Achar Gosht aka Achari Gosht, is a delightfully tangy, sour and spicy mutton curry that is sure to take your taste buds on a ride.
If you’ve ever tried a traditional Indian pickle and have experienced the tantalizing flavors and textures, you’ll love every bite of this wickedly delicious dish. With tender goat meat and a curry that packs in the punch of pickle spices, this dish truly has an unforgettable taste and aroma.
You’ll find different opinions out there about whether Achar Gosht is an authentic Pakistani recipe or an Indian recipe. Regardless, the flavors of the dish are top notch, to say the least.
Unlike most other curries, this one doesn’t need a marinade - all you need to do is cook the lamb pieces with the coarsely ground spices on high heat for a while, and then cook on low until the meat is well done.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
While I love a good lamb Rogan Josh, goat Paya and Karahi Gosht, this achar gosht recipe is what I find myself turning to when I’m really in the mood to whip up something that’s extra flavorful.
The balance of sour, spicy and salty flavors that this curry packs in is unlike anything I’ve tasted in any other Indian or Pakistani curry.
Ingredients For the Achar Gosht Recipe
For the Achari Gosht recipe, here’s what you’ll need.
Mutton: We’ll be starting off with juicy, tender cuts of mutton. I like to stick to shoulder cuts.
Ginger garlic paste: A simple mix of fresh garlic and ginger ground into a paste adds tons of flavor to the curry.
Yogurt: Yogurt adds a nice blend of creaminess and tanginess to the Achari gosht, and also helps tenderize the meat.
Tomatoes: Tomatoes are another absolute must for any good curry recipe.
Onion: Onions balance out the flavors of the dish with its umami-ness.
Whole red chillies: I used whole chillies to lend some color and spice to the dish.
Whole green chillies: Green chilies add an extra bit of heat to the curry.
Lemon juice: Lemon juice just beautifully balances out the other flavors, and lends some tanginess to the curry.
Turmeric powder: This one’s another important ingredient that forms the essence of a good curry.
Red chilli powder: Red chili powder adds both heat and color- absolutely crucial when you make Achari Gosht.
Garam masala powder: This is one of the key ingredients that adds that rustic bit of flavor to the curry.
Nigella seeds: Also known as onion seeds, these are an important part of the pickle masala mix.
Coriander seeds: Whole coriander seeds lend the spice mix that nice coarse texture. You can also just use coriander powder if you want to.
Mustard seeds: Mustard seeds bring their spice and bitterness to the dish.
Fennel seeds: These bring a nice earthy flavor to the mutton curry.
Fenugreek seeds: Fenugreek seeds, with their slight bitter taste, balance out the other flavors beautifully.
Dried red chili peppers: These add a nice bit of color to the Pakistani curry.
Cumin seeds: Cumin seeds are an absolute must for any good curry.
Dried pomegranate seeds: This one’s optional, but I highly recommend it for the tanginess and fruity flavor it brings.
Oil: You’ll need a generous amount of oil for this Achar Gosht curry.
Coriander: And of course, you can’t forget the chopped coriander for garnish!
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, you can add tomato puree instead. The idea is to get some of that delicious gravy!
- Don’t have all the whole spices that you need for the Achari masala? You could just use some store-bought Achari masala instead!
- You can also swap the mutton in the recipe for chicken, use the same spices and make some Achari chicken instead!
How to Make the Achar Gosht
Heat oil in a pot and add onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the meat, ginger-garlic paste, yogurt, salt and turmeric and sauté for a few minutes. Cover and let it cook for 15-20 minutes on low heat.
Now add the tomatoes, chillies, red chili powder and garam masala powder and cook on medium heat.
Meanwhile, dry roast the coriander seeds, nigella seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds and dried red chili on a pan for 5-6 minutes on low heat.
Remove from heat and allow it to cool down. Use a mortar and pestle or a food processor to grind the species to a coarse powder.
Add 2 tablespoons of this to the curry and give it a good mix. Cover and cook on low heat for 2-5 minutes, until the curry is simmering.
Serve it in a bowl with some lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves.
💭Top Tip
Like most Indian curries, this dish tastes best the next day, so it makes sense to make it a day in advance.
How to Store the Leftover Achari Gosht
The best way to store your leftovers is to transfer it to a clean container with a lid or an airtight container and refrigerate it. The curry can stay fresh for 2-3 days, and you can reheat it whenever you want to.
I would recommend reheating it in the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop on low heat. You might also want to add some water into the curry to loosen it up a bit.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- If you can, use mustard oil for the recipe. It really adds to the flavor of the dish and gives the curry that intense, smoky flavor.
- Make sure you drain all the excess water from the meat after you’re done cleaning it, before you add it into the curry.
- I’ve used my regular pot to make this curry, but you can totally use your Instant Pot or pressure cooker if you want to cut down the cooking time.
How to Serve the Achari Gosht
Serving this flavorful curry is super easy- you can enjoy it just like you would any other curry.
With a Flatbread
I love serving this Achar Gosht with some roti or chapati. Freshly made naan or paratha can also be a good teammate to the achar gosht.
I personally love pairing it with my bullet naan- a spicy, wholesome Indian flatbread.
With Rice
If you love rice, you can also team up this flavorful curry dish with some pilau rice or even some biryani if you’re up for it.
I also love teaming up my Indian curries with some cooling buttermilk to wash it all down, or a nice cucumber mint raita.
Recipe FAQs
You don’t actually need to, but if you really have a few extra minutes, you can coat the mutton pieces in a mixture of yogurt, salt and red chili powder for 30 minutes or more.
More Indian Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Achar Gosht | Achari Gosht
Ingredients
- 350 g mutton
- ½ cup Yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 ½ tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 75 ml oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon coriander chopped
- 1-2 green chillies
- 1-2 red chillies
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 3-4 dried red chilli
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon dried pomegranate seeds optional
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ½ teaspoon nigella seeds
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot and add onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add the meat, ginger-garlic paste, yogurt, salt and turmeric and saute for a few minutes. Cover and let it cook for 15-20 minutes on low heat.
- Now add the tomatoes, chillies, red chili powder and garam masala powder and cook on medium heat.
- Meanwhile, dry roast the coriander seeds, nigella seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds and dried red chili on a pan for 5-6 minutes on low heat.
- Remove from heat and allow it to cool down. Use a mortar and pestle or a food processor to grind the species to a coarse powder.
- Add 2 tablespoons of this to the curry and give it a good mix. Cover and cook on low heat for 2-5 minutes, until the curry is simmering.
- Serve it in a bowl with some lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves.
