Lamb Kolhapuri Style

1 February 2019 By

Kolhapur is a historic Indian city located on the banks of the Panchaganga River, in south-west Maharashtra state. Known throughout the world for its delicious and unique, fiery tasting cuisine. Lamb Kolhapuri is a superbly rich and spicy dish traditionally made with goat or mutton. It is cooked in highly aromatic spices, which have been roasted then ground to a reddish dark brown blend.

Lamb Kolhapuri

Ingredients - Serves 6

  • 1 kg lamb from the shoulder, cut into 4 cm cubes (bone in or out according to preference)

For the marinade:

  • 8 tbsp plain yoghurt
  • 3 tsp crushed fresh ginger
  • 2 tsp crushed fresh garlic
  • ¼ tsp turmeric

Roast then grind to a powder:

  • 1 tsp olive or oil of choice
  • 12-15 dried, hot, red chillies, broken into pieces
  • 4 cm cinnamon stick, broken
  • 10 whole cloves
  • 10 whole cardamom pods
  • 2 tbsp whole coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds, 1 tbsp shredded coconut, ½ tbsp white poppy seeds

 

  • 3-4 tbsp oil as required
  • 3 red onions, peeled
  • 3 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 2 tsp garlic, crushed
  • 5 green chillies, crushed
  • 2-3 bay leaves
  • 3 tomatoes, finely chopped
  • Salt
  • Water

Method

  1. Put the meat in a bowl. Add all the marinade ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight if you prefer.
  2. Lightly grease a small cast iron frying pan with ½ teaspoon oil and heat it over a medium-low flame. When it is hot, put in the dried hot chillies and cinnamon sticks. Stir until the red chillies darken then remove and keep aside. Add in another ½ teaspoon oil. When it’s hot, put the whole cloves, cardamom pod, coriander seeds, peppercorn, cumin seeds, shredded coconut and white poppy seeds into the same frying pan. Stir and roast the seeds until they darken a few shades. Place these spices together with the chillies and cinnamon into a spice grinder and grind as finely as possible.
  3. Slice two of the red onions and crush the other finely.
  4. When the meat has finished marinating, heat oil in a wide, heavy pan over a medium-high flame. When hot, put in the sliced onions. Stir fry them until they are reddish-brown in colour, approximately 10 minutes.
  5. Now put in the crushed onion and cook for 6 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Put in the ginger and brown it then add the garlic. Stir for a few seconds. Add the ground spices and stir well. Now add a quarter cup of water. Continue to stir and cook over a medium-low flame, stirring continuously for 5 minutes. The oil will start to separate from the mixture.
  6. Next add the crushed green chillies and bay leaves, fry for 3 minutes then add the meat plus marinade and turn up the heat to medium-high. Mix well and fry the meat with the spice paste for 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and salt. Continue to stir and cook for another 5 minutes. Then add about 250 ml of water and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for about 45 minutes or until meat is tender.