This is the classic bengali mutton recipe which uses dollops of mustard oil and generous amounts of onion, ginger, garlic and the usual spices.The traditional method involves preparing the mutton in a handi over the slow fire of dried twigs for hours until the mutton is rendered soft.
Mutton kosha is still the high point of many bengali lunches and tastes best with steamed rice, luchi and parathas.Mutton Kosha continues to form the part of menu on Sundays when the entire family is at home.
Mutton kosha is still the high point of many bengali lunches and tastes best with steamed rice, luchi and parathas.Mutton Kosha continues to form the part of menu on Sundays when the entire family is at home.
Here goes the recipe:
Ingredients:
- Mutton: 750 grams. Mutton shanks and chops are preferable pieces
- Onion – 4 medium or 2 large ones, which are longitudinally chopped
- Garlic – 5-6 cloves, crushed
- Ginger – A 1-inch piece as a paste
- Hung yoghurt – 1 cup
Spices
- Turmeric powder
- Red chilli powder
- Cumin powder
- Cloves – 4
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- Green Cardamon – 2 pieces
- Bay leaf – 2
Cooking Medium: Mustard oil
Salt – as per taste
A little amount of sugar for faster caramelization of the onion
Procedure:
- Mix the turmeric powder,cumin powder,chilli powder,salt, yoghurt and the mutton together and keep aside for an hour
- Heat a generous amount of mustard oil in a pan.
- When the mustard oil gets sufficiently heated(Tip: When the colour of the oil changes to light yellow ) move the oven to low and add the whole garam
- masalas (cloves,cinnamon and cardamon)
- When the garam masala starts to crackle add the ginger and garlic
- After about half a min add the chopped onions
- Throw in a little amount of sugar
- As a thumb rule When the onions turn brown, add the mutton along with the entire marinade and move the gas to high
- Mix all the ingredients under high heat vigorously till the oil gets separated from the mixture – this is called “koshano” (the reason behind the name Kosha Mangsho). This should take around 25-30 mins.A strong aroma of the spices, mutton and onion should fill up the entire kitchen by this time.
- For faster cooking, move this entire mixture to a pressure cooker or if you want to cook it in the pan, add some water and cook it under a lid.
– Under a pressure cooker the cooking will be completed in 20 mins.
– However to cook in a pan, put in water when the mixture becomes dry, stir and put the cover back.
Typically cooking in a pan may require anything between 45 mins to 1.5 hrs.Repeat the process unless the meat turns soft. The time require depends upon the quality of the heat. More tender the meat, faster is it cooked.
A kosha mangsho should have a very thick, red and rich gravy. It looks delicious and tastes awesome with luchis or steaming hot rice.
Will definitely try to put a snap of the kosha mangsho once I cook it next.
Serves: 4
