Papa’s Kosha Mangsho (Grand Pa’s Special Goat Curry)

This recipe is dedicated to the two special men in my life who are called Papa by their children. My maternal grand father and Debarshi.

I decided to name this recipe Grandpa’s goat curry because it reminds me of that exact taste. Now when I think back, I am filled with nostalgia and happiness. Me and my sister were lucky to have our grandparents in the same city. We could visit them, hug them, talk with them whenever we wanted. It was a monthly ritual for our grandparents to invite their sons, daughter and grandchildren to their place and spend a whole day with everyone. My grandma (Didubhai) used to cook so many types of dishes and my grandpa (Papa) used to be in charge of mutton. He used to slow cook it for hours‼ Result – juicy, tender, fall off the bones mutton curry. The specialty of that curry was its taste. It was just spicy enough to match the mutton but not so spicy that the kids won't be able to eat/ enjoy it. The curry used to look red and yet it was mild. And the aroma! It can make anyone hungry enough to take seconds. I have been trying to recreate that recipe for many years now and I think I have finally found one which comes very close to that curry. Of course it will still miss one important ingredient – the love of my grandparents. So, let’s add our own love and devotion to the dish and make it our own. Our special Goat Curry. 

You will be surprised to know that there are no special spices in this curry. All you need is the holy trinity of onion, garlic and ginger. It is unimaginable how much flavor this combination can pack. I have used red onion in the recipe to create that authentic Bengali flavor. And yes, you will also need yogurt. Make your own homemade Garam Masala with my recipe to add more flavor and aroma in the goat curry. I have not used any readymade spice mix (like Meat Masala) in this recipe because as far as I remember my grandparents were old school. So coriander, cumin and whole spices were frequently used in cooking. Also, to make it extra special, add a dollop of ghee right before serving. My grandparents also used to add a little bit of sugar in everything and so I have added that as well. 

I am so happy that I was able to recreate this recipe on Debarshi’s birthday. He enjoyed it so much! I do hope you will try this recipe and share it with your loved ones.

Note: I usually mention the quantities in cups, teaspoons and tablespoons but I used my kitchen scale to measure the ingredients and hence for this recipe I will be mentioning most of the amounts in grams and Kgs. 

Ingredients:

• Goat Meat – 1.5 kg 

For the marinade:

• Red Onion – 150 grams, chopped in big pieces 
• Garlic – 7-8 grams
• Greek Yoghurt – 150 grams
• Salt – to taste (about ½ teaspoon)
• Turmeric Powder – 1 teaspoon
• Garam Masala – 3 grams 

Note: You can always adjust the Salt, it is better to add a little less and adjust it later on.

For the Curry:

• Mustard Oil – 20 grams
• Cinnamon – 4 centimeter 
• Green Cardamom – 10 
• Black Cardamom – 1 
• Cloves – 10 
• Dried Red Chili – 4 
• Bay Leaf – 6
• Red Onion – 400 grams, sliced (do not chop, sliced onions are important for the texture of the curry)
• Ginger – 40 grams, paste 
• Garlic – 10 grams, paste
• Coriander Powder – 3 grams 
• Cumin Powder – 3 grams 
• Greek Yoghurt – 150 grams, whisked
• Salt – to taste (always taste before adding more)
• Sugar - 10 grams 
• Ghee - 5 grams 

Recommended reading: Handling Raw Meat with Safety

Tip: Use the Nutri Bullet/ grinder to make the ginger and garlic paste.

Do ahead:

• Wash the mutton pieces very well then put in a colander to allow the extra water to drain away.
• In a blender/ Nutri Bullet jar add the marinade ingredients (Red Onion, Garlic, Greek Yoghurt, Salt, Turmeric Powder and Garam Masala). Blend to make a smooth paste.
• Transfer the paste to a big plastic bowl and add the mutton pieces in it. Mix everything together to coat all the mutton pieces very well.
• Cover and transfer to the fridge to marinate for 8 hours (overnight is best).

Directions:

• Take out the marinated mutton from the fridge and place on the kitchen counter.
• Heat a large wok over medium high heat and add the Mustard Oil in it. I used my Dutch Oven for this recipe.
• Once the oil has started to smoke lightly and changed its color to a pale yellow, turn down the heat to medium low and add the whole spices (Dried Red Chili, Bay Leaf, Cinnamon, Green Cardamom, Black Cardamom and Cloves) in it.
• Increase the heat to medium and add the onions. Fry them for about 15 minutes until they are light brown in color. 
• Add the Ginger and Garlic paste, and fry for another 5 minutes. Keep the flame medium to low, depending on whether your onions are sticking to the wok or not, and stir often. Fry till the Onions develop a nice brown color and look caramelized. 
• Now take a small bowl and mix together the Coriander Powder and Cumin Powder with about ¼ cup of water. Mix the spice paste in the wok and continue frying for about 15 more minutes. 
• When you see the oil getting separated from the Onion spice mixture, add the marinated mutton to the wok. Remember, this oil separation time may differ. You may have to lower the heat to avoid getting stuff sticking at the bottom of the wok.
• Once you add the mutton, increase the heat to high and mix. If the mutton/ onion starts sticking to the wok, lower the heat. Fry for about 15-20 minutes. 
• Add the Yogurt with the Sugar in the mutton. Taste to adjust Salt (do not add a lot, you can always add more later on). Mix everything and keep frying for 10-15 more minutes.
• Boil 1-2 cups of water and add it in the wok. Remember you can choose the consistency of the mutton curry so add water accordingly.
• The beauty of Dutch oven is the even heat distribution. Stir to make sure nothing is stuck at the bottom then cover and let it cook. Decrease the heat to low. Let it cook for 15 minutes then stir, if anything is stuck at the bottom lightly scrape it off, cover and continue cooking. I did this step for about 1.5-2 hours till the mutton was fully cooked.
• Taste a piece to check if the mutton is fully cooked, you should be able to tear it apart with two fingers.
• Turn off the heat and add the Ghee. Stir to mix. Serve hot with Pulao, white rice, roti or naan and enjoy!

Love Goat Meat? Try these dishes as well:

• Goat Dhansak (Mutton with Red Lentils)
• Goat Stew with White Wine
• Mughlai Mutton Stew
• Mutton Rezala (Bengali recipe: Tender Meat in Cashew Poppy Seed sauce)
• Mutton Gravy
• Kosha Mangsho (Bengali dish: Slow cooked aromatic Mutton gravy)
• Mangshor Jhol (Bengali Style Mutton Curry)
• Mughlai Kabab
• Achari Mutton
• Awadhi Mutton Biryani
• Keema Matar (Minced Goat meat/ Beef with dried Peas)
• Hariyali Ghosht - Herbed Goat Curry
• Kashmiri Rogan Josh (Slow cooked mutton in red curry)