Aloo Gosht: Pakistani Style Meat and Potato Curry

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Aloo gosht, which means meat and potato curry, is the kind of dish that fills your kitchen with the smell of slow-cooked spices. Serve it with rice, naan, or chapati. Your dinner is sorted.

Aloo Gosht

Aloo Gosht, or meat with potato curry, is a popular dish across cuisines from the Indian subcontinent, including Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.

The dish is traditionally enjoyed at celebrations such as Eid feasts, birthdays, weddings, and family and friends gatherings. It’s a delicious meat curry to enjoy with rice, often served with plain Basmati rice, Chicken Pilau rice, Vegetable Pilau rice, or Biryani rice. And traditionally, that is how most people enjoy the potato-and-meat curry.

However, if you wish, there is nothing wrong with eating your meat and potato curry with naan, chapati, or pitta bread. However, I would choose naan bread with my Aloo Gosht because the fluffy naan bread soaks up the gravy better. But it’s your choice.

There are many ways to make Aloo Gosht. Just like any other food recipe. You’ll come across hundreds of ways of making one particular food.

But after tweaking so many recipes countless times, I have settled on this recipe. Because I find this one has well-balanced spices without an overpowering aroma or taste. 

Thanks to the slow-cooked meat broth, the dish will taste rich yet delightfully light when paired with rice. It’s definitely a comfort dish. Like on cold, weathered days. The spices will tantalize your taste buds and simultaneously warm your body. 

What’s in It?

There are three main parts of the dish, i.e., meat, potato, and masala.

You can choose any red meat that you like. Goat’s meat, beef, and lamb are all good dish choices. However, I prefer lamb. Not only is it easier to get from my local halal butcher, but it also tastes more flavourful, in my opinion.

But I leave the meat choice to you, based on your preference.

When it comes to potatoes, any potatoes should be good. The only thing to note is that new potatoes or Charlotte potatoes are better options. They have a creamy texture and don’t break easily. 

Now, the masala. 

Masala literally means mixed spices. In Pakistani/Indian cooking, the masala refers to the mixed-sauce base used for curries.

Likewise, the masala in this Aloo Gosht is the sauce base you make by mixing the spices and tomatoes. 

As for the spices, you will need ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, red chili powder or paprika powder, ground/coarse black pepper, cloves, fresh ginger-garlic paste, onion, and garam masala. 

On top of that, you will need a little oil to fry the spices and tomatoes. You can use fresh tomatoes or tinned chopped tomatoes. I use the latter.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The gravy is simple but tastes like you worked all day. Onions, tomatoes, ginger, and garlic are all cooked down until they melt into a thick, spiced sauce. Nothing fancy, just good basics done right.
• The potatoes actually taste of something. They cook inside the spiced masala and absorb everything around them. Not bland, not mushy — just soft and full of flavor all the way through.
• Serve it with whatever you have. Rice, naan, chapati — it works with all three. No need to hunt for a specific side. Use what’s already available at home.
• You control the heat. The base recipe is warm and spiced, not fiery. Add more chili if you want it hotter, use less if you’re cooking for people who can’t handle it. It’s forgiving either way.
• It’s even better the next day. Make it tonight, eat the leftovers tomorrow. The flavors settle overnight, and it genuinely tastes deeper and richer the second time around.
• One pot, straightforward process. Everything goes in together. You’re not juggling multiple pans or timing five things at once. Start it, let it cook, done.
• It freezes well. Make a double batch, freeze half in portions. In the future, you will be grateful for the evenings when cooking feels like too much effort, or you simply don’t have time to do it.
• No thickeners or cream needed. The sauce reduces naturally. What you end up with is a proper, flavorsome, not watery, not heavy gravy, just the right consistency from the ingredients themselves.

How to Make Aloo Gosht

Firstly, get your meat ready. Wash, rinse, and drain. Set aside.

Secondly, fry the chopped onion in a pan until translucent and fragrant. Then, add in the freshly minced ginger and garlic. Fry for a minute or two longer before you add the rest of the ground spices. 

Continue cooking until the spices release a delicious aroma, then add the tomatoes. Leave it to cook simultaneously, trying to mash the tomatoes repeatedly. If it looks dry, add ¼ cup of water and let it cook with the lid on at medium-low heat.

Put your meat pieces in once your masala sauce reaches a thick, lump-free consistency and the oil has slightly separated from the edges. Give it a good stir, so all the meat is coated in the sauce.

Put the lid on and leave it to cook until the meat looks opaque and firm. Then add another 1 ½ cups of water, stir again, and cook it with the lid on at low heat.

Keep checking and stirring the meat curry now and then.

You can add the potato pieces when the meat is thoroughly cooked and almost tender. Continue cooking with the lid on at low heat until the potatoes are fully cooked. 

Your aloo gosht is ready when the meat and potatoes are tender, and the oil has slightly separated from the edges. You can sprinkle ½ teaspoon of garam masala at the end. This will enhance the aroma and flavor of your curry.

If you use lamb’s meat, it should take approximately 1 hour to cook this curry.

The Secret of Mouthwatering Aloo Gosht

Before you go ahead and make the dish, let me tell you the secret to this curry. It lies in how you make the masala spice. For many years, I didn’t realize I should cook the masala spices with tomatoes until they become smooth and thick, with the oil separating from the sauce. 

It was one of my husband’s nieces who reminded me.

So be patient when you make the base sauce. Ensure all the tomatoes are mashed and cooked nicely so the base sauce is smooth and shiny. 

Add the water little by little and add more than suggested if needed. Because some meat releases more juice than others. 

The proper Aloo Gosht has a richly flavored sauce that is not too thick or too thin. Therefore, take care when adding the water. 

What to Serve the Aloo Gosht With

As mentioned above, this lamb with potato curry is a classic dish in Pakistani cuisine and is often served at many gatherings and occasions.

Aloo gosht usually pairs well with Achari Chicken, Chicken Karahi, Green Moong Dal, and a salad when served as part of a food spread.

Enjoy some Rasmalai or Kheer for dessert to finish your meal. And you may want to serve this cucumber water or cucumber-kale smoothie as a refreshing drink in your food spread.

Aloo Gosht

5 from 41 votes

Aloo Gosht – the meat and potato curry in Pakistani style – is the one you'll want for comfort food. It's delicious with plain Basmati rice and equally tasty to have with naan bread or chapati. Whichever you choose, it's a perfect dish for your curry night.

BY: Devy Dar

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Prep : 15 minutes mins

Cook : 1 hour hr

Total : 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Equipment

• Chopping board
• Kitchen knife
• Cooking pan with lid.
• Wooden spoon

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Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

US CustomaryMetric

• 1.3 pounds lamb meat I used shoulder lamb meat. (See the note).
• 1 medium-sized onion
• ½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds.
• 1 ½ teaspoons cumin powder.
• 1 ½ teaspoons coriander powder.
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder.
• 2 teaspoons paprika powder or Kashmiri chili powder see the note.
• 1 teaspoon ground or coarse black pepper.
• 10 whole cloves.
• 1 teaspoon salt or according to taste.
• ½ cup tinned tomatoes.
• 1- inch ginger.
• 5 cloves garlic.
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• 1 pounds potatoes.
• ⅓ cup cooking oil see the note.
• Fresh green chilies optional.
• A handful Cilantro/ coriander leaves for garnish (optional).

Instructions

• Get your meat ready in one-inch chunks. Set aside.
• Peel the ginger and garlic, then using pestle and mortar or a food processor crush them into a paste. Set aside.
• Peel and chop the onion.
• Then in a cooking pot, heat the oil and put in the chopped onion and cumin seeds to fry until the onion lightly golden. 
• When the onion smell nice and turns light brown in colour, add in the ginger and garlic paste. Stir well and let it cook for a minute or two.
• Put all other spices in, i.e. cumin powder, ground coriander, turmeric powder, paprika powder or chili powder, black pepper, and salt. 
• Stir the spices well and let it fry until it’s nicely fragrant.
• Add in the tinned tomatoes. Cook further at medium-high heat while you keep stirring and mashing the tomatoes. Then add ¼ cup/ 60 ml/ 2 oz of water in, mix it well, put the lid on and continue cooking at low heat.
• Take care and keep checking your Masala (spices mixture), don’t let it burn. You may have to keep stirring and mashing the tomato pieces until all becomes a smooth paste, and the oil separates from the spices.
• When your Masala spice is nicely smooth and thick with its oil separates from the spices, you can put in your meat pieces and the whole cloves. 
• Turn and stir the meat well so all the pieces are coated with masala spice. Continue to cook without the lid at medium heat for about five minutes. Don’t forget to keep checking and stirring so the spices won’t get burned at the bottom.
• Then put another 1 ½ cup of water and stir your meat curry. Turn the heat back to low and put the lid on again to cook the meat slowly for about half an hour or until your meat becomes tender. 
• But do take care, keep checking and stirring now and again.
• In the meantime, peel your potatoes and cut them into one-inch pieces as equally as possible. 
• You can put your potatoes in when your meat has become tender or slightly tender. Stir your Aloo Gosht and let it cook until the potatoes are fully cooked. It takes about 10-15 minutes for the potatoes to cook. You can also add the green chilies here.
• Your Aloo Gosht is now ready, and you can enjoy it with plain Basmati rice, or with Pilau rice, or Biryani rice. You can also has this meat and potato curry with chapati. It’s your choice.

Notes

• Gosht in Urdu/ Hindi means meat. I believe that in Pakistan or India, people mostly cook this Aloo Gosht dish with goat meat. But you can use any red meat you like, such as lamb or beef. In my household, we prefer to have it with lamb meat. 
• If you prefer your curry to be spicy, you can substitute the paprika powder with chili powder. I suggest using Kashmiri chili powder. Not only is the chili distinctly flavorsome, but it also has a vibrant color that makes your curry look more appetizing.
• If you want a moderate hot spicy curry, you can mix the paprika powder and the Kashmiri chili powder at an equal portion of one teaspoon each.
• You can use shop-bought garam masala, though I suggest you make your garam masala as it will have a superior quality.
• When it comes to oil, traditional Pakistani and Indian cookings use Ghee a lot. I don’t like it because it makes the food taste too fatty and takes away the meat flavor. So I always use regular cooking oil, either sunflower or rapeseed. Although recently, I have preferred using organic rapeseed oil whenever I can.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 2223kcal | Carbohydrates: 406g | Protein: 87g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 24g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 949mg | Fiber: 56g | Sugar: 180g

Devy Dar

Devy founded So Yummy Recipes and Drizzling Flavor to share her love of food after exploring various cultures and cuisines for more than two decades. Her mission is to help others easily recreate traditional and non-traditional food with readily available ingredients. Her works have been featured in Reader’s Digest, Al Jazeera, MSN, Yahoo, Bon Appétit, and more.