Indian · Parsi · main

Dhansak (Goat with Three Lentils, Pumpkin and Fenugreek)

Dhansak (Goat with Three Lentils, Pumpkin and Fenugreek) reads umami 5.0, sweetness 4.1 and sourness 3.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Indian · Parsi main, about 2 hr 3 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 5.4 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 4.7 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 4.6 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 3.1 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 4.6 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.0 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 5.0 · Sweetness 4.1 · Sourness 3.9 · Richness 3.7 · Herbaceous 3.6 · Salinity 3.6 · Allium 3.3 · Earthy 2.9 · Nutty 2.8 · Citrus 2.4 · Fruity 1.9 · Bitterness 1.5 · Floral 1.4

What's in it (17)

• goat meat — 800 g
• toor dal — 150 g
• masoor dal — 60 g
• mung beans — 60 g
• water — 1200 g
• pumpkin — 200 g
• eggplant — 150 g
• fenugreek leaves — 100 g
• peanut oil — 54 g
• onions — 450 g
• ginger-garlic paste — 30 g
• dhansak masala — 44 g
• tamarind paste — 15 g
• salt — 10 g
• coriander — 7 g
• mint — 7 g
• brown sugar — 4 g

Time & effort: about 2 hr 3 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 46.9 kcal, 5.9 g protein, 0.9 g fat, 3.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Boil the goat in the water with the salt for 10 minutes, skimming, then add all three dals and simmer covered 45 minutes.
2. Add the pumpkin, aubergine and fenugreek leaves and cook a further 20 minutes, until the vegetables have surrendered completely and the meat is tender.
3. Lift out the meat pieces and set them aside, then puree what remains in the pot to a thick, smooth, ochre soup. Three dals, not one, and vegetables cooked to nothing are what make dhansak dhansak.
4. Heat the groundnut oil in a wide pan and fry the sliced onions for 18 to 20 minutes, until a good third of them are dark brown and crisp. Lift out a handful of those crisp ones to scatter at the end.
5. Stir in the ginger-garlic paste and the dhansak masala and fry 3 minutes until fragrant and the oil separates.
6. Return the meat to the pan, turn it in the masala for 5 minutes, then pour in the pureed dal, the tamarind pulp and the jaggery. That sweet-sour balance, tamarind against jaggery, is the Parsi signature and it runs through the whole cuisine.
7. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring so it does not catch, until the dhansak is thick enough to hold a spoon upright for a second. Scatter with the reserved onions, coriander and mint and serve with caramelised brown rice.
8. One note of context: dhansak is a Sunday dish and is also cooked on the fourth day after a death in a Parsi household, which is why it is never served at weddings or on Navroze.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Caprese-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms — Italian
• Mediterranean Pasta — Mediterranean
• Holubtsi z Hrechkoyu (Lenten Cabbage Rolls with Buckwheat and Mushrooms) — Ukrainian
• Tepsi Baytinijan (Aubergine and Meatball Tray Bake) — Iraqi
• Sheet-Pan Caprese Chicken — Italian-American

Keep reading: what umami, sweetness, sourness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.