A korma-style stew from the Afghan home kitchen: lamb shoulder simmered slowly with onions, tomato, yogurt, and warming spices until it yields to a fork. The saffron goes in last — twenty threads, bloomed — so its perfume sits on top of the deep, savory base rather than cooking away into it. Serve it over saffron rice or with warm naan.
At a glance
Serves 4–6
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 2–2.5 h
Saffron: 20 threads (≈0.08 g)
Ingredients
- 2 lb lamb shoulder, cubed
- 2 large onions, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-inch ginger, grated
- 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped (or 1/2 cup canned)
- 20 threads Raihan Afghan Super Negin saffron, bloomed
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp ghee or oil
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Heat ghee in a heavy pot. Brown lamb in batches. Remove.
- Sauté onions until golden, 12 minutes. Add garlic and ginger. Cook 1 minute.
- Add turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, pepper. Toast 30 seconds.
- Stir in tomato. Cook until thick paste, 5 minutes. Return lamb. Add yogurt and 1 cup water. Salt to taste.
- Cover, simmer on lowest heat 1.5–2 hours until lamb is fork-tender.
- Stir in saffron bloom. Rest 5 minutes off heat. Top with cilantro.
Chef's note
Resist adding the saffron early. Safranal, the aroma compound, is volatile — two hours of simmering leaves you with color but little fragrance. Set the threads to bloom in a few tablespoons of warm water when the stew has about 20 minutes left; by the time the lamb is fork-tender the bloom will be fully drawn, and stirring it in off the heat keeps the perfume in the pot.
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