Lamb Saagwala (Palak Gosht)

Lamb Saagwala, also known as lamb palak is a delectable indian meat dish of tender lamb pieces in an aromatic green spinach sauce. Saag refers to leafy greens, and in this authentic indian lamb curry, the earthy, spiced spinach sauce takes the center stage.

Originating in north india, this hearty curried lamb recipe can be served with cumin rice, or with indian flatbreads such as naan or homemade rotis.

Numerous Indian main dishes with meat incorporate leafy greens, and this delicious lamb saagwala, also commonly known as palak gosht or saag gosht is our winter time favorite. When it comes to gosht, if for some reason you don't want to use lamb, choose mutton, goat meat or beef.

Due to spinach, the taste of this hearty curried lamb dish is quite different from my other meat curries like indian lamb curry, bhuna gosht or mutton korma.

We adore such indian curries with lush sauces featuring leafy greens such as palak chicken (spinach chicken), fresh methi chicken and palak chana (spinach chickpeas curry) particularly during the winter months.

Saag dishes hail from the punjab region region of India. The state of Punjab is teeming with fields of wheat and among all the wonderful vegetables, saag is one of the popular. Typically, when people mention "saag," they are referring to sarson ka saag, an iconic winter dish from Punjabi cuisine made with mustard greens. However, in this lamb saag recipe, saag is spinach greens.

My Recipe

This homestyle lamb spinach curry has a warmth of spices and the earthiness of spinach. Despite the robust list of ingredients that might suggest heat, it's not overly spicy, rather undeniably delivers an abundance of flavor. You could definitely dial back the quantity of red chili powder or garam masala depending on your preference.

The hero in all my recipes is the spice selection. In this lamb saagwala recipe, we continue the tradition by employing a blend of whole and ground spices to enhance the taste of meat, to diminish any hint of gaminess, but more importantly, to develop deep flavors.

Secondly, I tend to avoid adding heavy cream or milk to the spinach sauces I make for meat dishes. I believe the inherent richness of the meat requires no additional enhancement with dairy. Nevertheless, if desired, you could add a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream at the end for an indulgent finish.

Lastly, it is quite helpful if you could rub the lamb meat with yogurt and leave to marinate for at least 2-3 hours(or overnight). This technique not only serves to tenderize the meat but also ensures it retains moisture and hence contributes to a succulent bite.

Which Cut of Lamb to Use

When it comes to indian lamb curries, I prefer to use boneless lamb shoulder or leg of lamb. Reason being that the meat from both these areas is comparatively lean, cooks to tender and at the same time, stands well to long slow cooking.

I'd like to highlight the importance of using trimmed lamb meat for this recipe. Using lean cuts helps prevent the curry from becoming excessively oily during the cooking process.

If you do not wish to use lamb, mutton or goat meat are a excellent choices. I switch between goat meat and lamb many times depending on what we are feeling that day. This recipe will work with beef stew meat too. You will need to adjust the cooking time and the water quanity needed during slow cook depending on the kind of meat and the cut you are using.

Spinach Sauce

Now, lets discuss the saag part of this dish. Spinach or palak isn't only adding nutrients or fiber in this recipe. Palak has a mild, subtle flavor which really complements the richness of lamb and beautifully takes on the flavor of spices to harmoniously tie together lamb saag into a soul warming curry.

1. Spinach Bunch/Mature Spinach - Is my first preference whenever I am cooking spinach in a dry sabji (like aloo palak) or for making a spinach sauce. The flavor of spinach bunch is robust and the stems bring a ton of texture to the sauce. Just take care to use only the tender stems and discard the tough ones.
2. Frozen Spinach - I avoid purchasing chopped frozen spinach by all means. If I go this route, I buy frozen leaf spinach and grind or chop it myself. The taste os spinach is way milder and less sweet as compared to fresh spinach, but its highly convenient!
3. Baby Spinach - This is my least favorite kind to use especially in meat curries. I feel that the spinach sauce lacks robustness. If you want to use it, I suggest adding handuls of it to the curry rather than puree it.

