Gosht Beliram: The Meat Dish that Made a Royal Chef’s Name Immortal
- Authored by: Aalokitaa Basu
- Updated Aug 19, 2026, 16:46 IST
Almost every mouthwatering meat preparation from the kitchen of royal India you’ve relished have an equally delicious anecdote. This one’s probably the most heartening.
The delectable story behind Gosht Beliram (Credit: AI)
If you relish your meat, chances are your taste buds are already acquainted with this delectable Punjabi mutton curry, all the way from the royal kitchens of Lahore. The Ghost Beliram – also called the Mutton Beliram in contemporary kitchens – dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly concocted by the head royal chef of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the 19th-century ruler of the Sikh Empire. The story goes that the royal court’s khansama, who went by the name of Beli Ram, cooked rich and elaborate meals for the king everyday. After all the royal dishes had been served, Beli Ram would routinely gather the leftover meat trimmings and bones to whip up a simpler meal for himself. On a particular night, one of Beli Ram’s experiments whipped up such a delectable aroma, that it went wafting from the royal kitchen right to the Maharaja himself. He was immediately drawn in and demanded to taste this Beli Ram’s latest concoction. The khansama was rather reluctant to serve this dish – after all, he couldn’t feed leftovers to the king! – but eventually conceded. What awaited the Maharaja’s taste buds was utter bliss. The spice, the tang and the deeply layered flavours enthralled him so much that he, as per many, ordered Beli Ram to continue to make this dish. As a matter of fact, he liked it so much that he declared the dish be named after his khansama, which is where the name ‘Gosht Beliram’ came from.
If tracing the delectable mutton curry’s etymology has got your mouth watering, whip up your pot of Lahori goodness, right from the royal kitchens. Follow the directions below.
Ingredients
For marination –
- 1 kg mutton
- 1 cup onions, sliced
- 1.5 cups Birista (crisp golden fried onions)
- 200 gms fresh curd
- 1.5 tbsps garlic paste
- 1.5 tbsps ginger paste
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1/4 tbsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- Salt to taste
- Turmeric as needed
For the curry –
- 50 ml ghee and oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 to 7 Kashmiri red chillies, de-seeded for colour
- 1 tsp crushed whole spices (2 green cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon, 8 to 10 black peppercorns, 1 black cardamom, coriander)
- 2 to 3 slit green chillies for extra heat
- 1 tbsps kasoori methi
- Hot water for cooking, as needed
- Fresh coriander and ginger for garnishing
Method
- Marinate the mutton with onion, beresta, curd, ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, salt and turmeric. Cover and rest this for a minimum of 1 to 2 hours.
- Heat ghee and oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and add the bay leaves, Kashmiri red chillies and the crushed whole spices. Saute till this turns fragrant.
- Next, go in with the marinated mutton. First cook on high heat for 7 minutes then cover and cook on medium heat. Do this until the mutton is well browned and the oil starts separating.
- Add hot water as needed, cover and cook on low heat until the mutton turns tender and the gravy is of your desired consistency.
- Add kasoori methi and mix well before letting this steep in its own juices for the next 2 to 3 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh coriander and ginger and serve hot.
(recipe from Pradiptaa @burping_bengalis)
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Aalokitaa Basu is a writer and Senior Copy Editor whose work explores the intersection of lifestyle, culture, beauty, wellness, and self-possession. H… View More
Original source: https://www.timesnownews.com/lifestyle
