Aloo Gosht is a traditional Pakistani-style Mutton/Lamb and Potato Curry. Make this recipe with lamb or goat over stovetop or Instant Pot. Tested & perfected!
Heat a medium Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add oil and ghee. Once hot, add goat or lamb meat and 3/4 tsp salt. Sauté for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has changed color and seared on some edges.
Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for another minute, until no longer raw. Add the onion, tomatoes, green chili pepper, whole spices, ground spices (except garam masala), and the remaining 1 tsp salt.
Add 1 to 1 1/4 cups water (the less the better because this will be sautéed out) so that the water covers at least 1/3 of the meat. Bring this mixture to a 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 (See Note 3), 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.
Increase the heat to high and stir occasionally to sauté out the remaining water content/moisture (~5-7 minutes). Once the water has evaporated, continue to sauté (bhunai) for another 5-6 minutes. The masala will continue to thicken and reduce, and the oil will separate from the curry.
Reduce the heat to low and stir in the yogurt. Add the potatoes and 2 – 2 ¼ cups water depending on how much curry you’d like. (If doubling, add no more than 4 cups.)
Increase the heat to high to bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer (low/medium-low). Cover and cook for another 23-25 minutes, until the meat and potatoes are both fork tender. Taste and adjust salt, if needed.
Uncover and allow the curry to simmer until the oil rises to the top (~2-3 min). Turn off the heat. Garnish with garam masala and cilantro. Serve with roti, paratha, naan, or basmati rice.
Instant Pot Method
Select 'Sauté – More/High' on the Instant Pot. Once hot, add the oil, ghee, goat or lamb meat, and 3/4 tsp salt. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has changed color and seared on some edges. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for a minute, until no longer raw. Add the onion, tomatoes, green chili pepper, whole spices, ground spices (except garam masala), and the remaining 1 tsp salt.
Add up to 1/4 cup water if needed (the less the better because this will be sautéed out). (The moisture should cover at least 1/3 of the meat. If the onions and tomatoes have enough moisture content, you don't need to add any water.)
Cancel Sauté. Select 'Pressure Cook – High' and set timer for 20 minutes (or 22 min if using larger or meaty pieces such as shoulder or leg). Allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes. The meat will be fully cooked but not fall-off-the-bone tender. It should break when pressed with a wooden spoon. If not, pressure cook again for another 3-5 minutes.
Select 'Sauté – More/High'. Once hot, stir occasionally to sauté out the remaining water content/moisture (~5-7 minutes). Once the water has evaporated, continue to sauté (bhunai) for another 5-6 minutes. The masala will continue to thicken and reduce, and the oil will separate from the curry.
Cancel Sauté. Add the yogurt and stir to mix. Add potatoes and 2 – 2 ¼ cups water depending on how much curry/shorba you’d like. 'Pressure Cook - High' for 5-6 minutes, depending on size of potatoes. Allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt. Garnish with garam masala and cilantro.
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. See FAQ for how to sub beef stew meat. Note 2: See post for how to use your food processor to chop the onion and tomatoes.Note 3: Do not proceed to the next step if your meat isn't fully tender. You want it to break when pressed with a wooden spoon. If not, continue to cook. Both lamb and goat meat take me around 2 hours to cook over stovetop. Larger and meatier pieces like leg, neck, and shoulder may take a little longer to cook.Nutrition Facts: Per serving, assuming 4 servings. Note that the nutrition facts are for lamb meat and not goat meat, which is a lot leaner.