Additional notes-

• Think Texture - I prefer to not puree the spinach to smooth. A little texture to the spinach serves better here. Some recipes call for finely chopping the palak, however I feel that bit of pulse in the food processor keeps the spinach puree pleasantly coarse yet cohesive.
• Other Greens - If you want to use different variety of greens such as chard or kale instead of spinach, you can do so. However, keep in mind that the taste of the saag gravy will be different depending on the saag you are using. I highly recommend not skipping the spinach altogther.
• Consistency - Lastly, the consistency of spinach sauce. I keep it saucy thickish, a bit of gravy is perfect to ladle over rice. Avoid making pasty or a runny spinach gravy.

Ingredients

• Lamb - I use boneless lamb leg. The tender lamb works beautifully with the spinach in this recipe. Read my notes in the previous section to help decide your lamb selection.
• Spinach purée- The star ingredient! Adds nutrition and tastes delicious in a gravy flavored with meat juices. Read the previous section for my notes.
• Onion - I typically use red onions in curries. You could use yellow onions. Indian non vegetarian curries are unimaginable without onions. They provide natural sweetness and after browning, introduce a gentle smokiness that complements the flavor of meat. Take your time to brown the onions to ensure they fully assimilate with the sauce.
• Yogurt - I use plain whole milk greek yogurt. Yogurt helps to tenderize the lamb meat.
• Ground Spices - Coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder. These four spices are the bulding blocks of flavors in the spinach sauce. I use hot red chilli powder(substitue with cayenne pepper). If you prefer a mild heat, use kashmiri chilli powder (or paprika).
• Whole Spices - Whole spices like cinnamon stick, cloves, mace, black peppercorn, and bay leaf not only make the spinach fragrant, but also help in reducing the gamey flavor of meat. Skip any whole spices you do not have.
• Tomatoes - I use fresh roma tomato puree and about a tablespoon of tomato paste to push the tang further. You could use canned tomato sauce. We don't want the spinach sauce to be chunky, thats why I puree the tomatoes.
• Ginger & Garlic - Indian meat curries are unimaginable without these two. Ginger adds warmth while garlic brings in a ton of pungent, spicy flavor and aroma. Both these ingredients help in reducing the smell of meat.
• Kasuri Methi - Kasuri methi or dried fenugreek leaves inherently find their way into such green sauces to add aroma as well as plesant bitter sweetness. Kasuri methi complements the taste of lamb very well (I also use it while making lamb tikka too). You don't want to add a lot, else the sauce will start tasting of fenugreek instead of spinach.
• Mustard Oil - As always, I use mustard oil to cook such traditional punjabi recipes. Any kind of neutral oil works instead- avocado oil or grapeseed oil.
• Garam Masala - Use your favorite store bought blend or homemade garam masala. Provides the much needed rounding off of flavors with its bold, warm flavor profile.
• Salt, ofcourse!

Instructions

Marinate the Meat

1. Make sure that the lamb meat is thawed if using frozen. Using a paper towel, pat it dry.
2. Place in a large bowl. Add yogurt, ginger-garlic paste and salt(image 1).
3. Using your hands, rub the meat to coat thoroughly(image2). Marinating the meat tenderizes it, and the meat cooks to succulent.
4. Leave to marinate for 4-6 hours or overnight (if possible). If you are in a hurry, still try to marinate for at least 2-3 hours.

Prepare the Spinach

5. Bring enough water to a boil. Add little salt to water and add the cleaned spinach.
6. Once the leaves wilt, pick using tongs and add to a food processor jar fitted with a metal blade.
7. Grind the spinach. I keep it on the coarse side.

Note - If you want to use chopped spinach instead of pureed, please read the instructions later in this post.

Slow Cooking Palak Lamb Masala

8. In a large dutch oven (I use my 4qt), add the mustard oil. Place on a medium flame and let heat up.
9. Once the oil is warm (not hot), add the whole spices (image 3) and saute for 10 seconds stirring continuously. Take care that the spices don't burn. Cloves and black pepperorns sometimes pop in hot oil so please be careful.
10. Add the chopped onions next (image 4). On low medium heat, for the next 8-10 minutes, cook the onion till they become golden brown (image 5). Browning the onions is one of the key steps in making any indian curry, please dont rush this process. Second tip is to avoid stirring the onions constantly while they brown. If you do so, instead of browning, the onions will become sweaty and start steaming. Steamy, sticky onions = less flavor!

