Indian · Dinner
Creamy Cardamom Lamb Curry
Lamb Rezala
A Bengali nawabi celebration curry of lamb in a delicate cashew-yogurt white gravy perfumed with green cardamom, white pepper, kewra, and rose water.
$$$
20 minsPrep
40 minsCook
60 minsTotal
HardLevel
Nutrition per serving
520Calories
38gProtein
28gFat
18gCarbs
4gSugar
1gFiber
720mgSodium
110mgChol
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Instructions
1
Prep
Soak cashews and almonds in hot water 20 minutes, drain. Blend with 10 tbsp water to smooth paste, strain through fine sieve. Whisk yogurt smooth. Soak saffron threads in 2 tbsp warm milk 10 minutes. Have all spices, pastes, and aromatics measured and ready.
2
Bloom
Heat 3 tbsp ghee and oil in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add green cardamom pods, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, and mace. Sizzle 30 seconds until fragrant. Add lamb pieces and stir 5 minutes on medium until edges turn opaque—do not brown.
3
Saute
Add onion paste, cook 10 minutes on medium stirring constantly until moisture evaporates and paste turns pale gold. Add ginger and garlic pastes, cook 1 minute until raw smell fades. Reduce to low heat.
4
Build 1
Add white pepper, ground cardamom, salt; stir 30 seconds. Add yogurt one tablespoon at a time over 4 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent splitting. Pour in 500ml hot water, stir, cover, simmer low 30 minutes until lamb is fork-tender.
5
Build 2
Uncover, stir in cashew-almond paste, cook 3 minutes on low until gravy thickens and turns ivory. Add milk, saffron milk, and sugar. Simmer 2 minutes on low—do not boil. Gravy should be silky and pale.
6
Finish
Stir in remaining 1 tbsp ghee, rose water, and kewra water off the heat. Cover and rest 3 minutes. Gravy should be aromatic and silken.
7
Plate
Transfer to serving dish and garnish with julienned fresh ginger, chopped coriander, and silver leaf if using. Serve with rumali roti, sheermal, or saffron pulao, alongside cucumber-mint raita, sliced raw onion, mango pickle, and roasted papad.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 560g (19.8 oz) lamb shoulder, bone-in
- 240ml (1 cup) plain whole-milk yogurt
- 60g (2.1 oz) cashews
- 20g (0.7 oz) blanched almonds
- 4 tbsp ghee
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 medium yellow onions
- 3 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 12 green cardamom pods
- 2 cinnamon sticks, 1-inch pieces
- 8 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 mace blades
- 1.5 tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tsp ground green cardamom
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 160ml (2/3 cup) whole milk
- 2 pinches saffron threads
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1.5 tsp rose water
- 1 tsp kewra water
- 2 tsp fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander
- 1 small piece edible silver leaf