As I always say that cooking mutton does not give me that pleasure anymore as it used to earlier on my stay in Kolkata. Most of the meat sellers there keep good quality of mutton; "kochi patha o reyazi" whatever variety it is. That particular breed is unavailable in this island. The mutton and lamb supply comes from the Kangaroo land and it smells. We cannot wait for our Kolkata trips to have mutton, I buy and it is disgusting. I have to cook it with a lot of spices for a longer period beyond requirement to get rid of the horrible smell it emanates. Not even the best shop's produce is good, the "mete" or the goat liver is more horrible; "ektu mete chocchori khabo tar upai nei." The goat meat variety is more expensive here and I hate it more, it feels like I am eating leather. The mutton variety which is less priced still has some fat; "chorbir bora" is a nostalgia, a love, a poison which I chanced to eat last January in Kolkata, I do not know when I can have it again. In an average Bengali household, there is not much variety in the cooking of mutton, if you get it from a good shop, then an "ada-roshun bata o gorom moshola" is just perfect for the curry, the taste comes from it's bones and fat. This particular way of doing mutton with whole garlic and onions GOTA ROSHUN PEYAZ DIYE MUTTON is not a family thing. I had first tasted this way of non-vegetarian meat curry in a bachelor's den. I came back home and definitely told our mother. I had liked it or not or the mother cooked it or not I do not remember. Our families were not in the habit of using too much of onion and garlic in cooking, till date they are not. Cut to the present. I see similar curries around and decide to cook meat with whole garlic and onion without following anyone. I did like the half melted garlic cloves in the meat, onions we are more or less used to.
Today is the birthday of three boy friends and two girl friends. All of them are Bengali, mutton should work fine. In fact I will be attending one this evening. Two of the men in these celebrating families are good cooks; they are known for cooking good mutton curries and biryani. I felt, let me share a meat recipe today, a preferred meat variety of my family too. Why not? Is it not also an upcoming important date towards the end of the week? When people were around, I did not even cook and feed anything, not at all before my marriage. Now, I do offer some "pochonder khabar" two days a year. I wished to plate some "kathal muri, aam muri, moya-naru, dudh-chirey ba muri ba khoi" around this time but it did not happen. If it is "muri ba chirey ba khoi," I have to eat them alone and you know I am a diabetic. That very important person in my life was fond of fish & prawn, if meat then mutton. So, I found this not so family like meat curry with mutton GOTA ROSHUN PEYAZ DIYE MUTTON just a perfect share for today.
This mutton curry with whole garlic and onions did I taste in kind of a Bachelor's Den one day I went for in the Hedua area. That was early 90's. He was an uncle kind of, the younger brother of our father's colleague. Our father had an amazing quality of making friends. With his much younger colleague he used to visit places.... Kendulir Mela to listen Boul Sangeet, etc. Both these brothers became our family friends. They hailed from North Bengal and are first cousins of the Bengali Novelist Samaresh Majumder. This younger brother who looked like Jesus, whose marriage I attended, who tried but could not teach me computer in the early 90's now resides in Plainsboro of the "Bahargaon." I spotted him and his family as they are seen in the cultural scenario of the Bengali Community there and Oh! My! I told our mother "Mani, Tubu kaku ke dekhechi, aki achey." He was always calm but his elder brother Sudip Kaku was the one who a bit mingled with the Naxalite minds while doing his MSc in CU. He used to tell me stories after stories and I knew the background of "Kalbela", from whom was actually drawn the character of "Madhabilata", the Iron Lady. Are an author's characters totally fictitious?
Such nice people surrounded me during my growing up days. My school friends who visited our home on my Birthdays have also met him but I do not think I will send him a message, "Tubu Kaku kemon acho?" In the early 90's, I even went to the Indian Steamship Company's office with Tubu Kaku walking from the British Institutes at Dalhousie More to drop a letter for my man to be despatched to his ships while at harbour. Many such beautiful people got lost from our lives may be because I, the brother, our mother are not that mingling types and we are extremely sensitive; that is deterrent to maintaining relationships. I will not call it Tubu Kaku's mutton recipe, I forgot how he made it but I had first eaten it in his "mess bari" on a Saturday or Sunday visiting with our mother's youngest sister who is a spinster. Nine years younger to me, she could have been a writer but lost herself to petty household politics. Her's life is a total waste of quality. Anyway, you can either add or do not add potatoes in this mutton curry!
INGREDIENTS :
MUTTON : 1KG
SMALL ONION / PEARL ONION : 8-10
GARLIC : 4-5
GINGER PASTE : 1TBSP
GARLIC PASTE : 2TBSP
SLITTED GREEN CHILLI : 4-5
CUMIN POWDER : 2TSP
CORIANDER POWDER : 1TBSP
RED CHILLI POWDER : 11/2TBSP TO 2TBSP
CINNAMON STICK : 2INCH LENGTH 3-4
GREEN CARDAMOM : 4-5
CLOVE : 4-5
BLACK CARDAMOM : 1
STAR ANISE : 2
BAYLEAF : 2
CINNAMON POWDER : 1/2TSP
GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER : 1/4TSP
CLOVE POWDER : 2PINCH
TURMERIC POWDER : 1TSP + 1/2TSP
VINEGAR : 4-5TBSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 3-4TBSP
PROCEDURE :
Clean and wash the mutton very well. Drain the water.
Marinate the mutton pieces well with 1tsp turmeric+ginger paste+garlic paste+salt as required+vinegar+1/2of the chilli powder needed.
Refrigerate in a covered bowl over night or at least for 5-6 hours.
Take out an hour before starting to cook.
Heat the oil in a wok or pressure cooker and temper with the cinnamon sticks, black & green cardamoms, cloves, star anise, bay leaves.
Prepare a paste with the rest of the red chilli powder and turmeric powder, cumin powder and coriander powder and little water. Add it to the wok or cooker and stir for a minute.
Now add the mutton pieces without the marination. Stir at high heat for 4-5 minutes. Reduce the heat and add the marinade. Stir to fold in well.
We will not close the lid but just cover cook at the minimal heat for 45-50 minutes stirring every 5 minutes.
Thereafter, we will open the cover and add the cinnamon powder, cardamom powder, cloves powder, slitted green chillies and salt if required, stir.
Add the washed whole garlics, peeled, two ends discarded and washed onions. At this stage, you can add peeled & washed big chunks of potatoes!
Now, we will close tight the lid and cook up to 2 whistles at minimal heat if the meat supply is from the Kangaroo Land, if its of Kolkata or Rajasthan, 1 whistle is just fine. I have no idea of the meat quality of the other states of India.
Allow the lid to open normally and transfer to a bowl.
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