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Nihari, haleem & slow-cookedPashtun and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recipes

Namkeen Gosht Recipe

نمکین گوشت بنانے کا طریقہ

KP-style namkeen gosht: mutton cooked slowly in its own fat with just salt, garlic and black pepper, then finished with tomatoes and green chillies.
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Illustration of Namkeen Gosht

Prep

10 min

Cook

1 hr 40 min

Total

1 hr 50 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Spice

Mild

Namkeen gosht is the everyday meat of Peshawar and the tribal areas, and the first thing many Pashtun families cook on Eid ul Adha. It has no red chilli, turmeric or garam masala: the meat is cooked gently in its own fat and a little water until tender, then the water is dried off and the meat fried until golden. A couple of tomatoes and green chillies at the end add just enough freshness.

Ingredients

4 servings

For 4 servings

Measures

Method

  1. Heat the ghee in a karahi or heavy pot on high heat. Add the mutton and fry, turning, until it is sealed and lightly browned.

    ⏱ 10 min

  2. Add the crushed garlic and salt and fry for a minute until fragrant.

    ⏱ 1 min

  3. Add the 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, cover and cook on low heat until the mutton is tender. Check halfway and add a little hot water if it is drying out.

    ⏱ 75 min

  4. Uncover, turn the heat to high and cook off the remaining water. Keep frying the meat in its fat until the pieces are golden and the fat runs clear.

    ⏱ 8 min

  5. Add the tomatoes cut side down and the green chillies. Cover for a few minutes until the tomatoes soften but still hold their shape.

    ⏱ 4 min

  6. Sprinkle over the black pepper and the ginger, if using, toss once and serve hot.

Tips for the best result

  • Lamb (dumba) with its fat is traditional in Peshawar and gives the best result; goat works too but needs a little more ghee.
  • A pressure cooker cuts the simmer to about 20 minutes. Then dry off the water and fry as normal.

Common mistakes

  • Adding masalas. Red chilli or garam masala turns it into an ordinary karahi and hides the taste of the meat.
  • Stopping before the final fry. Without it, the meat tastes boiled rather than rich.

How to serve

Serve hot with naan, sliced onion, green chillies and a light kachumar salad.

Storing and reheating

Keeps 2 days in the fridge. The fat sets when cold; reheat in a pan until it melts again.

Nutrition and cost

Worked out from the ingredients, not measured in a lab. Treat both as a rough guide.

Per serving Estimate

Calories
795kcal
Protein
42g
Fat
67g
Carbs
4g
Fibre
1g
Sodium
1320mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), public domain values for the raw ingredients (100% of the recipe by weight had data). Deep-frying oil is counted at 20%; bones and water lost in cooking are not subtracted, so bone-in and fried dishes can read high. Not medical advice. Method

Cost per servingEstimate

≈ Rs 610

Whole dish ≈ Rs 2,440 · 95% of ingredients by weight priced

From the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics weekly SPI, week ended 29 Oct 2026. Spices, herbs and some vegetables are not in the SPI and are left out unless you add your price, so the real cost is a little higher. How this works

Namkeen Gosht: questions people ask

What is the difference between namkeen gosht and dumpukht?

Both use only salt and pepper. Namkeen gosht is simmered with water and then fried until golden; dumpukht is sealed and steamed in its own juices with no frying at the end.

Can I make namkeen gosht with beef?

Yes, use beef with some fat and allow about 2 hours of simmering, or 30 minutes in a pressure cooker.

Serve it with, and similar recipes

All slow-cooked recipes

Read this recipe in Urdu: نمکین گوشت بنانے کا طریقہ

https://handi.danixsoft.com/recipes/namkeen-gosht · Handi, DanixSoft