Aloo Gosht (Instant Pot Lamb and Potato Curry)

Aloo gosht curry with warm naan is a hearty, filling and satisfying meal made with a few very common ingredients. This instant pot lamb curry with potatoes is sure to win you over!

This is an authentic aloo gosht recipe and a year round favorite in my home. But it really picks up business as the days get cooler. With fall in full swing and winter just around the corner, we love foods that warm and comfort. (Check out this dal gosht recipe as well if you like hearty meat-based comfort food.)

Besides, how lovely is it to dig into a bowlful of lamb and potatoes smothered in a delicious, slightly spicy sauce? Especially when you can make it with simple ingredients you might already have. You don't have to google what the ingredients look like. You don't even have to go hunting high and low for them. You find them in your fridge or pantry and get the dish going in your pressure cooker. This Indian meat and potatoes recipe just happens to be that dish!

One exception, if you're not familiar with Indian cooking at all, might be garam masala. It is a very common spice blend used extensively in Indian and Pakistani style cooking and available everywhere these days. Otherwise, it's just stuff like onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic etc. Here's the complete list of ingredients.

Ingredients in aloo gosht recipe

• Lamb meat, bone-in
• Raw onions
• Tomatoes or tomato paste
• Fresh ginger root
• Garlic cloves
• Baby potatoes
• Green chilies and cilantro (for garnishing)
• Coriander powder
• Turmeric powder
• Red chili powder
• Garam masala powder
• Cooking oil
• Salt

Exact amounts are given in the recipe card below.

Ingredient Notes

1. Aloo gosht is traditionally made with goat meat or mutton, but I used lamb in this recipe for convenience. The kind of red meat used doesn't make any difference to the final dish.
2. It is important, though, to use bone-in meat as the bones add a lot of depth and flavour. Lamb shoulder has the best and most succulent meat.
3. If you don't have ground garam masala, you can use whole spices too - 2 black cardamom, 3 green cardamom, 2 bay leaves, ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns and 4-5 cloves will be enough.
4. I used baby potatoes, but you don't have to. Russet potatoes would work as well. If they're big ones, peel and halve or quarter them depending on their size. You'll want medium sized chunks, not small potato pieces.
5. If you already have ginger garlic paste at hand, then you just need to make a smooth paste of the onions.

Equipment used to make this aloo gosht recipe

1. Instant Pot Duo - indispensable for pressure cooking the toughest meats.

2. Food chopper - I used this manual chopper to chop the onions and tomatoes. It's easy to use and wash and you don't have to plug it in.

3. Blender - for making the wet masala mentioned below. A Vitamix makes short work of any blending job in the world!

How to make instant pot lamb curry with potatoes

Preparation (10 minutes)

1. Slice the onions.
2. Chop the tomatoes.
3. Make the wet masala - put chopped onion, ginger and garlic in a blender and whiz to get a smooth puree.
4. Peel the potatoes - optional

Cooking (60 minutes)

1. Turn the instant pot to saute (normal) and heat oil. Add the sliced onions. Stir fry them until reddish brown (picture 1).
2. Add the wet masala, tomatoes, and all the dry ground spices - turmeric, coriander, garam masala and red chili. Cook for 10 minutes until the tomatoes break down (picture 2).
3. Add the lamb and salt and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring the contents with a spoon every now and then. Add a few splashes of water if you see the masala getting dry (picture 3).
4. Add 2 cups of water and cancel sauté.
5. Secure the lid, press the pressure cooking button (high), set the timer to 15 minutes and make sure the steam release handle is sealed.
6. Once the timer beeps, wait for 10 minutes, then release steam by turning the steam release handle to venting.
7. Open the cooker and add the potatoes. Again, secure the lid and set the cooker to 1 minute (picture 4).
8. Open the cooker and add green chillies and cilantro. Serve aloo gosht with warm naan bread or plain white basmati rice.

Recipe Notes

1. Be careful while frying the onions. They should achieve a reddish-brown color or the gravy will not look good. However, be careful not to burn them as it's very easy to go from 'reddish-brown' to burnt. The curry will taste bitter if the onions are even slightly burnt. It is best to fry them on medium heat under supervision.
2. It is important to cook the wet masala very well (step 2 of 'Cooking' above). With the help of a wooden spoon, fry the masala until the raw smell of the spices goes and it is thick and shiny. The oil separates and floats on the top at this point. This is the bhuna technique and it is essential for great tasting curries. If you want to learn about this in detail, check out this post on the different techniques in Indian cooking.
3. The pressure cooking time may vary from the kind of meat used, the pressure cooker, and even things like the altitude at which you are cooking! If the meat is underdone when you open the pot, set it to cook again under pressure for 5-10 minutes more depending on how well done you want the meat to be.

More instant pot meat recipes you might like

Aloo Gosht (Instant Pot Lamb and Potato Curry)

Saima Zaidi

Meat and potato curry topped with green chillies and cilantro.

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Course Dinner

Cuisine Indian

Calories 441.7 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 pound or 500 grams lamb bone-in
• 2 big onions
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 " piece ginger
• 6 cloves garlic
• 6-8 baby potatoes
• 3 green chillies for garnishing
• 2 sprigs cilantro for garnishing
• 2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• ¼ cup cooking oil
• salt to taste

Instructions

 

Preparation 

• Slice one onion fine.
• Make the wet masala: put the second onion (chopped roughly), and ginger and garlic (peeled and chopped) in a blender along with half a cup water and whiz to get a smooth puree.
• Chop the tomato.
• Peel the potatoes - optional if using baby potatoes

Cooking 

• Turn the instant pot to saute (normal) and add the sliced onions. Fry them until reddish brown.
• Add the wet masala, tomatoes, and ground spices. Cook for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes break down.
• Add the lamb and salt and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring the contents with a spoon every now and then. Add a few splashes of water if you see the masala getting dry.
• Add 2 cups water and cancel sauté.
• Secure the lid, press the pressure cooking button (high), set the timer to 15 minutes and make sure the steam release handle is sealed.
• Once the timer beeps, wait for 10 minutes, then release steam by turning the steam release handle to venting.
• Open the cooker and add the potatoes. Again, secure the lid and set the cooker to one minute pressure. 
• When the timer beeps, open the cooker and add green chillies and cilantro. Serve aloo gosht with warm naan.

Notes

1. You can substitute lamb with mutton or goat meat.
2. Use bone-in meat as the bones add a lot of depth and flavour. Lamb shoulder has the best and most succulent meat.
3. If you don't have ground garam masala, you can use whole spices too - 2 black cardamom, 3 green cardamom, 2 bay leaves, ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns and 4-5 cloves will be enough.
4. Russet potatoes work well in this recipe too. If they're big ones, peel and halve or quarter them depending on their size. You'll want medium chunks of potato, not small pieces.
5. Depending upon the type and size of potatoes, sometimes it takes more time for them to soften. I typically find that peeled and halved potatoes get done in 1 minute of pressure cooking, but you might get different results. If the potatoes are not done in 1 minute, just put the lid back on and pressure cook for another minute.

Nutrition

Calories: 441.7kcalCarbohydrates: 37.3gProtein: 30.1gFat: 19.4gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 14.9gCholesterol: 79.8mgSodium: 699.4mgFiber: 6.1gSugar: 4.7g

Keyword aloo gosht, instant pot lamb curry, lamb curry with potatoes, mutton curry

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