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.