Golbarir Kosha Mangsho (Spicy Bhuna Mutton of Golbari)

Wish you all Shuvo Bijoya and Eid Mubarak!! :)

Today I’m posting a very special, popular and traditional Bengali recipe Golbarir Kosha Mangsho. Bongs have weakness over mutton apart from fish and when it’s Kosha Mangsho (Spicy Bhuna Mutton) the name that’s spelled in the same breath is Golbari.

If you chance to visit the rich cultural and gastronomic heritage of Kolkata and want a comprehensive tour of its gourmet world, Golbarir Kosha Mangsho (Spicy Bhuna Mutton Of Golbari) and Parantha must feature in the list. Situated at the five point crossing of Shyambazar behind the Netaji Statue in North Kolkata, Golbari (‘Gol’ means round and ‘Bari’ means house) is a small restaurant which boasts of the best mutton in town.

People used to flock to this place from different parts of the city and queue for long hours just to get a taste of this delicacy. But I have heard sometimes back that the place had shut down and taken over by another owner (New Punjabi Hotel) who has failed to live up to the age old reputation of the place. They do have kosha Mangsho in their menu list but the old taste, class and flavour are all gone, the succulent juicy divine mutton chunks, the soft  well cooked meat falling most delicately off the bone, got replaced by chewy rubbery tasteless mutton.

 I was despondent about the news, the childhood memories, glimpses of my favourite, much loved restaurant quivered in my mind. This post is dedicated to all those who inspite of the grime and grease, plastic chairs and table more like a wall mounted desk, space crunch and walls blackened with soot, loved the place for the incredible taste it created and were deeply saddened by the termination of its operation. This is my humble effort to recreate the taste of Golbari in my kitchen, to stir up a nostalgia and was successful to a great extent in doing so according to my husband.

Now, providing you with the recipe of the famous dish….

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho

Golbarair Kosha Mangsho

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho

Recipe: 

Ingredients:

·        1 kg mutton (goat meat), be sure to have quite a few nalli pieces ( pcs with bone marrow)

·        7-8 onions

·        12-14 cloves of garlic

·        2 inch ginger

·        6-7 green chillies

·        6-7 green cardamoms

·        4 sticks of cinnamon (1 inch each)

·        6-7 cloves

·        2 bay leaves

·        1 tsp turmeric

·        3 tsp coriander powder

·        2 tsp of cumin powder

·        300 gms of yogurt beaten to a creamy consistency

·        Salt n sugar to taste

·        Mustard oil as per requirement

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho

Procedure: 

For Marination:

First make a smooth paste of two onions, garlic, ginger and green chillies. Marinate the mutton with yogurt, the paste, salt and 2 tblspns of mustard oil for at least 7-8 hours in the refrigerator.

For Cooking:

Thinly slice the remaining onions. Heat oil in a thick bottomed skillet and splutter the whole garam masalas and bay leaves. Add a little sugar and caramalise it. Add the sliced onions and fry them golden. Add the powdered masalas, stir and add the marinated mutton. Fry on high heat until the mutton is sealed and changes color to brownish. No red chilli powder and tomatoes please, because we want the colour to be dark/ blackish brown. Now cover with a lid. Let the mutton get cooked slowly on low flame. Do not try to pressure cook. The mutton will get cooked with its own juice and fat. It will take about 45 minutes – 1 hour for the mutton to get tender. Check at a gap of 10 minutes and stir.  Sprinkle a little water in between if the mutton gets too dry. Serve with hot paranthas/luchis/pooris and onion rings.