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lamb saag recipe
- Total Time: 140 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: General
Description
This hearty lamb saag recipe simplifies traditional techniques to achieve deep flavor with minimal effort, featuring tender lamb in a rich spinach gravy finished with a sophisticated smoked yogurt swirl.
Ingredients
Scale
- 800 g boneless lamb shoulder or leg, cut into 1.5 inch cubes
- 800 g fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 60 ml ghee or vegetable oil, divided
- 2 large yellow onions, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 cm piece fresh ginger, grated
- 2–3 green chilies, slit lengthwise
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 200 g canned crushed tomatoes
- 250 ml vegetable stock or water
- 200 g full-fat plain yogurt
- 1 small piece natural hardwood charcoal
- 1 teaspoon ghee for smoking
- Fresh coriander leaves and red chili powder for garnish
- 1.5 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
- Garam masala (added at the end)
Instructions
- Sear the Lamb: Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Pat the lamb cubes dry, season them evenly with 1 teaspoon of sea salt and 0.25 teaspoon of black pepper. Sear the lamb in batches until deeply browned on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the seared lamb and set it aside.
- Brown Onions and Bloom Spices: Reduce heat to medium and add remaining ghee. Add whole cumin seeds and cook for 15-30 seconds until fragrant. Add onions and cook for 10-15 minutes until deeply golden brown and caramelized. Stir in garlic, ginger, and green chilies; cook for 2-3 minutes. Add ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric, and red chili powder; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute until fragrant. Add a splash of stock if spices start to stick.
- Simmer the Lamb Gravy: Stir in crushed tomatoes and remaining sea salt and black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes until mixture darkens. Return seared lamb to the pot. Pour in vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and cook for 1 hour until lamb is very tender.
- Add Spinach and Thicken Sauce: Stir in roughly chopped fresh spinach in batches, allowing each batch to wilt down before adding more. Continue to cook, uncovered, for another 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until spinach is fully incorporated and sauce has thickened. Stir in garam masala just before serving.
- Prepare Smoked Yogurt Swirl: Place full-fat plain yogurt in a small, heatproof bowl. Heat natural hardwood charcoal over an open flame until red hot. Place hot charcoal into a small metal bowl inside the yogurt bowl. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of ghee over the hot charcoal. Immediately cover the yogurt bowl tightly to trap the smoke. Allow it to smoke for 5-7 minutes. Remove charcoal and stir the smoked yogurt.
- Serve and Garnish: Ladle the hot lamb saag into bowls. Dollop generous spoonfuls of the smoked yogurt over the surface. Gently swirl the yogurt into the saag using a spoon. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves and a pinch of red chili powder. Serve immediately with warm flatbread or steamed rice.
Notes
Use fresh spinach for better texture; frozen spinach may become mushy. Avoid low-fat yogurt varieties as they may curdle under heat. To prevent spices from burning, add a small splash of vegetable stock to deglaze the pot while cooking.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 110 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups (approx. 300g)
- Calories: 510 calories
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 37 g
- Saturated Fat: 16 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg