Name: Bengali Mutton Dak Bungalow
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 230 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 250 g Goat Meat, bone-in pieces; 2 Egg, hard boiled and peeled; 1 Potato, peeled and halved; ¼ cup Indian-Style Yogurt, whisked (for marination); 1½ Onion, finely sliced; ½ Tomato, pureed; 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste, divided (half for marination); 2 tbsp Mustard Oil, divided (a portion for marination); 1 Indian Bay Leaf; ½ Cinnamon Sticks, 2 inch stick; 2 Green Cardamom; 2 Cloves; ½ tsp Ground Turmeric; ½ tbsp Kashmiri Chili Powder; ¾ tbsp Ground Coriander; 1 cup Water, hot; ¾ tsp Salt

3 hr 50 mintotal

1 hr 50 min hands-on2 hr hands-off

Prep 20 min · Cook 1 hr 30 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Hard
Spice: Spicy

Add to your week

Method

Marinate the mutton with curd, half the ginger-garlic paste, a portion of the mustard oil, a pinch of turmeric, and salt for 2 hours.
2 hr
Heat the remaining mustard oil in a heavy-bottomed pressure cooker until it smokes. Lower the heat. Lightly fry the boiled eggs and halved potatoes until golden brown. Remove and keep aside.
In the same hot oil, add bay leaves, cinnamon, green cardamom, and cloves. Let them sizzle.
Add the sliced onions and fry on medium heat until deeply caramelized and dark golden brown.
Add the remaining ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in tomato puree, remaining turmeric, red chilli powder, and coriander powder. Cook until oil separates.
2 min
Add the marinated mutton. Increase the heat and roast (bhunao) vigorously for 15 minutes. The meat should sear, and the marinade should dry up completely into a thick paste.
15 min
Pour in hot water and add salt. Add the fried potatoes back into the cooker. Close the lid and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles until the mutton is tender.
Let pressure release naturally. Open the lid, gently drop in the fried boiled eggs, and simmer open for 5 minutes so the eggs absorb the rich, oily gravy. Serve hot.
5 min

How to tell it's done

Tender, fall-apart mutton, butter-soft potatoes, and firm eggs all sharing an intensely aromatic, spicy, and deep red oily broth.

Getting it right

Tip

This dish originated in the 'Dak Bungalows' (post-houses) of the British Raj. The signature of this dish is the inclusion of both fried potatoes and fried whole eggs simmering in the spicy mutton gravy.

What to serve it with

An incredibly regal and indulgent weekend meal. Best enjoyed with Steamed White Rice or Luchi.

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