Palak gosht is a stew made with fresh spinach and meat; palak means spinach and gosht is the meat. Lamb or goat is cooked with spices and ginger garlic until it’s tender, then spinach is added toward the end. This palak gosht is a famous Pakistani Punjabi recipe, easy to make, but the flavors are just so incredibly delicious that you’ll be addicted to this simple recipe and crave more and more.
What goes into palak gosht Recipe
Gosht (Meat)
I used bone-in pieces of lamb; any part of lamb will work for this recipe. If you don’t like lamb, then use goat, or even beef. Can you make it with chicken? The answer is yes, but the recipe for that will be different, and I will try to give that recipe to you another time. Mutton, lamb, or beef need to be cooked until tender. You can use an Instant Pot or a pressure cooker for cooking the meat, but if you want to cook in a regular pot over the stove, you can, but it’ll take more time and also water.
Palak (Spinach)
I used 2 lbs of fresh spinach. I cut the stems off, then cut it into smaller pieces, and washed it several times to get rid of any impurities. After washing, leave the spinach in a strainer to drain out any excess water. If you don’t want to do all of that work, then use prewashed baby spinach for which you do not need any kind of cutting either.
Spices
This recipe is so simple; it uses only salt, red chili powder (cayenne pepper), and turmeric.
Ginger Garlic
You’ll need ginger and garlic paste. I used my frozen ginger garlic paste, but you can also use fresh or store-bought. Try to use the ginger and garlic from a good brand; that makes a huge difference.
Onion
To make this palak gosht, we’ll also need 1 medium-sized white or yellow onion. Peel and cut the onion into slices before adding it to the meat for pressure cooking.
Tomato
I used one large tomato. Cut the tomato roughly into cubes and add it to the meat along with the onion.
Oil
I used 1/2 cup of oil. You might think that’s a lot, but for this quantity of meat and spinach, you need oil. If you want less oil, you can use less, but the presentation you can see in my video can only be achieved with more oil.
Green chilies
Add green chilies once all of the water evaporates.
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Why it’s important to dry all the water of palak?
Spinach or palak is very watery. Once you start cooking it, it will wilt down and release a lot of water. It’s important to dry all the water over high heat in the final step until the oil leaves the palak. This is a crucial step you can’t skip.
How to serve Palak Gosht?
Let me tell you, this is a very flavorful dish if you have developed a desi palate. Even with a couple of basic ingredients, this is going to be a delicious recipe. I like to serve it with freshly made roti, naan, or white rice. You can even serve it with paratha, and it just tastes divine. Palak gosht can be served as a main dish or served on the side when you are hosting.
How to store any leftover palak gosht?
Keep any leftover curry in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator, or you can freeze it for up to two months. Make sure to divide it into reasonable portions for easy reheating and using purposes.
Palak Gosht (spinach with lamb)
Equipment
- 1 Instant pot or pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs lamb, goat, or beef I used bone-in lamb
- 1 medium onion
- 1 large tomato
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1/2 cup water or more if using a regular pot or pressure cooker
- 2.2 lbs spinach
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp red chili powder
- 1/3 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil use less if you want
- 5 green chilies optional
Instructions
- Peel and chop the onion; also cube a tomato.
- Add lamb, chopped onion, tomato, salt, red chili powder, turmeric, and water in an instant pot. Pressure cook for 20 minutes.
- You can also cook the meat in a regular pot, but you'll need about 2 to 3 cups of water and cook for 45-60 minutes or until the meat is tender.
- After 20 minutes, release the pressure and transfer it to a bigger pot with a larger opening (I used a wok).
- When the meat is cooking, go ahead and chop the spinach and wash it several times to get rid of any dirt. Leave the spinach in the strainer to remove excess water. You can also use prewashed baby spinach (no need to cut or wash baby spinach).
- Now start evaporating the water and add oil as well. Keep stirring it often to avoid burning.
- Once all of the water evaporates and the oil separates, add chopped spinach, mix it, and cover. Cook on high heat for 4 minutes, keep an eye out to avoid burning.
- Once spinach starts wilting, mix it well. Lower the heat and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
- Once spinach is completely wilted remove the lid and cook over high heat while stirring often to evaporate all the water.
- Once oil separates add green chilies (I used red because I didn’t have any green on hand)
- Serve with roti or white rice