← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 1 kg bone-in mutton (goat) or lamb, curry cut
• 150 g plain yogurt, whisked
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp Ground turmeric
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Mustard oil
• 5 tbsp Mustard oil
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 4 Cloves
• 3 large onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp Ground coriander
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and halved (optional)
• 300 ml hot water
• 1 tsp Garam masala
• 1 tbsp Ghee

Method

1. Mix the mutton with all the marinade ingredients, cover and chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
2. Heat the mustard oil in a heavy casserole until it just starts to smoke, then turn the heat to medium. Add the sugar and let it caramelise for a few seconds, then add the bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.
3. Add the onions and fry for 15–20 min, stirring often, until deep golden brown. Stir in the ginger and garlic pastes and cook for 2 min.
4. Add the mutton with all its marinade, plus the cumin, coriander and chilli. Turn the heat to medium-high and stir constantly for 10 min to seal the meat.
5. Now the slow part, the “kosha”: turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 1 hour, uncovering every so often to stir and scrape the base. Add a splash of hot water whenever it starts to catch. The masala should turn dark brown and the oil separate.
6. Add the potatoes, if using, and the rest of the hot water. Cover and simmer for 40–45 min, until the meat is very tender and the potatoes are cooked through. The gravy should be thick and clinging.
7. Stir in the garam masala and ghee, rest for 5 min and serve with steamed rice, luchi or paratha.

Tips

• Heating mustard oil until it smokes mellows its sharpness. If you use a neutral oil instead, skip that step.
• A pressure cooker cuts the final simmer to about 20 min, but don’t rush the slow frying stage: it’s what makes this dish.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Archana's Kitchen Bong Eats Ranveer Brar