This spicy Afghan lamb stew with spinach is a bit like a curry. It's a healthy comfort food meal that can be made in the oven or slow cooker. Perfect served with rice, flatbreads and aubergines in yogurt too!
You may not know a lot about Afghan food but if you like spicy stews and curries then I'm sure you will love this lamb recipe. It has definitely become one of our favourites!
I was first inspired to try some Afghan recipes a few years ago after reading some food descriptions in The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad.
As well as this lamb stew which I served with aubergines in yogurt, I also made an Afghan potato salad and beef kebabs.
If you like the sound of Aghan food then do take a look at them.
What ingredients do you need for Afghan lamb stew?
To make this Afghan lamb stew you will need:
- diced lamb - leg, shoulder or shank will all work well. Use a cut that is good for stewing.
- an onion
- garlic
- whole spices: cardamom - crush it slightly so it adds more flavour to the stew
- ground spices: turmeric, nutmeg, chilli powder
- tinned tomatoes
- pine nuts
- lemon
- yogurt - full fat yogurt works better than reduced fat here.
- spinach
How to cook this Afghan lamb stew?
There are two ways you can cook this. It works in the oven or in the slow cooker. Whichever way you cook it, it's super easy and perfect for an easy weeknight or weekend dinner.
If you are short of time then you can just put everything straight in the slow cooker.
If you have slightly more time then brown the lamb first and then put everything in the slow cooker.
If you are cooking it traditionally then you start by browning the lamb and cooking the spices and onions a little on the stove top and then finish cooking it in the oven.
What can you serve with this Afghan lamb Stew?
This stew is delicious with such a tasty sauce. I like to eat it with rice, flatbreads and some vegetables sides. One of our favourite sides to serve with it is this aubergine and yogurt dish.
Storing and reheating
Once cooked, this stew keeps really well in the fridge for up to three days. Like lots of stews and curries, the flavours have time to get better and better overnight and we think it's even more tasty the next day!
You can reheat it in a saucepan on the hob or in the microwave.
Can you freeze it?
Yes, this stew is perfect for batch cooking and it's a great idea to freeze some of it for those days when you don't want or don't have time to cook.
It will keep in the freezer for at least three months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating as above.
Are you looking for more spicy recipes?
Why not check out my collection of easy homemade curry recipes from scratch? Or my Spicy Midweek Meals recipe collection?
Recipe
Afghan Lamb Stew
Ingredients
- 300 g lamb leg diced
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 3 cardamom pods slighly crushed
- Pinch nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon chilli powder
- 400 g tinned tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoon yogurt
- 3 handfuls fresh spinach
Instructions
Slow Cooker Method
- Put the lamb, onion, garlic, all the spices and the tinned tomatoes in the slow cooker. Leave to cook on low for 8 hours.
Oven Method
- Brown the onion in a saucepan, add the lamb, garlic and spices, then the tinned tomatoes. Then put in the oven on a low heat for about 2 hours.
Oven and Slow Cooker Methods
- Take the stew out of the oven or the slow cooker. Add the spinach to the stew. When the spinach has wilted, take off the heat and stir in the yogurt. Serve the lemon alongside to squeeze over the stew.
- Put the pine nuts in a dry frying pan and toast until golden. Keep shaking the pan so they don't burn.
- Serve the pine nuts on the side to sprinkle over the stew.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Cathy Parker
Could it be made with beef instead?
Corina Blum
Hi Cathy, yes you can make it with beef. Use exactly the same method. It'll still be really tasty.
Lorna
I made your Afghan lamb stew for the second time yesterday, and it was just as delicious as the first time. Cooked either in the oven or the slow cooker, it's gorgeous. And I really appreciate the way you've made it easy to print out the recipe. Thanks!
Corina Blum
Thanks for letting me know Lorna! I'm so pleased that you liked the recipe.
Corina
Lavender and Lovage
Another Novel recipe! Love this style of cooking and this has been saved too.................love your blog btw!
Karen
Hungry Homebody
Oh my Corina this looks positively gorgeous. We are lucky enough to have a few Afghan restaurants in Toronto which I've been meaning to try, and I will totally check out your reference to Afghan Online.
Julianna
ruhama
This book has been on my 'to-read' list ever since a friend recommended it--he even lent me the book. What's truly amazing is this friend rarely reads fiction, so I'm surprised to hear you describe that it reads as a novel and he liked it!
If you want another good book about Afghanistan that sounds somewhat similar to this one, you should try Words in the Dust (a young adult novel) told from a teenager's point of view.
Paz
Wow! What a story! I bet the bookseller will never invite a foreigner to stay with him and his family to write a book, ever again. LOL! I, too, am intrigued by the bookseller's rebuttal book. If you ever read it, please tell us about it.
I love both your dishes. I love spinach and love the idea of the lamb and spinach stew (although I've never cooked anything for so long. Thanks for including what to do when one doesn't have a slow cooker, someone like me.). I also love eggplant and am ienticed by your recipe. I'd really like to try your recipes very soon. Yum!
Paz
Joanne
What a delicious stew for such a fun event! Lamb is such a great meat!
Simona
What an interesting experience! I had not heard about this book. It must have been difficult to maintain the role of observer when she witnessed obvious injustices. Both dishes you made look beautiful. Being a fan of eggplant, my eyes lingered on the second photo. Thank you so much for contributing to Novel Food!