Posto-r Mangsho / Mutton in poppy seed gravy

For a long time I have been thinking of doing this post. But never could take time out enough to write this. May be because it is one of my favourite dishes and I wanted to allot a long time to write it.

I remember when we were kids, Posto-r mangsho would be a delicacy. My Mom would prepare it especially during Summer when it will be too hot to eat anything that is too rich and not good enough for digestion. Made in a simple stew or rezala kind of gravy, this awesome dish would always make my mouth water.

My Grandmom was a great cook. Born and brought up in North India (Almora, Mussori, Nainital and Allahabad), my Grandmom knew Continental dishes, Lucknowee delicacies and of course Bengali dishes. This particular dish was taught to my Mom by my Granny and passed it on to us as well.

This is actually a Bengali version of Lucknowee dish Mutton Rezala with a Bengali twist.

So here we go…

Ingredients

• Mutton – 1 kg 
• Hung Curd – 400 grams ( water completely drained)
• Onion – 3 large pureed and 4 whole
• Poppy seeds – 200 grams (keep one tablespoon separate and rest make a fine paste)
• Dry red chillies – 4 to 5
• Whole pepper corns – 1 tablespoon
• Pure ghee –1/2 cup
• Salt, Sugar to taste
• Green chillies – cut in small pieces
• Garlic paste – 3 tablespoon (I love the taste of garlic so I put more, you can put as per your taste)
• Ginger paste – 2 tsp
• Whole garam masala – Star anise, Cardamom, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks (1-2 each)
• Potatoes – as mentioned earlier, bongs can’t live without potatoes and mutton is unthinkable without them. So I add 5 potatoes cut in halves. I take big ones, you can take as per your choice or availability.

Preparation

I am taking the easier route. However, I will be sharing with you both the easy and hard ways to cook. Remember no matter what process you follow, you will have to marinate the mutton first for 3 to 4 hours.

Take a bowl. Clean the mutton thoroughly under normal water and pat dry with paper towel. Add sugar, hung curd, half portion of ginger-garlic paste and half cup ghee and mix it together. Close the bowl with a cling wrap and keep it in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours. Make sure you bring the marinated mutton to room temperature before cooking. This will soften the mutton and bring down the cooking time.

Cooking in the Pressure cooker:
Take a big pressure cooker. Add ghee to it. (By the way, you can also add vegetable oil, but for that Lucknowee taste, I use ghee.

Heat ghee. 

Add the whole garam masalas and dry red chilies. When the flavor comes out, add onion paste and sauté it in medium heat. Once the onion is light brown or pinkish in color, add the ginger-garlic paste and keep stirring, add green chilies

Add salt and sugar to taste followed by pepper corns. Cook till the raw flavor of ginger-garlic is gone. Add the marinated mutton and mix. Keep stirring from time to time. Add the poppy seed paste and whole poppy seeds.

Now comes the ‘testing your patience’ part. You will have to keep on stirring the mutton from time to time and let it cook on medium heat. Here you need to make sure that the mutton does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

This dish will have quite some amount of gravy so you will have to add water. In a separate pan heat water and keep aside. Cook the mutton till the outer fat has melted and has got mixed with the masala. Now add the potatoes, whole onions and hot water and give it a nice mix. Taste the salt and sugar consistency. Put the lid on the pressure cooker and cook the mutton for 3 whistles or 25 minutes, whichever comes first. Open only when the pressure has gone out.

Cooking in the handi:
Take a big deep-bottomed vessel with a lid. And follow the steps till you add mutton and cook. Once the mutton starts to leave oil along with the other masalas, add potatoes and onions. Separately knead atta / wheat flour with water into tight dough. Take a big portion of aluminum foil wrap, big enough to cover the mouth of the vessel. Cover the mouth of the vessel with the foil wrap and put the lid on.

Now seal the mouth and the lid together with the dough. On a low flame cook the mutton for 1 hour. You will hear a “chit-pit” sound once the mutton is done.

Serve hot with rice or tandoori roti. I prefer it with plain steamed rice and raw chunks of onion on the side.

Please try this at home and do let me know how it came out at: kolktatakuisine@gmail.com

Daab Chingri (Jumbo Prawn in Tender Coconut)

Today I will be writing the recipe of Daab Chingri.

Chingri, i.e, prawn is a delicacy among we, Bengalees. We simply love it. There are other preparations like lau chingri, done with (bottle gourd)lauki or lau; or jhinga chingri done with jhinga.

And perhaps the most favored is the Chingri Maccher Malai Curry or Prawn Malai Curry.

But today I am going to share with you all a different recipe, something that will make your mouth water...

Ingredients:

• Daab (Tender Coconut) with a layer of malai in it) - 1 Big
• Tender Coconut water or Daab water
• Jumbo Prawns (cleaned and deveined)- 500 grms
• Mustard Oil - 1 cup
• Mustard Powder - 2 tsp
• Onion paste - 4 tbsp
• Garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Ginger paste - 2 tsp
• Green chillies (fine paste) - 5 to 6
• Poppy seeds (grounded) - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Homemade curd - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Atta flour dough
• Cashew paste - Optional (grounded into a paste) 3 tbsp

How to make Daab Chingri (Jumbo Prawn in Green Coconut): Cut out the top of the big tender coconut with a fine knife in a small round shape (2 inch diameter) and keep the cut out part aside. Make sure the tender coconut is full of kernel. Pour the coconut water in a separate bowl.

Add salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder to the uncooked prawns and keep it in a cool place for an hour.

In a pan pour mustard oil and lightly saute the prawns for not more than 2 minutes. Let it cool.

In that same pan add onion paste and saute. Add ginger-garlic paste, grounded poppy seeds and keep stirring. Add green chilli paste, a pinch of turmeric and red chilli powder. Add the curd and stir. You can also add Charmagan paste to add volume and taste.

Important: Please note that if your tender coconut does not have a soft kernel inside then while cooking the curry add coconut paste into the mixture. Without this there will not be any taste at all!

Add salt and sugar and stir till the mixture turns into a paste. At last add the coconut water. Cook for a few more moments.

When done, pour the entire mixture over the prawns and mix it well.

Make a soft dough out of a cup of atta.

Pour the entire prawn curry mixture into the big green coconut, place the cut out lid back into the coconut and seal the mouth with the atta dough.

Take a 5 litre size pressure cooker and fill it half with water. Place the entire coconut inside and close the lid and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until steam comes out. (In case have a microwave: Place the entire coconut inside the microwave. And cook at medium range for 10 minutes.)

When done take the coconut out and cut open the lid.

In a serving dish pour out the entire curry (gravy and all) and serve hot. You can eat it with plain rice or polau.

The flavor and taste of kernel mixed with the prawns and other seasonings gives a different taste that enhances the taste buds.

Another shortcut method is:

Marinate uncooked prawn in:

Medium sized prawns 500gms
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Tender coconut water
4 tbsp coconut milk
2 tbsp cashew nut paste
2 tbsp mustard paste
4 tbsp raw mustard oil

Preparation

Marinate all the ingredients together. Cut open the tender coconut as told earlier.

Ensure the tender coconut is full of malai or tender kernel or coconut meat.

Put all the entire marinated prawns in the tender cocconut and seal with a dough. 

You can steam cook in a pressure cooker 20 minutes (without putting the whistle) or microwave for 15 minutes.

Hope you have liked this recipe. Do stay tuned for Posto-r Mangsho (Mutton with poppy seeds) if you are a Mutton freak!