If you’ve never had dal gosht, you’re in for a treat. Dal means “lentils” and gosht means “meat” and that’s exactly what this dish is: a flavorful lentil stew with goat meat.
Dal gosht is so easy to make in an Instant Pot – you just put everything in an electric pressure cooker and an hour or so later, you’ve got a comforting and delicious meal.
You can use your favorite combination of lentils to make this curry. I prefer a combination of split pigeon peas (toor dal), red lentils (masoor dal) and split chickpeas (chana dal). The split pigeon peas and red lentils completely melt into the curry, but the chana dal retains its shape and gives the dish a little texture. I highly recommend using at least some chana dal for that reason – and also because I love the flavor it adds to the dish.
If you’ve never tried goat meat before, know that it’s mild in flavor and even a bit sweet. It’s tasty and so tender that it will melt in your mouth.
I’ve heard people say that they don’t like goat meat because they think it’s “gamey.” Well, let me be the first to say that whatever those people are referring to isn’t goat meat. There’s a lot of confusion over “mutton” and “goat.” In India, when people refer to mutton they are talking about goat meat whereas here in the US, mutton means adult sheep. Goat meat does not have a gamey flavor but mutton does. If you like the flavor of mutton, that’s great! But if you don’t, then let’s not blame the goat…
If you make this dal gosht, you can serve it over rice or with an Indian flatbread. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the dish! If you like this dal and want to try making more goat recipes, then be sure to try my simple Indian goat curry or this amazing Kerala goat pepper fry.
Instant Pot Dal Gosht (Lentils with Goat)
Instant Pot Dal Gosht (Lentils with Goat)
Ingredients
- ½ cup split pigeon peas toor dal, soaked 1-2 hours
- ÂĽ cup red lentils masoor dal, soaked 1-2 hours
- ÂĽ cup split chickpeas chana dal, soaked 1-2 hours
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 onions thinly sliced
- 1 pound bone-in goat pieces shoulder or leg
- 2 Serrano peppers or green chilies slit in half but still intact
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
Spices:
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ÂĽ teaspoon black pepper
- ÂĽ teaspoon cayenne adjust to taste
- 2 to matoes diced
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves garnish
Instructions
- Soak the lentils in cold water for 1-2 hours. Drain, rinse and set aside.
- Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot, add the oil and allow it to heat up for a minute. Add the cumin seeds to the pot and once they start to brown, add the onion and goat meat. Stir-fry for 6-7 minutes, or until the meat has browned.
- Add the serrano peppers, garlic, ginger, spices and stir, then add the tomatoes. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the tomatoes break down.
- Add the drained lentils to the pot along with the 4 cups of water and mix well.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 30 minutes at high pressure.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Garnish with chopped mint and cilantro prior and serve.
Shaheen says
I recently tried out the Dal Gosht recipe, and it was an absolute hit at my dinner table! The combination of tender meat and creamy lentils created a delightful blend of flavors and textures that left everyone craving for more.
HadsNM says
I’m from south India and very familiar with goat curry. It’s my first time making this and I followed your recipe exactly. It was amazing!!!! Only thing I’d change is the amount of water I put. I found 4 cups was way too much and it didn’t thicken as i had expected. Thanks so much for this recipe Ashley it was beyond incredible.
Rohini says
Tried it today, came out perfect.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how much you like this recipe 🙂
allison says
Hello! I’d like to triple this recipe and make it with chicken! How would that affect the cook times? Thank you!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Allison, I haven’t tried tripling this so I’m not sure how it’ll go, but if it were me, I would keep the cook time the same. The pot will adjust the time it takes to reach pressure on its own as there’ll be more in the pot, but the cook time can stay the same.
Ian says
Tried it!! Loved it!!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Ian, so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Mina says
I love this recipe! I use an immersion blender at the end to get a nice silky consistency. Thanks so much, the instant pot recipe gives me fabulous results!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Mina! Happy to hear that you like this so much!
Nina says
Cant wait to try this recipe. I made goat in the IP last week and it turn out so tough!
If i was to make this recipe with boneless goat meat, would you recommend keeping the cooking time the same?
My Heart Beets says
Nina, let me know how this goes for you! I would keep the time the same. As for your other dish, I would think that if the goat was still tough, it likely needed more cooking.
Corina says
I can’t wait to try this! Childhood memories of my mom’s dal gosht. She made hers with lamb and red lentils only, so that’s what I will try. Your curry looks very much like hers except hers was thicker. I know you said it will thicken as it cools, but do you think I could use less than 4 cups water? I’ve been quite frustrated lately with BURN messages, so part of me is reluctant to try less water. Have you ever had a burn message wit this recipe?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Corina, that’s awesome – I can’t wait to hear what you think of this! I’m guessing you have a newer IP – I’ve heard those give burn signs more often which is really frustrating. It’s very unlikely you’ll get a burn sign with this dal as meat releases a bit of water as well. You can adjust this to 3 cups of water – here’s a picture of what my red lentil dal looks like with 1 cup of dal and 3 cups of water so you can get an idea – it does thicken as it cools but you can easily dilute it with more water at the end if needed: https://myheartbeets.com/instant-pot-red-lentil-dal/
Aisha says
This has become my go-to recipe when making chana dal gosht in the instant pot. I don’t even cook it on the stove-top anymore, because this is so much easier! Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe with us.
My Heart Beets says
Aisha, so awesome to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you like this 🙂
Aisha says
Hi, this recipe looks delicious, and I can’t wait to try it .
If I substituted chicken (with bones) for the goat, would I reduce cooking time? If so, how much time would you recommend?
Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
I haven’t tried this with chicken but I’m sure you can! As for time, again not sure but I’d try 10 mins. Let me know how it goes!
kouser says
I havent tried this yet but I cant wait to! Looks delicious! If i want to use chicken breast instead of gosht, how do you recommend i change the recipe times?
Stephanie says
Hi Ashley – my family loves dal gosht. What, if any, changes would you make to use stew beef instead of goat?
My Heart Beets says
I haven’t tried this with beef stew meat but I’d leave everything including the cook time the same. I think it’ll be delicious – let me know how it goes!
Daulat says
If you make it with beef add 2 cups of whole wheat soaked about 6 hours and then lightly crushed. Add it in with the lentils when cooking. And when cooking the meat substitute tomatoes with yoghurt.
Subhash Paradkar says
Lamb. Goat meat, chicken breast,
Boiled eggs. This dish has lot of proteins.
Sydney says
Hi Ashley,
I would love to purchase your cookbook in electronic form. Will you ever offer it as an ebook? I’m afraid I have no more shelf space for physical books!
Thanks,
Sydney
My Heart Beets says
Hi Sydney! I plan to have an eBook out soon – please sign up for my newsletter if you haven’t already! bit.ly/MHBnewsletter