This Parsi dish is basically a rustic, one-pot lamb stew cooked with lentils, vegetables, tamarind and spices . And it’s smashing. It’s typically eaten with the whole family as a weekend meal, and you can see why. It has tang from the tamarind, heat from the chillies and sweetness from the vegetables that all come together creating a pretty special balance of flavours. Something for everyone, really.
Lamb Dhansak Ingredients500g leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into chunks
Lentil and Vegetable Mixture60g toor dhal split
60g masoor dhal split
60g urid dhal split
1 small aubergine, chopped into large chunks
½ small pumpkin, chopped into large chunks
1 medium onion, chopped in chunks
15 fresh mint leaves, chopped
Dry Spices1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
4 cm stick cassia bark
4 green cardamoms
4 whole black peppercorns
1 tbsp dry fenugreek leaves
Wet Paste6 cloves garlic
3 cm piece of ginger
2 chillies
Masala2 tbsp oil
2 medium onions, diced
3 tomatoes, diced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp tamarind paste
Handful of coriander, chopped
Lamb Dhansak MethodLentil and vegetable mixture- Put all the lentils, vegetables, onions and mint into a pan with 1L of water and some salt.
- Bring this to the boil and leave to simmer for 20 minutes until the lentils have cooked through.
Dry spices and Wet paste- Place all the dry spices into a spice grinder and blend to a fine powder.
- Place this powder into a blender with the garlic, ginger and chillies and grind to make an aromatic paste. Add a splash of water to loosen if required.
Masala- Heat the oil and start to fry the diced onions until they are golden brown (approx. 20 minutes).
- Once the onions are browned add the spice paste along with the turmeric and fry for a few minutes until golden.
- Add the tomatoes and tamarind then stir for about 5 minutes until the masala is thick and glossy.
- On a high heat, stir in the lamb and coat with the masala. After about 5 minutes add the cooked lentil mixture and leave this to simmer on a low heat for about 30-40 minutes. Make sure you stir occasionally as this can catch the bottom of the pan.
- Once the meat is tender check the seasoning and adjust if required.
- Throw in the fresh coriander to serve.