I'm calling this what I'm calling it because this was an impromptu decision. [ In no way am I implying that this mutton is better than Biryani, it will be a sin to even compare] I was all set to make Biryani, and then, my door bell rang and it was a delivery man delivering a parcel to me. That parcel contained something I'm going to cherish for a VERY long time. My first ever cook book! I've bought cook books before, but I haven't ever been gifted one. The book's called " Oh! Calcutta Cookbook" , and as the name suggests, the book's full of bengali food recipes. [ Oh! Calcutta is a Bengali restaurant, my dad's favorite]
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A bengali loves mutton. Actually, anyone with taste buds loves mutton. Bengalis just love their mutton more than usual.
Making mutton is easier than I thought! It's a little tricky, because you have to constantly pay attention and you can't let yourself distracted [ the mutton will end up burning if you do], and temperature is a big deal and so are the measurements. But hey, I hadn't made mutton before, and I was determined to do it without any external help, so paying attention to detail was something I had to do.
The recipe
Again, like most meat recipes, it has 2 parts.
Note : I used 500 gm of mutton!
The marinade-
Very simple.
One chota cup of dahi [ I used a 100gm mother dairy thing]
20 gm ginger paste
15 gm garlic paste
[ if you don't have ready made paste at home, you can use the powdered ones that they sell in the market. Or just make your own paste, like I did. Very very simple. Ginger + 1 tsp water + mixie for 15 seconds and done! Same thing with garlic]
1/2 tsp garam masala
A pinch of nutmeg
Mix all of this together and put it in a box [ which has a lid] and put the mutton in [ after you have cleaned and washed it] and make sure all the pieces are nicely coated with the marinade.
Put the lid on. Put inside the fridge.
Now the recipe says marinade for an hour, I chose to marinade for 3 and a half.
The curry
Put 100 ml of mustard oil in a kadhai and heat. Wait for 2 mins and add about 500 gm chopped onions to it and fry till they're nice and brown. Add marinated mutton to this along with 5 gm of whole garam masala + 10 gm garlic paste + 1 tsp ginger paste. And cook for 15 minutes. MAKE SURE YOU DON'T BURN THE MUTTON. IF IT STARTS TO BURN, DON'T PANIC. IT'S OKAY. Move on to the next step as and when this happens.
After 15 minutes, add a chota bottle of coke worth of water to this and constantly keep stirring on medium heat..
TASTE. [ the gravy] The recipe books don't ask you to taste, and I think that's what fundamentally wrong with cookbooks. You can't blindly follow a recipe. Taste, every step along the way. Do what you think you should. If you want to make adjustments, DO SO. Without thinking about what the book says.
I didn't like how it tasted, so I decided to add 4 teaspoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of salt, a little bit of nutmeg, and one table spoon of red chili powder.
I also added potatoes cut in quarters that I par boiled in the microwave for 7 minutes.
Once you're happy with how it tastes, let the mutton simmer for about 25 minutes [ depending on how soft you want it] and tadaaaaa, done! [ 25 minutes is how long it takes for mutton to be thoroughly cooked. if you want it softer, cook for longer]
Another pointer is the gravy. Add more water if you like your mutton with a lot of gravy. Let it reduce if you don't. I chose to reduce it. In Bangla, mutton without gravy is called Kosha Mangsho...which is what this dish was originally called.
I served this with rice.
I used Basmati rice, that I boiled in salt water, along with some tej patta [ bay leaves?] and cloves. And then once it's cooked, add ghee to it and it will taste and smell beautiful.
DONE!
I guarantee that this will look and taste and smell amazing. It will blow your mind. It definitely blew mine.
And I'm hoping it blows my boyfriend's mind also when I make it for him. He's a bengali, so we take mutton very seriously.
A bengali loves mutton. Actually, anyone with taste buds loves mutton. Bengalis just love their mutton more than usual.
Making mutton is easier than I thought! It's a little tricky, because you have to constantly pay attention and you can't let yourself distracted [ the mutton will end up burning if you do], and temperature is a big deal and so are the measurements. But hey, I hadn't made mutton before, and I was determined to do it without any external help, so paying attention to detail was something I had to do.
The recipe
Again, like most meat recipes, it has 2 parts.
Note : I used 500 gm of mutton!
The marinade-
Very simple.
One chota cup of dahi [ I used a 100gm mother dairy thing]
20 gm ginger paste
15 gm garlic paste
[ if you don't have ready made paste at home, you can use the powdered ones that they sell in the market. Or just make your own paste, like I did. Very very simple. Ginger + 1 tsp water + mixie for 15 seconds and done! Same thing with garlic]
1/2 tsp garam masala
A pinch of nutmeg
Mix all of this together and put it in a box [ which has a lid] and put the mutton in [ after you have cleaned and washed it] and make sure all the pieces are nicely coated with the marinade.
Put the lid on. Put inside the fridge.
Now the recipe says marinade for an hour, I chose to marinade for 3 and a half.
The curry
Put 100 ml of mustard oil in a kadhai and heat. Wait for 2 mins and add about 500 gm chopped onions to it and fry till they're nice and brown. Add marinated mutton to this along with 5 gm of whole garam masala + 10 gm garlic paste + 1 tsp ginger paste. And cook for 15 minutes. MAKE SURE YOU DON'T BURN THE MUTTON. IF IT STARTS TO BURN, DON'T PANIC. IT'S OKAY. Move on to the next step as and when this happens.
After 15 minutes, add a chota bottle of coke worth of water to this and constantly keep stirring on medium heat..
TASTE. [ the gravy] The recipe books don't ask you to taste, and I think that's what fundamentally wrong with cookbooks. You can't blindly follow a recipe. Taste, every step along the way. Do what you think you should. If you want to make adjustments, DO SO. Without thinking about what the book says.
I didn't like how it tasted, so I decided to add 4 teaspoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of salt, a little bit of nutmeg, and one table spoon of red chili powder.
I also added potatoes cut in quarters that I par boiled in the microwave for 7 minutes.
Once you're happy with how it tastes, let the mutton simmer for about 25 minutes [ depending on how soft you want it] and tadaaaaa, done! [ 25 minutes is how long it takes for mutton to be thoroughly cooked. if you want it softer, cook for longer]
Another pointer is the gravy. Add more water if you like your mutton with a lot of gravy. Let it reduce if you don't. I chose to reduce it. In Bangla, mutton without gravy is called Kosha Mangsho...which is what this dish was originally called.
I served this with rice.
I used Basmati rice, that I boiled in salt water, along with some tej patta [ bay leaves?] and cloves. And then once it's cooked, add ghee to it and it will taste and smell beautiful.
DONE!
I guarantee that this will look and taste and smell amazing. It will blow your mind. It definitely blew mine.
And I'm hoping it blows my boyfriend's mind also when I make it for him. He's a bengali, so we take mutton very seriously.
