খাশির রেজালা - Mutton Rezala
I suspect I use food as a way to honor people, in life and after. I was not a red meat eater until I was 18, for a myriad of personal reasons. When my mom’s famous gorur mangsho was on the table, I would eat a fair amount of the curry broth (jhol) and the aloo, but I avoided the meat. My majo khala made me…. well not quite love mutton rezala immediately, but rather spicy food at large (it is a long story and posted separately, since it is a little raw, and I do not wish to trouble you with the details). Please cook this to the best of your ability, and share a plate with a loved one. This is a special one and I wish I could make some for my khala.
Ingredients
Mutton (1-1.5 kg) : cut and rinsed with salt water.
Onions - 3 cups crescented, fried with:
Cinammon, 1 broken
Cardamom - handful
Cloves - 2
Tej pata - 2-3
Black pepper - 10
Ginger garlic paste - 3 tbsp
Dhonia - 1/2 tbsp
Morich - 1/2 tbsp or at least 1/4 tbsp
Doi - 1 cup
Green Chilli - 4 (substitute: dried red peppers such as arbor or tien tsin, that have been rehydrated in warm to hot water 30 minutes prior to cooking works extremely well in a pinch)
Sugar (optional - a pinch)
Ghee - 5 tbsp or so
Oil - equal parts ghee
Beresta - 1 cup
2 cups boiling water for step 6
Instructions
Marinate the meat in yoghurt, ginger garlic paste, coriander, and morich. Leave outside, covered in plastic for 30 mins tops.
Heat the oil and ghee in your cooking vessel. I would use a Dutch oven here as my preferred, but any medium height vessel that withstands direct heat should do.
Heat oil and ghee in vessel, until fragrant.
Fry the onions, with the whole spices listed above. I like moving around the onions in the pot, to avoid burning. Also add half of your green chillis.
When onions are browned, stir in the mutton (meat) and incorporate thoroughly over medium to medium-high heat. At this stage you are looking to homogenize the mixture, and make sure that the yoghurt is well mixed in.
After about 20 mins, add 2 cups of boiling hot water from your kettle. Cover the dish, and after about 30 seconds, you will hear vigorous bubbling. As soon as you hear this - drop the heat down to low.
Keep covered until meat is tender to your liking. I like a little bite, but mostly fork-tender.
When done, top with beresta, sugar and add remaining green chillis.
Serve hot.
