5 Bengali Recipes by Rumki Paul

Mutton Kosha Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250 ml

To marinate the mutton

• 1 kg Mutton with fat, medium pieces
• 2 Onions
• 1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic paste
• ¼ cup Yogurt
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• ½ to 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Bengali Garam Masala
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 tablespoon Mustard oil

For the Ginger-garlic paste

• inch Ginger, diced
• 12-14 large cloves of Garlic
• 2-3 green Chillies
• 1 tablespoon Water

For the spice paste

• 2 teaspoon Coriander powder
• 1½ teaspoons Cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
• 2 tablespoons Water

Other ingredients for the mutton kosha

• 3 large Onions, thinly sliced
• 2 Tomatoes for paste
• 4-5 whole green Chillies, for the gravy
• ¼ cup Yogurt, whipped
• 3 Bay leaves (Tejpatta)
• 2 dry red Chillies (Sukhi lal mirch)
• 1 black Cardamom (Badi elaichi)
• 6-8 green Cardamoms (Hari elaichi)
• 6-8 Cloves (Laung)
• 2 inches Cinnamon stick (Dalchini)
• 1 teaspoon Bengali Garam Masala powder
• 1 teaspoon Ghee (Clarified butter)
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Salt to taste
• 5 tablespoons Mustard oil for cooking
• 2 cups of Water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash the mutton pieces nicely and keep them in a large mixing bowl. I have used fresh goat meat for the recipe.
2. To prepare the marination masala, take a jar of a grinder and add chunks of 2 onions into it. Add either 1 tablespoon chopped or paste of ginger-garlic into it. Then close the lid of the jar and pulse it to a smooth paste.
3. Add ¼ cup yogurt, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala powder, and 1 teaspoon salt, one by one into the jar and close its lid again. Pulse it for another few seconds to prepare the masala.
4. Add the masala paste over the mutton pieces and pour 1 tablespoon of mustard oil on it. Mix everything evenly so that each piece gets coated with the masala paste. Then cover the bowl with cling film or with a plate and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Overnight marination is preferable for the best result.
5. Take a jar of a grinder and add peeled 12-14 large garlic cloves, 1-inch diced ginger, 2-3 green chillies, and 1 tablespoon of water into it. Close the lid of the jar pulse it to a smooth paste and keep it aside.
6. Add 2 diced tomatoes into a jar of a grinder and close the lid. Pulse it to a smooth paste and keep it aside.
7. Now put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add ¼ cup mustard oil into the pan and wait until the oil is hot.
8. Add 3 bay leaves, 6-8 cloves, 6-8 green cardamom, 1 black cardamom, 2-inch cinnamon stick, and 3 dry red chillies into the pan and let them crackle.
9. Add the thin onion slices into the pan and cook them over medium flame for 2 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar to caramelize the onion. Cover the pan and cook it on medium-high flame for 12-15 minutes till soft and lightly golden. Stir in regular intervals.
10. Add the ginger-garlic-green chili paste (Step 5) into the pan and mix it nicely. Cook it in medium flame for another 5-6 minutes until the raw smell disappears and the masala releases oil.
11. Add the tomato paste (Step 6) into the pan and cook it on a medium flame for another 5-6 minutes until the masala gets cooked thoroughly and releases oil.
12. On the other hand, take a bowl and add 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1½ cumin powder, and 2 teaspoons coriander powder into it. Add 2 tablespoons of water and mix it thoroughly to make a smooth paste of it.
13. Add the paste to the pan and mix it thoroughly. Cook it on a medium flame for 5 minutes. Stir in between at regular intervals.
14. Now add the marinated mutton pieces (Step 4) into the pan and mix them nicely with the masala. Cover the pan and cook it on high flame for 20 minutes until the mutton pieces release water.

Note:  The refrigerated marinated mutton pieces are cold. So, we need to put the flame in high at this stage.

15. Whip ¼ cup yogurt thoroughly add into the pan and mix it well.
16. Add salt to the pan and mix it well. Then cook it in high flame until the water has evaporated completely and starts releasing oil from the curry. It takes around 20-25 minutes to dry up the water of the mutton and start to release oil. Stir in between at regular intervals. Don’t forget to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan.
17. Now put the flame on medium and then add 1 cup hot water at a time into the pan and give a nice stir. Add green chilies to the pan. Cover the pan and cook it until the water has evaporated. Then again add 1 more cup of hot water and continue slow cooking. In this way, I have used 3 cups or 750 ml hot water during the whole process of koshano, I mean slow cooking.

Note: You can adjust the amount of water according to your desired consistency of the gravy.

18. Cook it until the mutton pieces get tender and juicy. Stir frequently on regular intervals or else the gravy will stick to the bottom of the pan. For me, it takes around 70-75 minutes to cook the mutton till tender and juicy.

Note: Remember the duration of cooking may vary due to the quality of the meat. Few mature red meats take longer to completely get cooked. So, keep your eye on it.

• At the final stage of cooking, add 1 teaspoon Bengali garam masala powder, and 1 teaspoon ghee (Clarified butter) into the pan and give a nice stir.
• Cook it in low flame for another 2-3 minutes and switch off the flame. Your kosha mangsho is ready to serve.