Love the lamb dhansak you get in your local curry restaurant? Now you can make it at home with this easy peasy Homemade Lamb Dhansak fakeaway recipe!
This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
A reader request…
I often get emails, comments and social media messages from my readers, asking for me to make specific recipes for this website. And Lamb Dhansak was one such request!
To those who have asked for it, sorry it took so long, I hope you feel it was worth the wait. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it! Let me know in the comments below.
Want to see a recipe on Easy Peasy Foodie? Let me know in the comments and I’ll do my best to oblige… I can’t promise I’ll be able to include every request, but if enough people ask me, I will!
A super simple recipe
As with all my fakeaways, Lamb Dhansak got the easy peasy treatment… where I try to get the best possible flavour, with the least possible effort! And the result is wonderfully simple…
All you need to do is gently fry diced onions, followed by garlic, chilli flakes and spices. Then add tinned tomatoes, water, lentils, salt, pepper, diced lamb and chopped peppers. Stir and bring to the boil then put a lid on the pan and cook in the oven for 1 hours 30 minutes. Finally stir through fresh coriander (cilantro) and serve. Easy Peasy!
(Full instructions in the recipe card below.)
Prefer chicken?
If you prefer chicken to lamb, simply swap the diced lamb for diced chicken thigh… otherwise follow the recipe exactly as written.
You could also use beef, or even pork, instead of lamb if you prefer.
What to serve with Lamb Dhansak?
I like to serve Lamb Dhansak with homemade pilau rice and naan bread.
It also goes well with:
- Mushroom Pilau Rice
- Pilau Cauliflower Rice
- Plain Cauliflower Rice
- Plain basmati rice
- Vegetable Pilau Rice (shown in the photos)
What to drink with Lamb Dhansak?
Lamb Dhansak works well with Rioja from Spain, Southern French Grenache-based wines and US Zinfandel. This is definitely not a white wine meal!
What to do with Leftover Lamb Dhansak?
This is one of those many, many recipes that actually tastes BETTER the next day, so a great make ahead option!
Put any leftover (or ‘made ahead’) curry in a lidded container and place in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 3 days.
To reheat, simply tip the curry into a saucepan with a splash of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until piping hot all the way through.
Alternatively reheat this curry in the microwave until piping hot all the way through.
Can you freeze Lamb Dhansak?
Yes, as with most curries, Lamb Dhansak freezes very well. In fact, I recommend you make double the quantity and freeze half for some time in the future when you are super short on time, but still want to eat well!
Simply put the cooked and cooled beef curry into a lidded container and place it in the freezer, where it will keep for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Easy Lamb Dhansak
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic crushed or grated
- 2 cm ginger grated
- 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 400 g chopped tinned tomatoes
- 400 ml water (use the empty tomato tin to measure this – 1 tin=400ml)
- 100 g red lentils
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 600 g diced lamb leg
- 1 red (bell) pepper chopped into bitesize pieces (See Note 1)
- 1 green (bell) pepper chopped into bitesize pieces (See Note 1)
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves (cilantro) roughly chopped – plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C / 160C fan / gas mark 4 / 350F.
- Place the oil and diced onion in a flameproof, ovenproof pan (see Note 2). Cook gently with the lid on for about 5 minutes, or until softened.
- Add the garlic, ginger, chilli flakes, cumin, coriander, turmeric and garam masala, and gently fry, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, water, lentils, salt, pepper, diced lamb and chopped peppers. Stir and bring to the boil.
- Put a lid on the pan and place in your preheated oven (see Note 2).
- Cook the curry in the oven for 1 hours 30 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure it’s not getting dry. (If it gets too dry, simply add a splash more water and stir, before replacing the lid and returning to the oven.)
- Remove from the oven and stir in the fresh coriander (cilantro).
- Garnish with extra fresh coriander leaves and serve with pilau rice and naan bread.
Notes
- Do not cut the peppers up too small or they will almost dissolve into this curry – keep the pepper pieces a bit chunky!
- I use a Le Creuset-style cast iron casserole dish*, (AKA dutch oven) which can go on the hob and in the oven. If you don’t have a pan that can go on the hob and in the oven, simply start this curry in a regular saucepan and then tip it into a (lidded) ovenproof dish to go into the oven.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Disclosure
*This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
Andy says
Fantastic! I’ll be trying this out this weekend. Thanks so much.
Eb Gargano says
You are welcome! Let me know how it goes 😀
Andy says
Wow! This was just as delicious as I hoped it would be and was a hit with the whole family. Thanks for another winning curry recipe!
We have friends round for a curry night next weekend and I will be trying it again, but this time with chicken, as one of them doesn’t eat lamb. I’m sure it will be just as good.
James says
So easy and so tasty. I live alone so there is plenty left for the freezer. I shall try be trying a chicken version next!
Eb Gargano says
Yay! That’s so great to hear. Thank you for this lovely review 😀
pauline says
Very nice receipe had Lamb not used on new years day. used all the ingredients you suggested
was a bit bland for us, only two of us , so the leftovers I put extra Garam Masala and rogan josh paste
was delicious.
Eb Gargano says
Yay! That’s so great to hear. I’m sorry you felt it was a little bland. But I guess we all have slightly different tastes!