Gobi Gosht (Goat/Lamb and Cauliflower Curry)

Close up of Gobi Gosht with a piece of naan in a round plate garnished with cilantro and julienned ginger.

Gobi Gosht (Goat/Lamb and Cauliflower Curry)

Gobi Gosht is a classic Pakistani dish of tender meat and flavorful cauliflower. This is a dump-and-go recipe that's also remarkable in flavor. Make it in one pot with goat, lamb, or beef. Tested to perfection!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian, Pakistani

Diet Halal

Keyword goat and cauliflower, gobi gosht, lamb and cauliflower

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 2 10

Servings servings

Calories 483

Author Izzah Cheema

Equipment

Heavy bottomed pot or Dutch Oven

Ingredients

To Cook the Meat:

1.25 lb bone-in goat or lamb meat (mixed pieces – See Note 1) cut up into ~2" pieces, cleaned and excess fat removed
6 garlic cloves crushed or finely chopped
1 1/4 inch ginger crushed or finely chopped
1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
2 small ripe tomatoes (I use Vine or Roma) finely chopped
1/2 Serrano pepper or 1 Thai/bird's eye green chili pepper roughly chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 green cardamom pods
2 whole cloves
1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
3/4 tsp red chili pepper or cayenne
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 3/4 tsp kosher salt

After Cooking the Meat:

1/3 cup neutral oil
1 small head cauliflower measured after chopping
1-2 small Serrano or Thai green chili peppers cut in half or left whole - optional
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2-3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garam masala
3 tbsp cilantro leaves finely chopped
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
julienned ginger optional - for garnish
pat of butter optional - for topping

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place all ingredients listed under ‘To Cook the Meat’ into a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven. Mix to combine. Add ½ cup water (the less the better because this will be sautéed out) so that the water covers at least ⅓ of the meat.
Turn the stovetop on to high heat. Cover to allow the mixture to come to a gentle boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer (low or low-medium). Cover and cook for 1 hour & 30 minutes, until the meat is fully cooked but not fall-off-the-bone tender. The meat should break when pressed with a wooden spoon. If not, cover and allow to cook for another 15-30 minutes, topping with water if needed.
Meanwhile, chop the cauliflower. Remove the leaves and hard bottom stem. Then cut the cauliflower into quarters. Use your knife to cut out the core from each quarter. Cut tough stems of florets into thin strips. Cut the florets into 1” pieces. If you have a large floret, cut it in half. Rinse the thin strips and florets under running water. Then place in a bowl and soak in water while you wait for the meat to finish cooking.
Increase the heat to high and stir occasionally to sauté out the remaining water content/moisture (~7-10 minutes). Once the water has completely evaporated, add oil and continue to sauté (bhunai) for another 5-6 minutes. The idea here is to sear the meat and give it flavor while removing any hint of ‘raw’ flavor from the oil. Deglaze any bits stuck on the pan with 1-2 tbsp of water.
Drain the cauliflower and add it along with the green chili pepper (if using) and salt. Toss to coat the cauliflower in the masala.
Reduce the heat to low. Cover and allow to steam for 25 minutes, until the cauliflower is very tender. (No need to add any water, the cauliflower will release its own moisture.)
Uncover and stir. Taste and adjust salt, if needed. If there is some moisture or curry remaining, increase the heat to medium-high and sauté gently, being careful not to break the meat. Once the oil starts to leave the sides, turn the heat to the lowest setting.
While the curry is simmering gently over low heat, garnish with black pepper, garam masala, cilantro, and lemon. If you’d like, right before serving, top with julienned ginger and a pat of butter. Serve immediately with roti, paratha, naan, or your choice of bread.

Video

Notes

Note 1: I typically use what’s labeled as ‘mixed goat/lamb’, but you can also use meatier cuts like leg and shoulder. If your meat has more bone and less meat, feel free to use up to 1.5 lb of meat. Add additional ¼ tsp salt if needed. See Variations for how to sub beef stew meat.

How to add more Curry

If you prefer the version with a light curry, like Aloo Gosht, just add 1/2-1 cup water along with the cauliflower in Step 5.

Instant Pot Method

While you can't steam the cauliflower in the Instant Pot (trust me, I've tried many times!), you can cook the meat first, then transfer the liquid over to the stovetop. Here's how to do it:

Place all ingredients listed under to 'To Cook the Meat' into the instant pot. Mix to combine. (No need to add any water.)
Select 'Pressure Cook – High' and set the timer for 18 minutes, even for goat leg/shoulder cuts. NPR for 5 minutes, then manually release remaining pressure.
Heat a large pan on the stovetop over high heat. Carefully transfer IP contents to the pan. Stir occasionally to reduce/sauté out most of the water content/moisture (~20 minutes). This takes patience, but adding cauliflower before sautéing out water will give you even more moisture to sauté out. Once the water has evaporated, add the oil and proceed with Step 4.

Nutrition