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This Kashmiri Dry Lamb has a wonderful flavour; it is succulent with a crispy exterior.
This recipe for Kashmiri Dry Lamb, was given to me by my mother, who received it many years ago, from a wonderful lady from one of the old households of Kashmir. It was one of her family recipes, passed down through several generations.
This dish is incredibly easy to make, and very popular!
Kashmiri cuisine
The incredibly beautiful region of Kashmir remains divided between three countries; India, Pakistan and China. The cuisine is influenced by three main cooking styles: that of the Kashmiri Pandits (the only remaining Hindu community native to the Kashmiri Valley in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir), the Muslims and the more ancient style of the Mughals.
Kashmiri spices
As most of their economy is centred around agriculture, the cuisine is rich in flavour and diversity. Warm spices such as cardamom, cloves and cinnamon are commonly used, along with other fragrant spices such as fennel seeds and saffron.
The famous Kashmiri red chillies are a great deal less pungent than other varieties of chilli, but they add a wonderful flavour.
Kashmiri meats
A great deal of meat is consumed in Kashmir, in particular slow cooked meats, which are often cooked in yoghurt or milk. This is one of the very few areas in India where ‘mutton’ is actually sheep meat. Click here to read about mutton in India.
What is ‘dry lamb’?
This is a dry meat dish rather than with a sauce, so it should be cooked till there is no more liquid in the pan.
Cook’s tips
In Kashmir, dishes are usually cooked in Ghee (clarified butter) which adds to the rich flavours. I use sunflower oil for this recipe, but you could substitute with ghee.
The original recipe for dry Kashmiri lamb uses mutton, but I prefer to use lamb. Read more about the difference between mutton lamb and goat meat in this article .
I used a leg of lamb cut into small pieces – some pieces are boneless and some on the bone.
Why it works
The delicious, succulent lamb is aromatically spiced and has a beautifully crisp browned exterior. The buttermilk tenderizes the meat so it is soft as butter and remains moist after cooking.
How to make Kashmiri dry lamb
- Lightly fry the onions till golden brown, and set aside.
- In a large pan, combine the rest of the ingredients (excluding the fresh cilantro/coriander), and simmer on a medium to low heat till all the liquid has evaporated.
- Remove the lamb and set aside.
- In the same pan, heat some oil and return the pieces of lamb to the pan to brown.
- Remove from the pan and garnish with the onions and chopped cilantro/coriander.
How to serve it
Kashmiri Dry Lamb goes well with warm bread and plain yogurt, or raita.
⭐️ Are you making this recipe? Do let me know how it turned out in the comments! And please give it a star rating below!
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Kashmiri Dry Lamb
Ingredients
- sunflower oil for frying
- 1 large onion finely sliced
- 1 kg lamb leg of lamb or lamb shoulder, cut into small pieces
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 5 cloves
- 4 green cardamoms whole and crushed
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground fennel
- 2 whole green chillies broken in half
- 2 whole Kashmiri red chillies or 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
- coarse sea salt to taste
for the garnish
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 2 medium white onions finely sliced
- fresh cilantro/coriander a few sprigs
Instructions
- In a large frying pan over medium heat, add a tablespoon of oil and sauté the sliced onions. Once golden brown, remove from the pan and set aside.
- In a large heavy saucepan, combine the rest of the ingredients, including the lamb (excluding from the cilantro/coriander), and simmer on medium to low heat till all the liquid has evaporated (approx. 45 minutes-1 hour). Remove the lamb.
- In the same pan, heat at least 2 cms of oil on medium-high heat, reducing to medium-low, and fry the lamb pieces until well browned all over (approx 8 minutes in total). Transfer the lamb to absorbent paper to drain the excess oil.
- Garnish with the onions and chopped cilantro/coriander.
Recipe Notes
- Use leg of lamb leg or shoulder, cut into small pieces.
- This is a dry dish rather than one with gravy, so there should be no liquid left in the pan after cooking the lamb.
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Hey Nicole,
What a fantastic recipe! Made it last night and it was polished off. On my list of 5 star recipes. I used ghee. have tried many Kashmiri recipes but this is by far our favourite. Looking forward to trying some more.
Cheers
Thanks so much Ambita, I’m so glad you liked it. I’d love to know how you get on with the others you try.
I have made this dish twice and it is a favorite with my family !!
Thank you Shalini, this is one of our favourites too!
Very tasty and spicy dish I tried it two times all of my family member also loved it ,thanks for sharing with us.But I observed that it’s a time consuming dish.
All of those delicious spices– this has to smell heavenly when cooking!
Love your descriptive writing for this lovely dish, it sounds just mouthwatering! I’d definitely love a plate!
Amazing recipe! So many wonderful flavors!
Love lamb and all the spices you’ve used. Sounds delicious!
I know that marinating chicken in buttermilk makes it so moist so this looks so good to me. I’ll bet my kids would love it too.
Oh, this technique is so amazing! It’s one I haven’t used in quite a while, but the braising in buttermilk followed by frying in oil somehow magnifies all of the flavors of the spices. Wonderful to have such a succulent recipe handed down to you. Thank you for sharing!
Love the look of this! It’s got a gyro vibe to it and looks super tasty!
Thanks Sarah, I hope you enjoy it 🙂
How delicious, I love cooking with aromatic spices. The crispy exterior sounds perfect, pinning for later 🙂
Kashmir is dispute by many but it also sounds like a nice melting pot of flavors from all those surrounding countries. The recipe sounds nicely seasoned and I love that the meat is crunchy yet moist! Love to learn about different cultures and their food! Great post!
Thank you 🙂
I love lamb and this is definitely a preparation I have never tried! Sounds really wonderful!
Thank you 🙂
This sure does look tasty. My hubby is Persian and he always has a craving for lamb. I’m pretty sure he would be excited to see this beauty show up on the dinner table.
The flavours are amazing!?
i am big fan of kashmiri cusine flavours, you have made it perfectly. being a vegetarian i m not familiar with the dish but looking at the pic i bet its delicious
Thank you
We really enjoy lamb. The spices in this recipe sound delicious. Having fun experimenting with all the wonderful flavours of the world it a tasty experiment.
I absolutely agree Gloria 🙂
This recipe sounds delicious but I’m most thankful for the description of kashmiri cuisine. It’s always fascinating to gain insight into where recipes came from and how they were originally cooked!
There’s so much to explore in regional cuisines. Thanks Laura.
Sounds good!
Thanks Swayam
You have made me want to visit this place that has three different cultures; imagine the food options there! in the meantime this recipe will have to do, please share more 🙂
Thanks Khadija, I will do, please drop by again.
I’m sure this is loaded with flavors. I love those seasonings!
Absolutely, and the aroma while its cooking is amazing.
Oh how I want this! The crispy outside with the juicy interior sounds so divine! And all of those delicious spices! Oh my!
Thank you, the flavours really are amazing.