The Hairy Bikers’ green lamb curry (saag gosht)

A lamb and spinach curry recipe that’s full of flavour, but has less than 300 calories per serving.

Serving of lamb curry with rice
By The Hairy Bikers | Published - 5 Nov 2025
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Prep time
15 mins
Cooking Time
2 hours 30 mins
Serves
6

Ingredients

  • 800g lean lamb (leg is best), trimmed of fat and diced
  • 2½ tbsp curry powder (shop-bought)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 onions, finely sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 500g fresh spinach or 1kg frozen
  • Small bunch of coriander leaves, to serve
  • Black pepper

Method

  1. Put the lamb meat in a bowl. Mix the curry powder with the salt and plenty of black pepper. Sprinkle it over the lamb and mix thoroughly until all the meat is well coated.
  2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large flameproof casserole dish. Add the onions and cook them over a medium to low heat until they are soft and very lightly coloured. Turn up the heat, and add the lamb and garlic to the casserole dish.
  3. Cook, stirring regularly, until the lamb has browned, then add the garlic and tomato purée. Stir for another couple of minutes.
  4. Add up to 400ml of water to the dish – just enough to barely cover the lamb – then bring it to the boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer, then cover and leave the curry to cook for 1½–2 hours until the lamb is tender. Remove the lid and continue to cook for 20 minutes, uncovered, to reduce the liquid.
  5. When the lamb has almost finished cooking, prepare the spinach. If using fresh spinach, wash it well and cook it in a large saucepan. You shouldn’t need to add any additional water, just press the spinach down until it wilts. When the spinach has completely wilted down, strain off most of the liquid, then purée or finely chop it. If using frozen spinach, defrost it thoroughly and purée or finely chop it as for the fresh.
  6. Add the spinach to the curry and stir it in thoroughly. Cook, uncovered, until the liquid has reduced down to a thick, green-flecked sauce. Serve the curry garnished with coriander, and with flatbread or a portion of rice or cauliflower rice.

Notes

We’ve always been big fans of a curry, and this one is inspired by our favourite saag gosht. Some curries can take a while to prepare but this one is no hassle, although it does need to cook for quite a while, so it’s good to make when you’re pottering about at home. Bought curry powder is fine here, or make your own.

The Hairy Dieters Make It Easy: Lose Weight And Keep It Off The Easy Way! by Si King & Dave Myers (Seven Dials), RRP: £16.99.

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(Hero image credit: The Hairy Bikers)

The Hairy Bikers

Written by: The Hairy Bikers

Si King and Dave Myers, the Hairy Bikers, became national treasures with their blend of enthusiasm and humour.
They hosted more than 30 TV series combining motorcycling and cooking, and sold more than 6 million copies of their books. In February 2024, Dave Myers passed away after a long battle with cancer.

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