🍖 Gorkhali Lamb Curry
गोर्खाली खसी
A rich, deeply spiced dry lamb curry from the hills of Nepal — slow-cooked until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender. A Dashain centrepiece.
🧂 Ingredients(serves 4)
- ·1 kg Bone-in lamb shoulder or goat, cut into pieces
- ·2 large Onion, finely sliced
- ·3 medium Tomato, chopped
- ·6 cloves, paste Garlic
- ·2 tbsp, paste Fresh ginger
- ·2 tsp Cumin powder
- ·2 tsp Coriander powder
- ·1 tsp Turmeric
- ·1 tsp Garam masala
- ·½ tsp, crushed Timur (Sichuan pepper)
- ·1 tsp Jimbu (Nepali dried herb)Optional but authentic
- ·3–4 Dried red chillies
- ·4 tbsp Mustard oil
- ·to taste Salt
🛒 Where to buy
Nepali-specific ingredients and where to find them:
🥩Bone-in lamb shoulder or goat, cut into pieces
🥬Onion, finely sliced
🥬Tomato, chopped
🥬Garlic
🥬Fresh ginger
🌶️Coriander powder
🌶️Turmeric
🌶️Garam masala
🌶️Timur (Sichuan pepper)
🌶️Jimbu (Nepali dried herb)— Optional but authentic
💡 Tips
- •Bone-in pieces give far more flavour. Ask your Nepali butcher for Khasi (goat) if available.
- •Jimbu is a dried Nepali herb that's hard to substitute — find it at Nepali grocery shops and use it liberally.
- •The 'bhun' (drying out the masala) step is key to depth of flavour — don't add water too early.
👨🍳 Method
- 1
Heat mustard oil in a heavy pot until smoking lightly. Add jimbu and dried chillies — they should sizzle immediately.
- 2
Add onion and cook on medium-high heat, stirring often, until deep golden-brown — about 20 minutes. Don't rush this step.
- 3
Add garlic and ginger paste. Cook 3 minutes until raw smell fades.
- 4
Add lamb pieces and brown well on all sides in batches if needed, about 10 minutes.
- 5
Add tomato, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and chilli. Stir vigorously, coating the meat.
- 6
Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, until oil separates and the masala is very dry, about 15 minutes.
- 7
Add ½ cup water, cover and simmer on low heat for 45–60 minutes until lamb is very tender. Check and add water as needed.
- 8
In the final 10 minutes, add timur and garam masala. Cook uncovered until the curry is dry and fragrant.
- 9
Taste for salt. Serve with rice, roti, or chiura.
