Hot Weekend Lunch - Lamb/Mutton Dhansak

Its summer time & the days are long & very hot here . Summer time is the worst time in Dubai . Getting out is very difficult in the afternoon & its applicable for weekend days alos . But from September onwards the weather will become very pleasant . So now in this hot weather I don't want to go out for lunch , & I thought to make something new to enjoy our lunch at home . So I made Lamb dhansak .
Lamb Dhansak is a popular Parsi recipe in which lamb is cooked along with lentil and should be medium to hot in spiciness . We loved the blend of hot spices, sour flavours and lentils & make the dhansak a popular curry at our home .So here is the recipe ...



Ingredients for dhansak :-

1. 500 gm boneless lamb, diced into large chunks .
2. 2 small tomatoes, roughly chopped .
3. 2 medium onions, roughly chopped .
4. 1 lemon .
5. 2 tbsp oil .
6. Salt to taste .

For lentil mixture :-

1. 1/2 cup toor dal .
2. 1/2 cup masoor dal .
3. 1/2 cup urad dal .
4. 1 small aubergine, chopped .
5. 1 small sweet potato, chopped .
6. 1/2 small pumpkin , chopped .
7. 2 onion, roughly chopped .
8. Handful of coriander .
9. 1 tsp turmeric powder .
10.2 tsp oil .
11. 2 cup water

For masala paste

1. 3 tsp ginger- gerlic paste .
2. 2 tsp red chilli powder .
3. 1 tsp cumin powder .
4. 1 tsp coriander powder .
5. Whole garam masala (1"cinnamon ,4 green cardamoms ,4 whole black pepper , 1 star anise , )
6. 1 tbsp kasoori methi .
7. Handful coriander leave .
8. Salt .
9. 1 tsp nutmeg powder .




Method :-

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker & fry the onion till soft & brown . Now put water , salt & all the ingredients for the lentil mixture . Cook for 5 whistles and then simmer for 15 -20 minutes . Uncover and mash the dal mixture to get a semi-smooth mixture.

2. Grind all the paste ingredients in a blender to make a smooth masala paste .

3. Heat the oil in the pressure cooker . Now add the chopped onions & fry until pale brown. Add the spice paste and the tomatoes and fry for ten minutes, stirring regularly so that it won't stick to the bottom .

4. Then add the lamb and fry until they are brown all over and well coated in the masalas. Fry for 10 min & then put the dal mixture into it and pressure cook again for about 15 minutes.

5. Now open the pressure cooker, mix in the lemon juice & add salt . Let it simmer for another 10 min & serve hot with white rice , salad & fried papad .

Note :- If you don’t have a pressure cooker, just cook it in a kadai .
Don't make the lentil mixture too much smashy .
It is meant to be hot, sweet and sour. so use as much chilli (fresh green and dry red chilli ) you want .