A Decadence For The Weekend: Spicy Bengali Mutton Rezala
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A great mutton dish is every mutton lovers dream, but cooking it can be a pain; it takes too long, the ingredients and techniques too specific and you always run the risk of under or overcooking. So we have a recipe of creamy spicy Mutton Rezala which is just what you need to give cooking mutton another chance.


Now, Rezala is an authentic Bengali dish but it actually runs its influences from other cultures. The true story goes this way, the Awadhi-Mughals developed it and it actually came to Bengal when Nawabs first came to Bengal. The dish is in fact a cross between stews and curries because Bengali cooks and Mughali cooks could never agree on its consistency, the cross actually makes the recipe light and creamy at the same time. The spices, too borrow influences from both the cultures with the dish having mace and poppy seeds along with the traditional home spices like cinnamon and cardamom. The dum technique is also very special to this particular recipe. 


You’ll Need


For Marinade 

500 g boned mutton

1 cup of yoghurt 

1/4 cup of onion paste

2 tsp of ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp of salt



For Cooking  

3 bay leaves 

4 dry red chillis

4 peppercorns

1 tsp of cinnamon 

4 cloves

4 pods of cardamom 

1 tbsp of ghee


For Curry 

2 tbsp Onion paste

2 tbsp of poppy seeds

2 tbsp cashew paste

1 tbsp Melon seed paste

1 tsp of Nutmeg 

Salt as needed

4 tbsp of ghee


Instructions

  1. In a bowl, add the mutton and all the marinade ingredients and mix well. 
  2. Use plastic wrap and cover the bowl and refrigerate for two hours. 
  3. To a pressure cooker, heat the ghee and all the cooking ingredients to it. 
  4. Add the marinate to the cooker and cook for a couple of minutes. 
  5. Add a cup of half cup of water and stir well. 
  6. Close the lid to the pressure cooker and let it stay for a couple of whistles or until the mutton is just about half cooked.
  7. Soak the poppy seed in hot water and grind to a fine paste. 
  8. In a pan, heat the ghee and add the onion paste. And sauté till it becomes golden. 
  9. Mix in the poppy seed, cashew and melon paste and cook for a few minutes. Follow that by the cinnamon powder. 
  10. Then add the half-cooked mutton to the pan and cook for five minutes. 
  11. Cover the pan and continue cooking till mutton is fully cooked. Add salt according to taste. 
  12. Garnish with ghee and enjoy with roti or rice. 

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