I’m always looking for new curries to make and this one fits the bill perfectly! Rich and tasty, this unusual lamb curry makes a nice change from my tried and tested favourites of rogan josh and chicken kadhai.

Whilst gosht shahajani is in many ways similar to gosht aloo, I love the idea of adding the precooked “roast” potatoes to the dish, instead of boiling them in the curry’s sauce. Of course, the potatoes inevitably lose their crunch when added to the sauce, but they do add a texture and flavour to the dish that sets gosht shahajani apart from similar curries.

My version of this dish has evolved quite significantly from the original recipe, as I found the quantities a tad excessive – 150ml of tomato purée and 10 tablespoons of chopped fresh coriander for 800g of lamb? I adore flavour, but even my palette has its limits! I also prefer to fry my potatoes and onions in ghee rather than oil, as this gives them a fuller flavour and consequently, a greater presence in the dish. If you don’t have any ghee or prefer not to use it, you can just substitute it with vegetable oil.

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Gosht Shahajani (Rich Lamb Curry with “Roast” Potatoes): Serves 4

• 800g stewing lamb, cubed
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 4 tbsp. coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. tomato purée
• 1/2 tsp. chilli powder
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 tbsp. ghee
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 potatoes
• 2 onions, peeled and quartered
• 4 cloves
• Fresh coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

1. With the skins still on, boil your potatoes until just tender. Drain and allow to cool. Alternatively, prick the potatoes’ skin and cook in a microwave oven until cooked through – remove and allow to cool
2. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, ginger, garlic, chopped coriander leaves, cinnamon, chilli powder, turmeric, salt and tomato purée. Stir to combine thoroughly. Add the lamb cubes and mix. Marinate for about half an hour
3. Once your potatoes have cooled completely, skin them and cut into quarters
4. Heat the ghee in a saucepan and add half the potato pieces (you don’t want to overcrowd the saucepan). Leave undisturbed for 5 minutes before gently turning the potatoes over. Continue cooking until the potatoes look “roasted”. Drain on kitchen paper. Repeat the process with the remaining potatoes
5. In the same saucepan, add the onion quarters to the ghee. Fry until golden and then drain on kitchen paper
6. Remove the ghee from the saucepan and wipe it clean
7. Add the vegetable oil and heat. Add the cloves and fry for 30 seconds. Now add the meat, along with all the marinate
8. Pour in 1/2 cup of water and bring to the boil. Cover the saucepan and reduce heat to a simmer, cook for 1 hour. Add the cooked onions after 30 minutes of cooking
9. When the hour is up, check to see if the meat is tender. If not, continue cooking until it is fork-tender (it may need another 15-30 minutes)
10. Once the meat is tender, the gravy should be thick and the oil should have separated out. Add another 1/2 cup of water and then stir in the potatoes
11. Cook for another 10 minutes
12. Garnish with the fresh coriander leaves before serving