Pakistani home classic · Shorba style

Aloo Gosht Recipe (Pakistani Meat and Potato Curry)

Tender meat. Soft potatoes. Light shorba.

Farwa ZeeshanRecipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchen

Aloo gosht is the comfort curry of Pakistani homes: tender meat and potatoes in a thin, flavourful shorba. It fails when the meat stays chewy or the potatoes turn to mush. The fix is cooking the meat until tender first, then adding the potatoes for the last 20 minutes.

Prep15m
Cook1h 35m
Servings5
kcal / serving450
LevelEasy
Jump to the method

The 3 laws of aloo gosht

Why this recipe works

Meat first

All at once

Potatoes go in only when meat is soft.

Bhuno well

Raw masala

Fry until oil separates.

Big potato chunks

Small cubes

Large pieces hold their shape.

Shopping and prep list

Ingredients

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

Meat and masala

Potatoes and finish

The NineFoods meat gauge

Is the meat tender?

Press a piece of meat before the potatoes go in.

Tap a stage to see what to do.

Method · 4 stages

Step by step

1

Brown onions

Medium · 10 min
  1. Fry onions in oil until golden.
  2. Add ginger garlic paste and fry 30 seconds.
Look for: golden onions.
10:00
2

Bhuno meat

Medium-high · 12 min
  1. Add meat and fry until browned.
  2. Add tomatoes and spices and bhuno until oil separates.
Look for: oil separating, masala dark red.
12:00
3

Tenderise

Low, covered · 50 min
  1. Add hot water, cover and cook.
  2. Check with the gauge above.
Look for: meat soft.
50:00
4

Add the vegetable

Medium · 20 min
  1. Add potatoes and 1 more cup hot water.
  2. Simmer until a knife slides through, then add garam masala.
Look for: soft potatoes, oil on top.
20:00

Chef's troubleshooter

What went wrong? Pick the symptom

Why

Not cooked long enough.

Fix next time

Keep cooking before adding potatoes, or pressure cook 20 minutes.

Why

Added too early.

Fix next time

Add potatoes only in the last 20 minutes.

Why

Masala not fried.

Fix next time

Bhuno until oil separates before adding water.

Why

Water evaporated.

Fix next time

Add hot water and simmer 3 minutes.

Swap smart

Ingredient roles and substitutes

IngredientJob in the dishSwap with
MuttonMain proteinBeef, cook 20 minutes longer
PotatoesBodyTurnips or peas
TomatoesTang0.5 cup yogurt
Pressure cookerSaves time20 minutes under pressure

After the meal

Serve, store, reheat

Serve with

Roti, naan or plain rice.

Store

Fridge 3 days. Freeze the meat and shorba only; potatoes turn grainy once frozen.

Reheat

Simmer gently with half a cup of hot water to loosen the shorba.

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 5 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 meat tender) 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

Aloo Gosht FAQ

When should I add potatoes to aloo gosht?

After the meat is tender, about 20 minutes before the end.

Can I use beef?

Yes. Beef needs about 20 minutes longer.

How do I make the shorba thicker?

Mash one potato into the gravy.

Can I pressure cook aloo gosht?

Yes, cook the meat 20 minutes under pressure, then add potatoes.