Pakistani bhuna gosht

I love an Indian lamb bhuna and that's what I normally opt for when ordering a curry. When picking this recipe from the Pinterest jungle, I was hoping it would taste similar. It didn't and it wasn't only because I used venison instead of lamb, although I'm sure that had somewhat of an impact. I used a lot less chilli in my version, but that wasn't the reason either, because the bhuna I'm used to isn't hot. It may simply be a case of a Pakistani bhuna being different from an Indian one.

Was it nice? Yes, but I'm well aware of it looking less than nice and not even close to the Pinterest photo, in which the dish was kind of red. Scanning the recipe for any ingredients helping the red shades along, I failed to find anything. A greyish brown meal is pretty much as far from tempting as it as can get. Saying that, this meal was actually full of flavour and when we had dinner, I had a request of making it again. That's one of the best reviews a cook can get.

If you want to make a proper version of this meal, I recommend that you search Pinterest for 'Pakistani bhuna gosht'. The list of ingredients is longer than my arm and I had to make do with what I had at home, making my version similar but not the same as the original. It did however suit my family well.

To start with I used venison instead of lamb, because that's what we had an abundance of. What's thick curd? Googling for suitable substitutes, I found that Greek yogurt would be acceptable, so that's what I used. The recipe called for both green cardamon and big cardamon. I didn't even know were different kinds. I used the ordinary pods.

Something that worried me was the whole garlic cloves that were meant to be added. What if I bit into one of those when eating? Being the chicken that I am, I opted for cutting them into chunks and even though they were pretty large chunks, I didn't notice them when having dinner. Something else that struck me was the total lack of vegetables in the dish and that wasn't acceptable. I therefore added carrot, celeriac and courgette.

To make my version of Pakistani bhuna gosht, you need time, enough time to cook the meat until it is melt-in-your-mouth-tender. You also need the following ingredients:

750 g venison, cut into chunks

6 large onions, sliced

3/4 cup Greek yogurt

2 inches fresh ginger, sliced

4 large garlic cloves, whole or cut into chunks

2 tbsp coriander powder

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric

1.5 tsp salt

1 tbsp dried leaf coriander

2-3 bay leaves

1.5 inch cinnamon stick

1 tsp mace

5-6 cloves

1 tsp caraway seeds

5-6 black pepper corns

5 cardamon pods

0.5 tsp nutmeg

1. Get all ingredients out.

2. Chop the onion, garlic and ginger.

3. Find whatever vegetables you want to use, but don't prepare them yet. I opted for half a large courgette, a large carrot and 1/4 of a celeriac.

4. Start by frying off the peppercorns, cardamon pods, cloves and cinnamon stick in a little oil.

5. Add ginger and garlic.

6. Add the onions and leave to soften and turn slightly golden in colour.

7. Add the meat and mix well.

8. Add the yogurt and mix well. Leave to cook on high heat until juices start to appear.

9. Once the juices appear, pop the lid on and lower the heat. Cook until the meat is tender, approximately an hour.

10. By the end of the hour, prepare the vegetables of your choice and get the seasoning ready.

11. Add the remaining seasoning and stir well.

12. Add the vegetables and stir well.

13. If adding vegetables, you may need to add more liquid. I opted for water, approximately half a pint.

14. Pop the lid back on and leave to cook until the vegetables are done.

15. Once the vegetables are cooked, the bhuna gosht can either be served or cooled down and frozen. 

16. Enjoy your meal.

I served with slightly curried rice, adding a spoonful of garam masala to the water when cooking it.