Gosht Do Piaza Laal Mirch

Some things are best done in company. When home, one such activity is the preparation of ‘Do Piaza Laal Mirch‘. This delicious gosht or mutton dish has been prepared by my father for many years. Needless to say, my love for food and my fondness for experimenting with traditional recipes is derived from my parents passion for all things delicious.

Sailana’s Gosht (Mutton) Do Piaza Laal Mirch 

Do piaza laal mirch was introduced to us by Papa, who read the recipe in a book and diligently wrote it down in my mother’s recipe book. The green diary, worn, discoloured but intact is a treasure trove of memories. Flipping through its pages one can trace the story of a woman’s nurturing thoughts and a family’s likes and dislikes. In this new year, I share with you this delicious family favourite, originally written and published by Digvijay Singh of Sailana. Sailana is a town in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh, close to the state’s border with Rajasthan. This part of the country once had numerous principalities, Sailana being one of them. 

Our connection to spicy meat…

The first and foremost connection to food is always flavour. If those stand out and appeal to your palette then that’s all the connection one needs.

For our family there is another link. My father, who loves to cook this dish, spent his childhood in Madhya Pradesh. His father had moved to the state while it was still being settled after the chaos of partition and eventually became a career bureaucrat retiring in Bhopal.

Fast forward 30 odd years and as a young army officer my father was posted to the splendid desert city of Jodhpur. So smitten were my parents by the plae and its people that we called it home for close to 20 years. If you have heard about Marwari cuisine, especially of the Rajputs, then you’ve probably heard the mention of Laal Maas – a spicy, red mutton dish, very similar to the Gosht Do Piaza Laal Mirch. 

From his childhood to ours the thread of mingling with locally royalty and cooking recipes inspired from their kitchens continued bringing us to the present, where I often cook the same recipe in my small apartment kitchen in the US.   

Read on for a simple recipe with bold flavours.  

How to cook Gosht Do Piaza Laal Mirch

A little note of caution; as the name suggests, the mutton will turn out to be fiery and some teary eyes and runny noses will be seen.

Total Time: 

Pre cooking prep: 30 minutes; Active Cooking: ~ 2 hours 

Serving Size: for 4 persons.

Ingredients:

½ kg mutton pieces from  leg and shoulder
150 gms ghee (clarified butter)
4 black cardamoms whole (big)
25 gms garlic finely chopped
60 gms onions thinly and evenly sliced
115 gms curd
15 gms salt, salt to taste
60 gms red chillies whole
1 ½  gms turmeric
1 ½ gms cumins seeds whole
6 gms coriander seeds powdered
225 gms onions cut into 1” pieces

Cooking Method for Gosht Do Piaza Laal Mirch:

To begin wash the mutton. In the Indian subcontinent gosht refers to red meat, most commonly, goat and lamb. These are the most commonly used meats in this part of the world. If you choose, you can use another meat that you prefer.

In running water gently massage and wash the meat and leave it in a colander or a large strainer to drain.

Now for the red chillies; slice them and remove all the seeds. My father was extremely cautious and used gloves! Incase you don’t have a pair handy, make sure you wash your hands and fingertips thoroughly after cleaning the chillies. Wash the chillies in running water and keep aside to drain.
 

Next take a large wok, put it on high flame and add ghee to it. Once the ghee is warm, add black cardamom and cumin seeds. Within a minute or so add all the chopped garlic. Once the garlic starts browning throw in the sliced onions. Fry them until golden brown.

Finally, add meat. Mix it well with the ghee and onions, such that all of the pieces have been covered with the mixture.

In a bowl beat together curd and all the remaining ingredients i.e. the coriander powder, salt and turmeric. Pour this mix over the meat and mix it well. Add only as much water that it dries up when meat is tender.

Add cubed onion pieces and all the whole red chillies on the top, then cover the wok and cook on medium heat.

Keep checking every fifteen minutes.

When a little water remains, reduce the heat and simmer till all the water dries up and only ghee remains. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with warm chapattis, naan or tandoori roti.

Our preferred method is to heap mutton on a chapatti and then break small bites from another chapatti to scoop up the meat. By the end of it the bottom chapatti soaks up all the fat drippings and moisture. Rolled up, it is a delight to eat! 

The work and collective effort put into creating this dish has ritualistic qualities and for me will always remind me of the times we have spent cooking and devouring it as a family.

Hope you will enjoy it too!

Keep cooking and making new memories.

Gosht Do Piaza Laal Mirch

2019-06-02 18:22:42

Serves 4

This mutton falls off the bone at touch. It is tender, juicy and full of fire but with enough flavor to keep you hooked. Adapted from a well known book of recipes from the royal house of Sailana, this is a favourite in my home. Try it!

Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

2 hr

Total Time

2 hr 30 min

Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

2 hr

Total Time

2 hr 30 min

Ingredients

1. ½ kg mutton pieces from leg and shoulder
2. 150 gms ghee (clarified butter)
3. 4 black cardamoms whole (big)
4. 25 gms garlic finely chopped
5. 60 gms onions thinly and evenly sliced
6. 115 gms curd
7. 15 gms salt, salt to taste
8. 60 gms red chillies whole
9. 1 ½ gms turmeric
10. 1 ½ gms cumins seeds whole
11. 6 gms coriander seeds powdered
12. 225 gms onions cut into 1” pieces

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Instructions

1. To begin wash the mutton.
2. In running water gently massage and wash the meat and leave it in a colander or a large strainer to drain.
3. Now for the red chillies; slice them and remove all the seeds.
4. Wash the chillies in running water and keep aside to drain.
5. Next take a large wok, put it on high flame and add ghee to it.
6. Once the ghee is warm, add black cardamom and cumin seeds.
7. Within a minute or so add all the chopped garlic.
8. Once the garlic starts browning throw in the sliced onions, fry them until golden brown.
9. Finally, add meat.
10. Mix it well with the ghee and onions, such that all of the pieces have been covered with the mixture.
11. In a bowl beat together curd and all the remaining ingredients i.e. the coriander powder, salt and turmeric.
12. Pour this mix over the meat and mix it well.
13. Add only as much water that it dries up when meat is tender.
14. Add cubed onion pieces and all the whole red chillies on the top, then cover the wok and cook on medium heat.
15. Keep checking every fifteen minutes.
16. When a little water remains, reduce the heat and simmer till all the water dries up and only ghee remains.
17. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with warm chapattis, naan or tandoori roti.

Notes

1. My father was extremely cautious and used gloves! Incase you don’t have a pair handy, make sure you wash your hands and fingertips thoroughly after cleaning the chillies.

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By Kanika Samra

Adapted from Digvijay Singh

Adapted from Digvijay Singh

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