11. Once the onions have browned, add 2-3 tablespoons of water and immediately add the marinated lamb. Adding water avoids the lamb from sticking. Sprinkle all the ground spices (except garam masala) over the meat (image 6).
12. Keep the stove on low medium and mix well.
13. For the next 7-10 minutes, keep stirring the lamb. You will not see any liquid at this stage (image 7)and its perfectly fine to get tempted to add water. But don't!
14. In about 12-14 minutes, as the lamb meat starts warming up, it will start releasing its juices.Along with it, the water from yogurt will also start getting released. Keep stirring.
15. In about 15-17 minutes, you will see liquid in the pot (image8). This is what we want. We will now reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Let the lamb cook for about 45 minutes to an hour or until its about 90% cooked. You will need to check 2-3 times and stir frequently to make sure that the contents are not drying out. Add ½ cup of water or as needed. This depends on quality, cut and kind of meat. I didn't add any water.

16. Open the lid and mix in the blended tomato and tomato paste (image9). Cover and again let cook for 8-12 minutes (image10).
17. When you will uncover the lid,you will notice that the lamb is fork tender (though its not falling apart, we dont want that). You will also see thin layer of oil seperating on the top and sides of the pot (image 11).

18. Add the ground spinach, garam masala and kasuri methi(image 12). Give a gentle mix.
19. Without covering, let simmer for another 6-8 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together. At first, the spinach sauce will look dull (image 13), however, eventually after simmering, you will see thin layer of oil on top (image 14). Make sure that the meat is not overcooked or falling apart, it will spoil the texture of the dish. Adjust cooking times as needed until the meat is cooked to tender.
20. This is when your lamb saagwaala is ready! Finish with chopped cilantro if you wish.

20. Let rest for 20-25 minutes if possible for flavors to deepen. Serve warm.

Using Instant Pot

On IP saute mode, follow the recipe from steps 1 to 13 as noted above.

Cancel saute mode. Add tomatoes and 1 cup water. Close the lid. Press "Pressure cook". Pressure cook on high for 11- 13 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.

Add the spinach puree, kasuri methi and garam masala. If needed add some water to adjust the consistency depending on your liking. Don't make too soupy.

Let simmer on saute mode for another 8-10 minutes till the sauce is bubbly. You will see thin layer of oil on top and the color of spinach will be deeper. Finish with chopped cilantro if you wish.

Using Stove Pressure Cooker

Do steps 1-13 in a pressure cooker with stove heat settings as mentioned. After step 13 above add tomatoes and 1 cup water, close the lid and pressure cook the lamb meat on low medium heat for 7-8 whistles for about 15 minutes.

Mix in the spinach, finishing spices and simmer for another 10 minutes or until the spinach sauce is bubbly and shiny.

Adding Chopped Spinach

If you want to use chopped spinach to make this lamb saagwala recipe, skip the steps of blanching and pureeing the spinach.

Add chopped spinach at the same stage when I have mentioned to add spinach puree and simmer with lamb for 10-12 minutes or until the spinach has wilted.

You can add baby spinach as it is. However if you are using spinach bunch, I suggest chopping it. Discard the tough spinach stems and finely chop the tender stems so that they cook to soft while simmering in the gravy.

Serving Suggestions

Serve lamb saagwala with instant naan, homemade roti or plain parathas. You could add a side of green chutney and kachumber salad for a fresh bite.

If you love serving with rice, consider plain basmati rice or jeera rice.

Recipe Tips

• Choose good quality lamb, mutton or goat meat for tenderness and flavor. If you're using tougher cuts of meat, you might consider pressure cooking or Instant pot cooking for a more tender result.
• Adjust the amount of red chili powder and garam masala in this  saag gosht recipe to your taste preference in this recipe. You can add a touch of sugar to balance the acidity if needed. 
• Brown the onions very well to add depth. Nicely browned onions add mild sweetness to the curry.
• Depending of the kind of meat, the cut of meat, desired tenderness of meat and whether the meat is bone-in or boneless, pleases adjust the cooking times mentioned in the recipe card.
• Add a few tablespoons of heavy cream at the end for an indulgent, restauntant like finish.