover with hot water for 5 minutes, then slip off the skins.

  • Blanched split almond

    Use the same weight; they are already peeled and split, so use whole or chop as needed.

  • Cashew nut

    Use the same weight; soak in warm water before grinding. They are softer and richer, so the dish will be creamier.

Raisin
  • Dried plum

    Use equal weight, pitted and finely chopped. Lends a deeper, slightly more tart sweetness to curries and rice dishes.

  • Cashew nut

    Use equal weight. Fry lightly in ghee until golden; substitutes the burst of sweetness with a rich, buttery crunch.

  • Jaggery

    Use 30% of the weight, finely grated. Dissolve straight into the sauce to match the intended sweetness, though without the fruity chew.

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.

Ground lamb
  • Chicken

    Use minced chicken (preferably dark thigh meat) at 100% of the weight. Halve the browning and simmering time; add an extra tablespoon of ghee or oil as chicken is much leaner than lamb.

  • Pork

    Use ground pork at 100% of the weight. Cook for similar times as lamb; produces a sweeter, milder gravy without the robust gamey flavour.

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.

Green chilli
  • Chilli powder

    Use 10 to 15% of the weight (about 1/4 teaspoon per chilli); imparts dry pungent heat and reddens the dish without the grassy crunch.

  • Dried red chilli

    Use 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.

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.

Egg
  • Chickpea flour

    For binding, use about 10 g chickpea flour mixed with 20 ml water per egg and rest for 10 minutes. Denser and nuttier; not suitable for baking or coating in the same way.

  • Full-fat natural yoghurt

    Use about 30 g per egg for moisture and binding in koftas or fillings. Adds tang and softness; will not set or glaze like egg.

  • Tofu

    Use the same weight, mashed, for egg-like bulk in curries. Soft and bland; add extra spices and do not expect it to bind.

Lime juice
  • Lemon juice

    Use equal volume or weight; slightly sweeter and less pungent, but otherwise an imperceptible swap.

  • Dried mango powder

    Use 25% of the weight; imparts dry, fruity sourness, best stirred in right at the end of cooking.

  • Tamarind extract

    Use 50% of the weight; delivers pleasant fruity tang but turns pale sauces considerably darker.

Single cream
  • Whole milk

    Use equal weight, whisked with a small knob of unsalted butter. Simmer gently over low heat to reduce curdling; sauce will be slightly lighter.

  • Clotted cream

    Use 50% weight combined with 50% whole milk, whisked until smooth. Adds intense richness, so stir in at the very end off the heat.

  • Cashew paste

    Use 60% cashew paste mixed with 40% warm water. Creates a silky, luxurious thickening that won't split even under high heat.

Similar dishes

Shorba Marag
Spicy Kid Soup
Shorba Marag tastes lighter, herbal, and brothy with a clean peppery warmth, whereas this dish is far richer, denser, and creamier.
  • Same: Shorba Marag also pairs lamb with ghee, onions, green chillies, and lime juice.
  • Different: Shorba Marag is a simmered broth made with bone-in lamb cuts, mint, and black pepper rather than a baked minced-meat loaf enriched with single cream and ginger.
Chapali Kebab
Sandal Kebab
Chapali Kebab tastes more robustly spiced and savoury with a crisp, browned crust, lacking the rich dairy smoothness and tart lime flavour of this dish.
  • Same: Chapali Kebab shares a base of spiced minced meat prepared with ghee, onion, ginger, fresh coriander, and green chillies.
  • Different: Instead of being baked into a loaf with single cream and lime juice, Chapali Kebab is shaped into patties, seasoned with dried red chillies and ground coriander, and shallow-fried in ghee.
Bhuna Keema
Roasted Minced (Ground) Lamb
Bhuna Keema tastes drier, more onion-heavy, and more pungent from turmeric and chilli powder, without the creamy, eggy, nutty, and fruity richness of this dish.
  • Same: Bhuna Keema shares ground lamb, onion, ginger, green chilli, coriander leaf, salt, and a souring juice with this dish.
  • Different: It uses far more onion (900 g vs 60 g), adds garlic paste, turmeric, chilli powder, and mint, and is dry-fried in vegetable oil rather than baked with cream, eggs, almonds, and raisins.
Keema Matar
Minced (Ground) Lamb with Peas
Keema Matar tastes like a rich, warming yogurt gravy with sweet peas and a bright lime edge, while this dish tastes like firm savoury baked wedges enriched with cream, egg, dried fruit, and toasted nuts.
  • Same: Keema Matar and this dish both use minced lamb with onion, ginger, green chilli, coriander leaf, lime juice, and salt.
  • Different: Keema Matar is a simmered curry with peas, yogurt, turmeric, cumin, coriander seeds, garam masala, chilli powder, and more ghee, while this dish is a baked layered lamb mixture with eggs, cream, almonds, and raisins and no peas or yogurt.