Pakistan – Aloo Gosht

by Dahiza Umar

INTRODUCTION TO THE DISH

This dish is a very common dish that is cooked on the daily basis as routine food. Whenever some spicy and meaty curry is supposed into the mind, We have this Aloo Gosht. This is a curry or gravy of mutton/ beef/ chicken with some large pieces of potato into it. Usually, this meat curry is cooked with Beef. But there are some areas where this same dish is cooked in Mutton and chicken. Although flavors are almost the same because of the spices and cooking method.

This dish is traditionally from the Punjab region of Pakistan which is known for its culture and food. Their food is rich in flavors and spices. They used fresh ingredients directly from their farms like pure Ghee, Yogurt, Milk, dried herbs, spices, etc. This dish is very simple but with many bursting flavors.

This dish has a few different versions by the consistency of the gravy. In some areas, Aloo gosht has a very thin consistency of gravy-like soup. In some areas, this dish is cooked in thick curry or gravy-like consistency. So we can change the consistency of the gravy by adding some Luke warm water and salt, spices to the dish.

NAMING OF THE DISH

The name of the dish is coming up by their two main ingredients like in Urdu Potato is known as ALOO. And Meat is known as GOSHT. Gosht means any type of meat like chicken, beef, mutton, etc.

The name is just simple by the ingredients so we can say this dish is made up from two main ingredients potato and meat.

COMPONENT OF THE DISH

There are three components of the dish from which this dish is completed like

MEAT

We can add any meat version we want to add like beef, mutton, and chicken. This dish when cooked with any of the meat, it gives almost the same taste because this dish has a huge impact of spices in the gravy.

First we have to make the broth of the meat. From beef we can have bone marrow and more fatty taste that gives this dish more palatable effect. When we are using chicken this will make it more simple with not more bone marrow but its broth also gives the good flavor to the dish.

POTATO

Potato is the second main element of the dish because this dish is potato and meat curry. The use of potato is according to the meat. We have to add big pieces of potato to this dish. Like we usually cut 4 pieces of huge potato and 2 of the small one.

Potatoes are cooked with the meat curry and get all the flavors of the meat and spices of the curry.

CURRY / GRAVY

This curry has almost medium consistency which is not too much thin or thick. This curry has a huge impact on spices and Desi ghee. Spices like Cinnamon, Black pepper, Cumin, Coriander, bat leaves, and dried fenugreek leaves. The use of Pure ghee that is clarified butter direct from the milk in farms. This thing enhances the flavor of this dish and gets the richness because of beef and clarified butter.

SERVED WITH

This dish is served with all kind of breads found in Pakistan and simple salted rice like given below :

• Roghani naan
• Roghani roti
• Sadi roti
• Sadi naan
• Khameeri roti
• Khameeri Naan

RICE TYPES

• Simple rice
• Boiled rice
• Zeera rice
• Steamed rice, etc

NUTRITIONAL ASPECT OF THE DISH

• Calories : 300
• Protein : 80 grams
• Carbohydrates : 60 grams
• Fats : 10 grams
• Fiber : 10 grams

TIME REQUIRED

• Preparation time : 20 minutes
• Cooking time : 40 minutes
• Total time : 60 minutes

INGREDIENTS OF THE DISH

• Beef pieces with bones : 1/2 kg
• Butter : 4 tablespoons
• Desi Ghee : 1/2 cup
• Onions : 2 large
• Yogurt : 1 cup
• Tomatoes : 2 large
• Garlic paste : 4 tablespoons
• Ginger paste : 4 tablespoons
• Green chilies paste : 4 tablespoons
• Potatoes : 4 ( cut into 4 )

SPICES

• Salt : 1 tablespoon
• Red pepper :1 teaspoons
• Turmeric powder : 1/2 teaspoons
• Cumin powder : 1 teaspoons
• Coriander powder : 1 tablespoons
• Cloves : 4
• Cinnamon stick : 1
• Black pepper cones : 1 teaspoons
• Bay leaves : 2

GARNISHING

• Green fresh coriander : 1 bunch
• Green chilies : 2
• Garam masala : 1 teaspoons

COOKING METHOD

• Take butter and ghee into a cooking pot and add onions into it. Fry onions into butter for a while and then add garlic ginger paste into it.
• Now add tomatoes into it and let them cook together.
• Add beef into onion mixture with all the spices into it. Fry them together and let them sit for 10 minutes.
• Now when beef is browned then add water of 4 glasses into it.
• Now let this beef cook for 20 minutes. Cook the beef until it gets tender and moisture is absorbed.
• When water is dried, fry beef with the masala.
• It’s time to add potatoes into the beef mixture. Now add 1 glass of water to cook the potatoes.
• When potatoes are cooked and water is evaporated, add garam masala into it.
• It’s time to serve the dish with fresh coriander and green chilies.
• Serve and Enjoy!