food talk
 Repast for a king

Bhuna gosht is essentially home fare sans any elegant pretensions. It seeks to please the palate with its wholesome flavour, says Pushpesh Pant

BHUNA literally translates as roasted but in this dish, the term is liberally interpreted to identify a fried delight. Intriguing as this usage is, it is not entirely illogical. That prince among chefs, Maharaja of Sailana, has devoted considerable space in his cookbook to the culinary procedure called bhunav that involves subtly controlled frying/stir-frying with or without onions and spices.

Bhuna Gosht is ideally meat cooked—lovingly and patiently—in its own juices. There is a Hyderabadi delicacy called tala gosht and there can be confusion if the prefix here, too, signifies frying. Another reason for this ‘naming’ maybe that bhuna sounds healthier than tala. Let this not deter you though; you can easily get rid of that dangerous roghan by simply tilting the serving dish a little and spooning the excess fat out.

Bhuna GOSHT

Ingredients

Mutton (chops and chunks from shoulder) 1 kg
Onions (sliced) 150 gm
Garlic (crushed) 4-5 cloves
Ginger (scraped and cut in matchsticks) 3 inch piece
Cinnamon 2 inches stick
Cloves 3-4
Cardamoms (black) two
Whole red chillies (wiped clean) 4-6
Peppercorns 1/2 tsp
Bay leaf one
Dhaniya powder 1 tsp
Zeera powder 1 tsp
Oil 200 ml

Method

Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan and put the bay leaf in it, add other whole spices as it changes colour. When these release their aroma, add onions and lightly brown these. Now add garlic and ginger, stir-fry for about a minute then the powdered spices. Finally, put the mutton pieces and cook covered on low-medium heat till done to taste. Sprinkle a little water if required to prevent the meat from sticking to the base.

What we are talking about is a spicy curry with hardly any gravy—not even a qorma-like thick creamy sauce—recalling to mind at times khade masale ka gosht but projecting a unique personality of its own. Raraa meat in the Punjabi repertoire appears to be a close cousin. The kitchen brigade at India International Centre in the Capital takes great pride in its interpretation of this dish but we feel that an unnamed dhaba along the GT Road betters it.

The recipe may appear deceptively easy but be warned there are some traps. If due care isn’t exercised, it can easily turn into a dreadful fiasco. As the pressure cooker is not used, nor any tenderising marination resorted to, the mutton may end up undercooked. If you are tempted to hurry up and— perish the thought—raise the flame, or add water to avoid constantly tending the pan, you are likely to end up with something boiled and stringy.

To retain its succulence, however, the boti should retain a bite. Remember also that this is essentially home fare sans any elegant pretensions—it seeks to please the palate with its wholesome flavour; don’t even think of exotic aromas.

You can miss them some other time. Garnish the finished product with whole, slit green chillies, lemon slices and onion rings. Tastes great with roti—tawa, tandoori or khasta. Combine bhuna gosht with yellow daal— preferably arhar and a little green salad, maybe a dollop or two of thick dahi and you can enjoy a repast fit for a king.

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