Kochi Pathar Jhol "Tender Mutton Curry"

About this Recipe...

Kochi pathar Jhol or tender mutton curry in Bengali style is another delicacy from the Bengali cuisine where tender goat meat is cooked with potato, onion and other spices. The gravy is a thin, runny and spicy and goes very well with rice.

This is a speciality of Sunday lunch menu in most of the Bengali household. Many prepare this curry and others prepare the Bengali style Chicken curry for lunch. Sunday lunch are always special and if you ask any bong that what they had for lunch, the 90% answer will be 'mangsho bhat'.

It's very easy to prepare and one can have the whole meal with this one curry. Though it takes some time to prepare but the hard work behind this is worth it when you eat this curry. Many people cook it in pressure cooker which saves their time but I love to make it in wok. It's my personal assumption that if I cook it in wok then it will be more tasty and flavorful rather than cooking this curry in cooker. But it's definitely your choice, if you are in hurry then you can make it in cooker and it will cook fast. Me and my husband love this curry a lot, so whenever we brought mutton I definitely made this curry and we all enjoy it.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Mutton cut into medium pieces
• 1 Tbsp Ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp Garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp Green chilli paste
• 1/4 Cup Yogurt
• 1 tsp Cumin powder
• 2 tsp Coriander powder
• 1 tsp Red chili powder
• 1 tsp Black pepper powder
• 4 Tbsp Mustard oil
• 1 potato cut into big cubes
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 2 Bay leaf
• 2 One inch long cinnamon stick
• 3 Green cardamom
• 4-5 Cloves
• 4-5 black pepper corn
• 1 Cup Chopped Onion
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 Cup Tomato puree
• Water as required for making the gravy
• 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
• 1 tsp Ghee or clarified butter

Directions

1. Marinate the mutton with ginger-garlic-green chili paste, yogurt, red chili powder, cumin-coriander powder and black pepper powder.
2. Mix everything well and keep it in refrigerator for couple of hours.
3. Now heat mustard oil in a pan and fry the potato cubes.
4. When done, take it out from the pan and keep it aside.
5. Now on the same pan, if required then add some more oil and add the whole garam spices with little sugar.
6. Let the sugar caramelized, it will give a nice color to this curry.
7. Now add the chopped onion and sauté it till it gets translucent.
8. Add turmeric powder to it and mix well.
9. Next add the marinated mutton to the pan and sauté it in low flame.
10. Cover the pan and cook it, stir in between so it doesn't get burn or stick to the pan.
11. This process of frying or 'koshano in bengali' will take 30-40 minutes.
12. When the mutton is 80% done then add salt to taste and tomato purée to it.
13. Cook the mutton with tomato purée till the raw smell of tomato goes away.
14. Now add fried potato cubes and water for the gravy.
15. Stir it well and cover the pan. Let the gravy comes to a boil.
16. When the gravy starts boiling, add garam masala powder and clarified butter to it.
    
17. Give a gentle mix and switch off the flame.
18. Your bengali style kochi Pathar Jhol is ready to serve with steam rice.