Bohri Lamb Kaari — Gujarati Muslim Lab Curry Recipe

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 90 mins

Total: 110 mins

Servings: 4 to 6 servings

The Bohris are a Muslim community in India and also commonly known as Gujarati Muslims, Memon or Bohras. They are largely a business community living in Gujarat and Maharashtra. The Boris speak Gujarati and Urdu. Bohri food is influenced not just by their home region of Gujarat but also by Mughal and Middle Eastern food.

Bohri Kaari (or curry, since ​kaari is just another version of the word ‘curry’) is a traditional and popular Bohri dish. It is made with a pre-prepared curry powder that can quite easily be found in small family-owned food stores in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Each store will have its version of the recipe with one or two ingredients being more prominent in their recipe than in another store’s recipe. Ladies of a Bohri household will either make their ​kaari powder or always buy it from their favorite store!

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 sticks cinnamon

• 6 teaspoons cloves

• 7 to 8 whole peppercorns

• 15 to 20 curry leaves

• 1 large onion, or 2 medium, chopped finely

• 2 to 3 large potatoes, cut into 2-inch cubes

• 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp

• 2 1/4 pounds (1 kilogram) lamb, cut into 2-inch chunks

• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

• 2 green chiles, slit

• 1 (13.5-ounce) can (400 milliliters) coconut milk

• Salt, to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala

• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped

• 3 to 4 tablespoons mint, finely chopped

• 1 red chile pepper, sliced, for garnish

For the Kaari Powder:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons rawpeanuts, skins removed

• 12 almonds

• 10 cashews

• 1 1/2 tablespoons chana daal

• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds

• 5 teaspoons coriander seeds

• 2 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds

• 10 dried red chile peppers

• 7 teaspoons dried coconut

Steps to Make It

1. Put a flat griddle onto the stove to heat at medium. When hot, add the peanuts, almonds, cashews, chana daal, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chiles, and desiccated coconut. Use a spoon to stir frequently and dry roast all the ingredients together until they begin to turn very slightly darker and aromatic. Move them onto a plate and spread them out to cool. 

2. When they have cooled, use a food processor or clean, dry coffee grinder to grind the roasted ingredients into a fine powder. Keep aside.

3. Soak the tamarind pulp in about 1/3 cup of hot water and let sit for a while.

4. Take a deep pot (preferably a heavy-bottomed one) and set it up to heat on medium heat. When hot, add the vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add the cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns, and curry leaves and sauté for 30 seconds. They will turn darker and aromatic. Add the chopped onions and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes stirring often.

5. Add the potatoes and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.

6. Add the meat pieces and stir-fry until browned. Remove the potatoes using a slotted spoon and keep aside; potatoes cook faster than the meat and removing them helps prevent them from getting overcooked.

7. Add 500 ml of hot water to the pot and cover. Simmer the heat and cook for 30 minutes.

8. Open the cover and add the potatoes back to the pot and add the kaari masala powder you made earlier and the turmeric powder. Add the tamarind pulp, strained through a sieve, to the pot. Stir to mix everything thoroughly. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

9. Open the pot again and add the coconut milk and stir through. Cook for another 15 minutes then turn off the heat. 

10. Just after you turn off the heat, open the lid, add the chopped coriander and mint leaves, and sprinkle the garam masala powder over the pot. Stir and cover till ready to serve. You can also garnish with sliced red chiles.

11. Serve hot with plain boiled Basmati rice or with freshly made, flaky Parathas.