Lamb with Almonds

December 8, 2021

Badami gosht is a North Indian one-pot dish in the Mughal style. Diced lamb leg simmers in a thick, spiced sauce built around a freshly pounded masala of almonds, ginger, garlic, poppy seeds, mace, nutmeg, and peppercorns. Yoghurt and tomatoes bind everything together and add acidity.

The almonds have two roles. They are pounded into the masala, where they give the sauce body and a gentle nutty flavour, and they help tenderise the meat during the long simmer. The sauce is thick rather than soup-like — it clings to the meat.

The dish goes best with basmati rice or a piece of fresh naan to mop up the sauce. A cooling raita alongside works well.

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 tbsp ghee (or vegetable oil)
125 g onion, finely chopped
5 small green cardamom pods
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
150 ml natural yoghurt
250 g tomatoes, peeled and chopped
500 g boneless lamb leg, cut into 2½ cm cubes
salt
fresh coriander leaves, chopped, to garnish

Masala

15 g fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 blade of mace
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
4 cloves
1 tbsp poppy seeds, dry-toasted
12 peppercorns
50 g blanched almonds
seeds from 2 large cardamom pods

Directions

Make the masala first. Pound the ginger, garlic, mace, ground nutmeg, cloves, toasted poppy seeds, peppercorns, almonds, and cardamom seeds in a mortar until coarsely crushed. Add a tablespoon of water at a time and work into a smooth paste. A small food processor also works.

Heat the ghee or oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Add the onion and green cardamom pods. Fry gently for 8–10 minutes until the onion is golden brown and soft. Reduce the heat if it starts to take too much colour.

Stir the masala paste into the onion. Fry over low heat for 2 minutes so the raw flavours cook off.

Add the turmeric, chilli powder, cumin, paprika, and ground coriander. Stir and fry the spices for 1–2 minutes — they should be fragrant but not scorched.

Whisk the yoghurt smooth in a bowl and stir it into the pot a spoonful at a time. This prevents it from splitting. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir through.

Fold in the lamb cubes and season with salt. Cover and simmer over low heat for 40–50 minutes until the meat is tender. Stir occasionally and add a little water if the sauce becomes too thick.

Taste and adjust the salt. Scatter chopped fresh coriander on top when serving. Serve with basmati rice or naan.

Notes

Blanched almonds are almonds with the skins removed. You can blanch them yourself by putting whole almonds in boiling water for 1 minute and pressing off the skins with your fingers while they are warm.

Poppy seeds should be dry-toasted in a pan over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until fragrant and just beginning to pop. Remove from the heat so they do not burn.

The dish improves the next day, when the flavours have had time to settle. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat over low heat with a splash of water.

Can also be made with lamb shoulder — use the same quantity and the same simmering time. Shoulder is cheaper and more flavourful, but has more connective tissue and may need an extra 15 minutes to become tender.