Khana’s Sayings and Yummilicious Goat-Meat Curry in a Bengali Home

Anumita walks down the memory lane and recalls with relish the delicious goat-meat curry, a celebratory dish, on Sundays, in a Bengali home. An exclusive for Different Truths.

Kochi patha, buro mesh,

Dudh e r ogro, ghol e r sesh.

                                    ~ Khana r bochon

A well-known food rhyme by the first Bengali woman poet Khana[i] (pronounced and spelt as Khona too), states, Tender goat, old sheep/Top-layer of milk, dregs of buttermilk. Khana r bochon or Khona’s sayings are a part of the folklore and legend of Bengal. Here she tells us about the preferred kinds/portions of food.

Khona r bochon (Sayings of Khona) reminds me of Sunday afternoons in a Bengali house. The menu certainly has Pathar Mangsho or goat-meat curry. There is a sense of celebration with this kind of food. Celebration of a day off, celebration of togetherness and celebration of feeling good.

It all starts with the kotta (Master) of the house going to the market in the morning and buying the goat-meat from the butcher. Like rest of the kottas of the area, exchange some tidbits of news about the world, cricket, and medicine (mostly digestion-indigestion issues). Then carry the mother-load of the priced meat home and hand it over to his ginni (matriarch/wife) as if he has accomplished the feat of the day.

The ginni would then make the required arrangements to cook this main dish for the afternoon meal. Of course, Bengalis cannot only eat mangsho bhaat (mutton and rice).  They need daal (lentil), alu bhaja (potato fries), chochori (semi-dry mixed vegetable) and chatni too.

Growing up in a joint family, such celebratory cuisines were repeated almost every Sunday, but it never got old or boring.

My family now likes this meat preparation with rotis, phulkas or parathas. Since most of the lunchtime is spent finishing chores and work, dinner is our family time. And we all prefer mangsho-ruti (mutton curry with roti) over mangsho-bhaat (mutton curry with rice).

This recipe is an effort to recreate those childhood moments with a flash forward to the present.

Mathar Mangsho

Cuisine: Bengali (Nonvegetarian) For: Main dish

Serves: 6-8 Prep time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 3 lb. goat-meat
• 4 small potatoes, washed and peeled
• 1 big onion sliced
• 2 small onions paste
• 4 tbsp of garlic paste
• 4 tbsp of ginger paste
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2cups of whipped yogurt
• Oil (preferably mustard oil)
• 1tb of ghee
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• 3 cloves of garlic crushed
• 1tsp sugar
• ½ tsp chili powder
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• Ground Spice
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 2 small cardamoms
• 1 big cardamom
• 4 cloves
• 6 peppercorn
• 2 dry chilies
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp coriander seeds
• Pinch of black stone flower
• (All of them dry roasted and ground)

Tempering Spice

• 2 bay leaves
• 1-inch cinnamon
• 3 cloves
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp coriander seeds

Method

Marinate the washed mutton pieces with onion paste, half of the garlic paste, ginger paste, salt, turmeric, and some oil. Keep it aside for two hours.

Coat the peeled potatoes with salt and turmeric and fry till golden brown, keep aside.

Let the ‘tempering spice’ splutter in oil, the fry the sliced onions till transparent.

Add the sugar and stir till the onions are caramelized, then add the remaining garlic and ginger paste.

Sprinkle the roasted and ground spices and add the chopped tomatoes.

Fry till oil leaves the sides then add the mutton pieces, salt and remaining turmeric powder.

Keep stirring till the all the pieces turn light brown and evenly coated.

Add the potatoes.

Fold in the whipped yogurt and stir in for another three to five mins.

I prefer pot-cook instead of pressure cook, so I add ¼ cup of warm water and cover the pot.

Letting it cook on low for 35 mins.

If pressure cooked, it is three whistles, then release the pressure.

In a separate small non-stick pan heat ghee and sizzle the crushed garlic and chili powder and pour it over the mutton dish.

Sprinkle chopped cilantro and serve hot with rice or roti.

I enjoy with hot roti and a side of salad.

Lip-smacking delicious…Darun!

[i] Khana (poet) – Wikipedia

Photos by the author