Name: Bengali Mutton Rezala
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 215 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 250 g Goat Meat, with bones, regular cut; ½ cup Indian-Style Yogurt, whisked smoothly, for marination; 1 Onion, boiled and ground into a smooth white paste; 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste, for marination; 6 Cashews, soaked and ground to paste; ¾ tbsp Poppy Seeds, soaked and ground with cashews; 2 tbsp Ghee; ½ tsp Black Peppercorns, whole; 2 Green Cardamom; 2½ Cloves; 1 inch Cinnamon Sticks; 2 Dried Red Chili Peppers, whole; ½ tsp Kewra Water; ¾ tsp Salt, to taste; ½ cup Water, warm

3 hr 35 mintotal

1 hr 35 min hands-on2 hr hands-off

Prep 20 min · Cook 1 hr 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Mild

Add to your week

Method

Work the mutton well with the whisked curd, boiled onion paste, ginger-garlic paste and salt. Cover it and leave it to marinate for 2 hours.
2 hr
Melt the rich ghee in a heavy-duty pressure cooker or thick pot. Scatter in the whole spices: black peppercorns, green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and the whole dry red chillies. Sauté briefly to awaken their essential oils.
Transfer the entirety of the marinated mutton, including all liquid marinade, into the seething pot. Sear on a medium-high flame for 10-15 minutes, stirring consistently until the raw aroma surrenders and the oils beautifully separate.
10–15 min
Spoon the opulent cashew and poppy seed paste into the meat. Combine faultlessly and cook this royal base for another 5 minutes.
5 min
Pour in warm water to establish the gravy. If utilizing a pressure cooker, secure the lid and cook for 4-5 whistles on a medium heat, or until the mutton achieves an exceptional, fall-apart tenderness.
Allow the pressure to dissipate naturally before unsealing the pot. Reveal a sauce that is exquisitely rich, creamy white, moderately thick, and crowned with a glorious layer of spiced ghee.
Elevate the dish with a final sprinkle of fragrant kewra water to impart its signature royal aroma. Stir with extreme gentleness, cover, and let the masterpiece rest off the heat for 10 minutes prior to grand presentation.
10 min

How to tell it's done

Extremely tender meat coated in a luscious, silky, white, delicately spiced, and highly aromatic nut-and-yogurt gravy.

Getting it right

Tip

The critical technique of boiling the onions prior to grinding guarantees the gravy maintains its pristine white aesthetic while entirely stripping away the sharp, aggressive pungency of raw onions.

What to serve it with

Demand the royal treatment by serving alongside soft Rumali Roti, classic Tandoori Roti, or a bed of highly fragrant Mutton Biryani.

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Ingredients