Gosht ka Do-Pyaza

Summers were always spent on our farmland in Azamgarh.....it used to be time spent with extended family, where uncles were busy collecting fruits and vegetables to be eaten fresh, aunts would be cooking under grandmother’s hawkeye and us cousins would be found perched on mango trees or in the country pool next to the tube well soaking in cool water with a mango in each hand.....

And ...once in a rare while our grandfather would cook his, now famous “gosht ka do pyaza”.....which needed much less supervision than us, kids.

Recipe for “Gosht ka do-pyaza”

Servings: 6

Prep time: ½ hour

Cooking time: 1 ½ hour

Ingredients Required:

Gosht (mutton of goat)                    500 gms                on the bone,cut in 2” pieces (middle

                                                                                                 neck,best end /shoulder)

Onions                                           750gms                 cut in thick slices

Garlic                                             100 gms                cloves peeled and left whole

Ginger                                            100 gms                thinly sliced

Green cardamom                            6 nos

Cloves                                            6 nos

Black cardamom                             1 whole

Bay leaf                                          3 whole

Cinnamon                                       2” stick

Black peppercorns                         10 nos

Dry red chillies                                4 nos

Nutmeg                                           ½ cm piece

Ghee (clarified butter)                      3 tbsp

Red chilli powder                            1 tsp

Salt                                                  to taste (I usually add 2 ½ tsp)

Method:

Ø  In a pan ,dry roast all the whole spices (green cardamom, cloves, black cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, black peppercorns, dry whole red chillies, nutmeg)

Ø  Pound with a pestle to break into large pieces

Ø  Divide chopped onions ,chopped ginger,  whole garlic, the ground spices, into 3 equal portions

Ø  Divide mutton into 2 equal portions

Ø  Take a heavy bottomed ‘handi’ (iron skillet)

Ø  Line bottom of the pan with one portion onion, ginger, garlic and ground whole spices.

Ø  Lay one portion mutton in a single layer over the onions

Ø  Cover with another portion of onion, ginger, garlic and ground whole spices.

Ø  Repeat layering with second portion of mutton

Ø  Cover with third portion of onion, ginger, garlic and ground whole spices.

Ø  Sprinkle red chilli powder and salt

Ø  Cover with tight lid and put on medium flame (originally this was cooked on wood fired country stove)

Ø  Stir once after every 15 mins

Ø  After about an hour the onions would have become integrated into a pulp and begun to stick at the bottom of the pan

Ø  Add ghee (clarified butter)

Ø  Keep stirring every 3 mins and cook uncovered on low flame till ghee separates and floats on top

Ø  The dish would be rich mocha in colour with gloss

Ø  Check for seasoning...the onions lend their sweetness to the dish. So, more chilli powder can be added, if one wishes to make the dish slightly hot.

Ø  Best served with Roti (Indian flat bread) and onion salad on the side.

Nutritive value:

Mouton :  Lower in total fat, saturated fat, calories and cholesterol than traditional meats.  Additionally goat meat has higher values in iron, potassium, and thiamine together with less sodium than traditional meats.  50% less fat than beef, 45% less fat than lamb, 15% less fat than veal, yet a great taste. What is there not to like in goat meat?

Be it a hot summer afternoon in the orchards or a chilly winter night spent next to the bonfire under starry skies....this dish is sure to hit the spot.

Atte Ka Halwa (Wholewheat Flour dessert)

My Grandmother loved cooking for family and guests. Food was pretty much the center of all social interaction. Halwa is a nutritous and simple dish which is made on most all occasions in a typical Kayastha household. The simplicity of this dish makes it even more delicious

Servings: 6
Time - Prep: 5 mins
           Cooking: 25 mins

Ingredients Required:

Atta (Wholewheat Flour)                    1 cup (110 gms)
Sugar                                                 1 cup (110 gms)
Ghee (Clarified Butter)                       1 cup (220 gms)
Water                                                2 cups (230 ml)
Kishmish (Raisins, soaked)                 1 tbsp
Badam (Almonds, slivered)                1 tbsp
 

Method:

• Heat Kadahi (thick bottomed cast-iron Wok).
• Dry roast atta on low heat, stirring constantly till it turns a lovely shade of brown and emits roasted aroma (approx. 15 mins)
• Remove roasted atta from kadahi.
• On low flame again, add ghee to the kadahi, heat.
• After thirty (30) seconds or so, add the roasted atta. Stirring constantly.
• Add Kishmish, stir for a minute.
• Add Sugar, keep stirring for 30 seconds.
• Add water. Take care to keep stirring briskly in figure of 8. Ensure that no lumps are formed. [Note: Keep a slow and steady flow of water while stirring constantly]
• Keep stirring till ghee separates on the sides of the halwa.
• Garnish with slivered badam.
• Serve hot.

Notes: To avoid burning of the atta, use heavy bottomed Wok and keep the dish on a constant low flame. The consistency of the halwa should not be runny (closest to a souffle', however, the comparision is certainly amusing to me)

Nutritive value:
Atta - Whole-wheat flour is more nutritious than refined white flour, it contains the macronutrients of the wheat's bran and germ (especially fiber and protein). Whole wheat is a good source of calcium, iron, fiber, and other minerals like selenium.

Your comments and feedbacks are most welcome. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do!

|| ॐ Shri Chitrguptāye namah ||

Namaskār !

This blog is a humble attempt to reacquaint myself and other food lovers with the nuances and pleasures of the Kayasth (Kāyastha) cuisine.
I am a proud memeber of the Chitragupta community from Uttar Pradesh, India. Born and raised in Lucknow, I have grown up relishing the richness of the food of my community.
The food that has developed over the few centuries is a combination of the latent food cultures of North India with a strong influence from Mughal cuisine.

I hope to introduce all food lovers to the food I have been nourished with via the recipes and nuskhās of Kayasths.


I hope you enjoy the food as much my family and I do.


Bāwarchikhānĕ mĕin āpkā swāgat hai!


Mamta Sahai.