Alu Gosht ka Saalan

Alu means Potato and Ghost means lamb or goat meat and salan is basically a dish. So as name suggest this dish mainly consists of potatoes and meat. This dish is one of the royal dishes in the non-veg cooking of Indian and Pakistani cuisine. This dish not only tastes grand but it has distinct aroma which automatically makes a person hungry. Though it is not difficult to cook and surely not cooked in different way than the other dishes in same cuisine but its distinct spices give it distinct taste and flavor. The ingredients are easy to get at near by store and if not then you can order on Ebay or Amazon. it does take some time to get used to making it but once you have made it two or three times you would be perfect in making this dish.

1. Meat Pieces: 2 pounds or 1 kg.
2. Potatoes: 3 Medium sizes.
3. Tomatoes: 3 Big.
4. Onion: 4.
5. Cardamom: 2.
6. Cloves: 2.
7. Cinnamon sticks: 2.
8. Red Chili powder: ½ Tsp. Reduce quantity if you do not like chilies.
9. Coriander Powder: 3 Tsp.
10. Cumin powder: ½ Tsp.
11. Ginger paste: 2 Tsp.
12. Turmeric Powder: ½ Tsp.
13. Garlic Paste: 2 Tsp.
14. Vegetable Oil / Olive oil: ½ Cup.
15. Water: 2 Cups.
16. Salt : To taste.
17. Coriander / cilantro leaves: 1 cup finely chopped for garnishing.

1. Cut the meat in small pieces.
2. Wash potatoes and peel. Now cut them in medium size pieces roughly 5 pieces of each potato.
3. Keep aside.
4. Now peel onions and slice them. Set aside.
5. Chop tomatoes and set aside.
6. Heat oil in a heavy base pan.
7. Put the sliced onions and sauté till they are golden brown.
8. Now add ginger and garlic paste and keep stirring continuously till they combine well with onions. Make sure they do not stick to pan as ginger paste sometimes sticks to the pan.
9. Add chopped tomatoes and cook till they are tender. It roughly takes 8 to 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
10. Now add red chili powder and turmeric powder. Mix well.
11. Now add coriander powder, cumin powder and salt. Mix well and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
12. Now add the meat pieces. Mix well. So all the meat pieces are covered in the mixture.
13. Now add potatoes. Mix well.
14. Add water.
15. Now close the lid of pan and cook it on medium flame.
16. Stir every few minutes so the things do not burn at bottom.
17. If needed little more water can be added.
18. Take it off heat when meat is done and is tender.
19. Garnish it with coriander leaves.
20. Serve hot it rice or rotis.
    

1. You can use pressure cooker too instead of pan to save on gas or electricity.
2. If you do not like potatoes then you can use other veggies too like radish, peas, beans etc. if vegetable has some water than adjust quantity of water.
3. You can use desi ghee too, which would give it exotic aroma and taste.