Aalu Gosht ka Saalan

Aalu Ghost is considered a king of combinations in a non-veg Indian and Pakistani cuisine. Potatoes and meat make a beautiful pair with their flavours complementing each other. The method of preparing it is almost the same everywhere but different spices are used to give a slightly different flavour. My mom used to add coconut paste to increase its consistency.This is my version of the recipe.

Ingredients
Meat or Lamb pieces (with or without bones) - 1 kg
Potatoes - 3 (medium sized, peeled and each cut into 4-6 pieces)
Onion - 4 (sliced)
Ginger paste -2 tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Tomatoes - 3 (big and chopped)
Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup
Cardamom -2
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp or according to the spicy taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Corriander powder - 4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Water - 1 1/2 to 2 cups
Salt - to taste
Corriander leaves - 1 cup (chopped)

Method
1. Heat the oil in a pan or a pressure cooker.
2. Saute the onions until golden brown.
3. Add the ginger paste and the garlic paste. Keep stirring until the paste combines well with the onions and leaves out of the pan without sticking to it. (Care should be taken that the onions do not get burnt at the bottom. So please keep stirring it well ).
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they get tender for about 10 minutes. Keep stirring it again regularly for every 2 minutes.
5. Add the spices (red chilli powder, turmeric powder, corriander powder, cumin powder,  and salt) and cook for about 5-7 minutes.
6. Add the meat pieces to it. Mix it well.
7. Depending upon the potato variety, you could add the potatoes now together with the meat or later when the meat is half cooked.
8. Add the water and pressure cook it until the meat is done and tender. If you are cooking on a pan, cook it on a medium flame. You need to keep checking the bottom by stirring it well at regular intervals so that the ingredients are not burnt. If necessary, add a little more water and cook on a slow flame.
9. Garnish it with corriander leaves and serve along with steamed rice or breads or chapatis.


Tip :
You could use the same recipe for making Meat with any other vegetables like brinjal, drumstick, White Radish, Green peas, or Beans. But make sure you use less water when you prepare using these vegetables because they lose water when cooking.

Iam sending this recipe to  Taste of Pearl City, of Umm Mymoonah for Iftar Moments , Divya's Show Me Your Curry, and to Akila's Dish Name Starts with : A