Saag Gosht – Saag Lamb – Spinach Lamb Curry

Updated: Apr 18, 2023

I get to use my tag line again.... You don't need to be Indian, to make great Indian food.

I must admit that the very first time I had Indian food, I did not like it. I was like, “Sam I Am” with green eggs and ham.

But after the third time I had it, I was craving it. I don’t think you should apply the three try rule to everything in life, because, there are some things that you really should not like to do, like murder, or heroin, or religion.

I had my first and best Saag Gosht in Japan, 1989, at a place called Moti, which opened its doors in 1978 and is still operational, so they must be doing something right.

http://www.motijapan.com/roppongi.html

I want to thank my co-worker, Murali Yeluri, for pointing me towards some good YouTube videos of good Indian cooking. I have seen many Indian cookbooks, but was never able to determine which was a good book.

I will share some links below for what I consider, good Indian food.

Also, this is not my recipe, but since I have made Saag and Palak in the past, I was able to determine that this is what I was really looking for. I also did modify it slightly, but not significantly.

Ingredients:

Initial:

Water and olive oil as needed.

2 lbs. lamb cut into 1 ½ inch cubes

1 large sweet onion – about 600 grams or 1 1/5 lbs. diced

5 plum tomatoes – about 400 grams or 1 lb. diced

2 large packages of baby spinach – 11 oz. each or 600 grams

1 tbs. Kashmiri chili

1 tbs. Red Indian chili

(if you are spicy heat sensitive, substitute with sweet paprika or Anaheim Chili)

1 tbs. ground coriander seed

1 tbs. kosher salt (make the whole dish kosher)

½ tbs. Turmeric Powder – 1 ½ tsp.

2 bayleaves

1 cinnamon stick

2 cardamom pods

2 tbs. garlic puree

2 tbs. ginger puree

Later:

1 tbs. fenugreek leaves

½ tbs. garam masala – 1 ½ tsp.

Fresh cilantro for garnish

Method:

Using a stock pot, Sear the cubes of lamb in a bit of olive oil with a tiny bit of salt and pepper in batches.

Remove the seared lamb from the pot.

Add a bit of olive oil and then toast the bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods briefly to release their aromas .

Add the onions and sauté until golden brown.

Add the lamb back to the pot and stir it up.

Add the tomatoes, chili powder, turmeric, coriander, and salt.

Add the garlic and ginger paste.

Add ½ cup of water, bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer covered for about 45 minutes.

While simmering, add the spinach and 1 cup of water to a different stock pot.

Turn the heat on the spinach to medium high and put the lid on. Check frequently, but after about 7 – 8 minutes, the spinach should be totally collapsed.

Puree the spinach with a stick blender, or in a regular blender. And set aside.

After the lamb has simmered for about 45 minutes, remove the cover and raise the heat.

You’ll notice that there is a lot more liquid in the pot. Stirring the lamb frequently so it does not stick to the bottom, wait for the liquid to reduce and for the liquid to resemble a thick curry sauce. This can take 15 minutes to ½ hour depending on the heat. I kept my heat a little lower to try to prevent splash.

When the lamb resembles a thick curry sauce, see below, add the spinach and stir it up.

Simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes, uncovered.

Add the garam masala, and crush the fenugreek leaves between your hands. Stir it up and simmer 5 minutes more covered on low heat.

Make yourself a plate and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and maybe a tiny bit of salted butter.

Serve with naan and prepare to have your mind blown.

I just transported back to 1989.

This has a bit too much heat for my wife. But I bet, if I add a bit of coconut milk and maybe a bit of sugar it will round out. Or maybe I just use a more mild chili.