Pakistani home classic · Tarka finish

Dal Gosht Recipe (Pakistani Meat and Lentil Curry)

Soaked chana dal. Tender meat. Sizzling tarka.

Farwa ZeeshanRecipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchen

Dal gosht is chana dal and meat cooked together until the lentils are creamy and the meat is soft. It fails when the dal stays hard or turns to paste. Soaking the dal and adding it once the meat is half cooked keeps both perfect.

Prep15m
Cook1h 30m
Servings6
kcal / serving460
LevelEasy
Jump to the method

The 3 laws of dal gosht

Why this recipe works

Soak dal

Dry dal

Soaked dal cooks evenly.

Timed add

All at once

Dal goes in when meat is half cooked.

Tarka

Flat finish

A hot tarka lifts the whole dish.

Shopping and prep list

Ingredients

Servings
Tap items as you gather them · 0 of 0 ready

Meat and masala

Dal and tarka

The NineFoods dal gauge

Is the dal done?

Press a grain of dal between your fingers.

Tap a stage to see what to do.

Method · 4 stages

Step by step

1

Bhuno meat

Medium-high · 20 min
  1. Brown onions, add ginger garlic paste and meat.
  2. Add tomatoes and spices and bhuno until oil separates.
Look for: oil separating.
20:00
2

Half cook meat

Low, covered · 30 min
  1. Add 3 cups hot water and cook covered.
  2. The meat should be half tender.
Look for: meat softening.
30:00
3

Add dal

Low, covered · 35 min
  1. Add drained dal and 2 cups hot water.
  2. Cook until dal and meat are soft. Use the gauge above.
Look for: creamy dal, soft meat.
35:00
4

Tarka

High · 2 min
  1. Heat ghee, fry cumin, garlic and red chillies.
  2. Pour over the dal gosht.
Look for: golden garlic, sizzling tarka.
02:00

Chef's troubleshooter

What went wrong? Pick the symptom

Why

Not soaked or old dal.

Fix next time

Soak 1 hour and cook longer with hot water.

Why

Added too early.

Fix next time

Add dal when meat is half done.

Why

No tarka.

Fix next time

Finish with a ghee, garlic and cumin tarka.

Why

Dal absorbs water.

Fix next time

Add hot water before serving.

Swap smart

Ingredient roles and substitutes

IngredientJob in the dishSwap with
Chana dalCreamy bodyMasoor dal, add it 15 minutes before the end
MuttonMain proteinBeef or chicken
Ghee tarkaAromaOil tarka
Pressure cookerSaves timeMeat 15 min, then dal 10 min

After the meal

Serve, store, reheat

Serve with

Roti, naan or rice.

Store

Fridge 4 days. Freezer 3 months.

Reheat

Simmer with hot water, stirring, then pour over a fresh tarka.

How we tested this recipe

Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio

Farwa Zeeshan

Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.

  • Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 6 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
  • Every one of the 4 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
  • The doneness check (is the dal done) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
  • Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.

Read our full testing process

Keep cooking

Related recipes and guides

All Pakistani recipes10 Essential Pakistani Spices and How to Use ThemHow to Make Garam Masala at HomeHow to Make Ginger Garlic Paste

Quick answers

Dal Gosht FAQ

Which dal is used in dal gosht?

Chana dal is classic; masoor dal also works.

How long should I soak chana dal?

At least 1 hour.

Can I use chicken?

Yes. Add the dal with the chicken after the bhunai.

Why is my dal still hard?

It needs soaking and more cooking time with hot water.