20 March 2021

Kosha Mangsho / Mutton Curry

Credits for this recipe are due to my husband and my late father.

Ingredients

• Mutton 1 pound (cut into 1 inch cube)
• Mustard oil 3-4 tbs
• Potato 1 (cut into 4-6 pieces)
• Onion 1 cup diced and 1/4 cup paste
• Ginger paste 1.5 tsp
• Garlic paste 1.5 tsp
• Tomato 1/2 cup (diced)
• Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
• Dried red chili 2
• Bay leaf 1
• Green cardamom 2
• Clove 2
• Cinnamon stick 1 inch
• Turmeric 1 tsp
• Sugar 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Ghee 1/2 tsp (optional)

Directions

Marinate the mutton for half an hour with 1/4 cup onion paste, 1/2 tsp ginger paste, 1/2 tsp garlic paste, 1 tsp mustard oil, and a little salt.

Take a heavy bottom pan or pressure cooker and turn on the heat. Add the rest of the mustard oil and let it become hot. Then add the sugar and turn the heat to medium — the sugar will caramelized soon. You will also see tiny bubbles in the oil which means time to add cumin seeds, bay leaf, dried red chili, green cardamom, clove and cinnamon. With a spatula, sauté them until aromatic — it usually takes 1-2 minutes. Now add the diced onion and sauté until golden brown. Then add the rest of the ginger and garlic pastes, tomato and turmeric, and fry for 10-15 minutes. When you see the oil separating from the rest of the ingredients and starting to float on top, add the mutton and salt. Mix it well and sauté occasionally (this is called “kosha”) for 20-25 minutes. At this time you can cover the pan loosely. Check frequently, you might need to sprinkle 1-2 tea spoons of water to prevent the gravy from sticking to the bottom. When you see oil bubbles coming out towards the top and/or it smells like it is done (you know this from experience) add 1 cup of water and the potato. Cook until the mutton becomes soft — in an open pan you can check by tasting, or if you used a pressure cooker, follow the guidelines that come with it.

Sprinkle ghee if you like and enjoy with rice or ruti!