A Mughlai lamb which is tender and succulent, with a browned exterior and wonderful rich flavour.
(This post was previously called Kashmiri Dry Lamb.)
This is an old family recipe which was given to me by my mother who received it many years ago from a wonderful lady who belonged to one of the old families of Kashmir, tracing their heritage back to Mughal times.
It quickly became one of our favourite recipes and we have made this dish so many times over the years for friend and family get togethers, holidays and special occasions.
The lamb is cooked slowly over a low flame in just a few aromatic spices and buttermilk, then lightly fried (or roasted, see recipe notes) to brown the exterior.
The result is a lamb that is soft, tender and aromatically spiced with delicious browning of the maillard reaction.
The wonderful aroma, rich flavours and tenderness of the meat are typical of mughal cuisine where aromatic spices and butter, milk, yogurt and cream were often used.
This recipe uses buttermilk to tenderise the lamb so it is soft as butter whilst remaining moist after cooking.
This dish is incredibly easy to make and absolutely delicious!
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Kashmiri cuisine
The incredibly beautiful region of Kashmir remains divided between two countries; India and Pakistan.
Kashmiri 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 due to the mughal influence.
This is one of the very few regions in India where lamb meat is used, as elsewhere what is commonly termed as ‘mutton’ is in fact goat meat.
Read my article on mutton and goat meat in India.
Helpful 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.
I used a leg of lamb cut into small pieces, but you could also use shoulder – some pieces are boneless and some on the bone.
How to make it
- Lightly fry the onions till golden brown and set aside.
- In a large pan combine the rest of the ingredients (not the fresh cilantro/coriander). Then partially cover and simmer on a low heat for 60 minutes, till tender.
- Remove the lamb and set aside. (Strain and reserve the remaining liquid for a tasty stock for pilau/rice.)
- In the same pan, heat the oil and return the pieces of lamb to the pan to brown (be careful to drain the lamb as any excess liquid will spit during frying). If you prefer not to fry the lamb, transfer it to a baking dish and roast on full heat for 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the lamb from the pan, season and garnish with the fried onions and chopped cilantro/coriander.
Optional variations
Add around 8-10 strands of bloomed saffron to the pan when slow cooking the lamb.
If you prefer not to fry the lamb, transfer it to a baking dish and roast on full heat for 5-10 minutes.
Stir in ½ teaspoon of crushed dried fenugreek leaves with the lamb in the pan towards the end of cooking.
Serving
Kashmiri Dry Lamb goes well with warm bread and plain yogurt, or raita.
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Are you making this Mughal Lamb recipe? I’d love to know how it turned out in the comments and please give it a star rating below!
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📋 Recipe
Mughlai Lamb
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil for sauteeing
- 4 tablespoons sunflower oil for frying
- 1 large onion finely sliced
- 1 kg lamb 2.2 lbs, leg of lamb or shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 475 ml buttermilk 2 cups
- 5 cloves
- 4 green cardamoms whole and crushed
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground fennel
- 2 whole green chillies broken in half
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Paste or 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
for the garnish
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped roughly, coriander leaves
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon sunflower oil to a large frying pan and warm on medium heat, then add and sauté 1 large onion. Once golden brown remove from the pan and set aside.
- In a large saucepan mix together the 1 kg lamb , 475 ml buttermilk, 5 cloves, 4 green cardamoms, 1 tablespoon ground cumin , 1 tablespoon ground fennel , 2 whole green chillies, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Paste, 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt.
- Partially cover and simmer on a low heat till the meat is soft and tender (approx. 45 minutes-1 hour). Use tongs to remove the lamb from the liquid* to a colander and set aside to drain for a couple of minutes.
- In a large skillet heat 4 tablespoons sunflower oil on medium-high heat till hot then reducing to medium-low and fry the lamb pieces in batches till browned all over, around 8 minutes in total (see notes below for roasting the lamb instead). Transfer the lamb to kitchen paper to drain the excess oil. Garnish with the browned onions and chopped 2 tablespoons cilantro.
Notes
MEASUREMENT NOTES
The ingredients here on EOTF are set out in grams & milliliters and in US cups & spoons.
Nutrition
Hina
Made this today as i needed to make some defrosted lamb but didn’t want it to be curry based. Turned out good except the thickened gravy stuck to the meat was more pronounced for me in the final result than in your pic. But its probably because i ended up putting in more milk to get the meat to soften. I’ll try again to try and perfect it. Definitely a keeper. Thanks so much for sharing this gem.
Nicole
Thanks Hina, 2 cups of buttermilk should be sufficient to soften the meat. Let me know how it turns out next time you make it.
Ambita Chenai
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
Nicole
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.
Ambita Chenai
sure will. Do we simmer the Kashmiri meat uncovered?
Nicole
No, it needs to be covered. Thanks for asking, I shall update the recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
Shalini
I have made this dish twice and it is a favorite with my family !!
Nicole
Thank you Shalini, this is one of our favourites too!
E-World Cooking
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.
Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine
All of those delicious spices– this has to smell heavenly when cooking!
Debra C.
Love your descriptive writing for this lovely dish, it sounds just mouthwatering! I’d definitely love a plate!
Jillian
Amazing recipe! So many wonderful flavors!
Lisa Bryan
Love lamb and all the spices you’ve used. Sounds delicious!
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings
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.
Lynne Curry
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!
Derek @ Dad With A Pan
Love the look of this! It’s got a gyro vibe to it and looks super tasty!
Nicole
Thanks Sarah, I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Sarah James @ Tales From The Kitchen Shed
How delicious, I love cooking with aromatic spices. The crispy exterior sounds perfect, pinning for later 🙂
The FoodOlic
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!
Nicole
Thank you 🙂
geekswhoeat
I love lamb and this is definitely a preparation I have never tried! Sounds really wonderful!
Nicole
Thank you 🙂
Lynn | The Road to Honey
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.
Nicole
The flavours are amazing!?
Traditionally Modern Food
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
Nicole
Thank you
Gloria Duggan
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.
Nicole
I absolutely agree Gloria 🙂
Laura | Wandercooks
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!
Nicole
There’s so much to explore in regional cuisines. Thanks Laura.
swayam
Sounds good!
Nicole
Thanks Swayam
Khadija
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 🙂
Nicole
Thanks Khadija, I will do, please drop by again.
brandidcrawfordgmailcom
I’m sure this is loaded with flavors. I love those seasonings!
Nicole
Absolutely, and the aroma while its cooking is amazing.
CookingOnTheWeekends (@cookingweekends)
Oh how I want this! The crispy outside with the juicy interior sounds so divine! And all of those delicious spices! Oh my!
Nicole
Thank you, the flavours really are amazing.