After a rich, decadent dessert, it’s time for Laal Maas (Red Hot Lamb Curry) which is a fiery hot red meat curry, that not only is spicy but also finger-licking good. When I say finger-licking good, what I mean is, you put down your spoon and fork and get going with the fingers. The lamb (I have used goat meat here) is cooked in a red hot gravy and the dish is typically very hot and rich in flavors, but takes a very little time to prepare. That’s the best way to enjoy this Laal Maas dish.
Laal Maas is from Rajasthan – an ethnic and regal state of India. I visited Jaipur, Rajasthan some good 10 years ago and was taken by its rich culture and imposing forts and palaces. Everyone who knows me they know that I have a thing for anything that’s old, crumbling, untouched (read: No Upgrades) and decadent. So no wonder, the memories from that trip is still so fresh in my mind. The only regret I have is, I didn’t explore the food scene that much. Why? One, too busy shopping Second, Wasn’t into cooking that much back then. But I did come back with a lot of traditional jewelry, sarees and scarves.
Coming back to the Laal Maas, the method and the quantity of garlic used in this dish makes it so very different than other meat curries. The raw garlic added after the cooking is done, entirely transforms this dish and imparts this unique flavor. Although, the recipe calls for red chili powder, but you could adjust, depending upon how hot you want your curry to be and then replace the hot red chili powder with Kashmiri chili powder, which is not that hot but gives the curry a very vibrant deep red color.
Rajput cuisine traditionally uses a lot of garam masala and chillies because it’s almost always accompanied by alcohol.
Just to clear out a few myths about the Laal Maas –
- It does not have to be made with only boar/deer meat (though traditionally this dish used to be prepared with deer or boar meat for the hunters). You can use whatever meat you prefer even chicken.
- It does not have to be extremely spicy. Please adjust the level of spiciness as your taste buds allow. And if your dish doesn’t turn out to be that red, don’t worry.
- It is not a redder version of Rogan Josh. It is drier and richer.
All you need is some buttery naan/roti to dunk into this spicy hot curry.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 small onions, finely chopped
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 18-20 red chillies
- 2 tsp coriander seeds, whole
- 1 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
- 1 cup mustard oil
- 10 cloves garlic, finely chopped.
- A small piece of ginger, finely chopped
- 1/2 kg lamb, cut into pieces with bones
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 3-4 pods cardamom
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cinnamon stick
- A little bit of mace
- 1 pod black cardamom
- Water
METHOD:
- Dry roast the red chillies, coriander seeds and cumin seeds for 2 to 3 minutes on a low flame. Grind it into a coarse powder.
- Heat some mustard oil in a pan. Add to this the garlic and ginger.
- Once the garlic turns slightly brown add the lamb pieces and salt.
- Now add the kachri powder. Not only does this powder tenderize the meat, its also adds a nice tangy flavor to it.
- Now add the chopped onions and cook until the onions soften. Add the whole spices, cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, mace, black cardamom, red chilly powder and let it roast for about a minute.
- Cover it and let the meat simmer for a while and when you reach a good consistency of gravy, turn off the heat.
- Serve hot.
NOTE: This copper dish was given to me by my co-worker- Melissa Crowley. It belonged to her grandmother and is tentatively close to 100 years old. Yes, there are people like her in this world who has no ulterior motives behind giving.
Looks delcious
Lip smacking and lovely pictures !! I was just doing a little research about this dish, as it’s a part of an upcoming North Indian curry challenge. Funnily even I visited Jaipur and have never tried this, for the same reasons that you’ve mentioned..lol
Thank You Freda. I wish To go back there one day and pig out on Rajasthani food. Let me know if you decide to make this dish and please share pics too. 🙂
Thank You, mylifeasishan.
Looks amazing! Straight to my to do -list!
Thank you Linnea.
Made me miss Rajasthan and the Rajasthani cuisine!.., both the recipe and the dish that you prepared look deliciously spicy
🙂 thank you!
Looks delicious – great photos!
Thank you shanthini
Laal Maas was my favorite when I was living in Rajasthan. Nice post.
Thanks Amit!
I miss goat. I wish it were easier to find in the US. I’ll have to try your recipe out with lamb. Looks delicious!
that sounds beyond delicious ! hello weekend dinner .. pinned this
Your recipes always sound so delicious! This sounds absolutely wonderful! I would certainly use the deer meat. Thank you for sharing!
This looks absolutely delicious! I’m definitely trying this! ☺️
Mmm. This looks SO good and I love spicy stuff. I’m sure I’d like this a lot.
Wow, this looks amazing! I will definitely put it on my list of things to try.
This looks delicious! And easy to prepare… is the lamb also a halal?
-blairvillanueva
Very interesting recipe! I don’t eat meat, but I know a lot of people who would love this!
This looks so hearty and comforting, yum!
This looks so warming and comforting. I am loving all the flavours going on in here.
We haven’t done much diving into the ethnic food world yet. We’re still getting used to the idea of lamb instead of steak. Hopefully someday we will make the switch! Thanks for sharing.
This looks very impressive. I’d definitely say rich and decadent.
So flavorful, so comforting. This looks like a great recipe. Thanks for sharing it!
I love your attention to detail when posting pics 🙂
It sounds really good! Probably too spicy for me but I bet my family would love it!
Kyla
wanderlustkyla.com
Your pictures are so lush and deep looking in flavors. Perfect for these chilly months coming up. Lovely recipe.
This looks delish and I would be excited to make this for my family. We dont eat lamb much but those pics are very enticing.
The photos are fabulous. It makes the dish all the more inviting!
This looks delicious and super tasty. Is this meal considered Halal?
This looks delicious, but I’d have to tame the fire for my toddler.
My mouth nor my tummy can handle super spicy food, but this looks AMAZING!!! I love that I can tone down the spice. I feel like I can almost smell this through the screen!
How delicious! This will be amazing by the fireplace on a cold day!
Now, this is my kind of dish! I absolutely love curry. I might have to venture out into DFW and find some this weekend. You’ve triggered a craving.
Wow, that looks amazing. I love learning about new foods and the stories behind them.
That sauce just looks so rich and delicious. Perfect autumn comfort food!
Yumm… That Red Meat recipe looks delicious! I can’t wait to try out this recipe.
I attempted this once but the color was off – It is in my drafts to redo and you are tempting me so much with your version
My boyfriend is all about the spicy (me on the other hand I’m a big old chicken!) but I know he would love this! I’ll just make sure to have lots of naan nearby for me!
Check out those rich deep flavors! Yum!
Oh! That curry looks so delicious that I can smell it now!
I love a good curry. This sounds and looks so delicious. Love the heat as well, perfect for these cold days of winter.
I really enjoy a spicy curry. How delicious does this look?