By Kosha Mangsho (Bengali Mutton Bhuna) is a rich and spicy mutton (or lamb) curry that is slow cooked with aromatic Indian spices until the meat is soft and tender and falls off the bone. Perfection!!
Kosha mangsho is a traditional and classic Bengali dish. Kosha is a bengali word for bhuna or slow cooking and mangsho means meat (lamb or mutton/beef). Goat meat is slow cooked with warm and aromatic Indian spices along with potatoes until the meat is cook through and the meat is juicy and tender.
Mutton Kosha is an essential and one of the most adored dish in Bengali cuisine. A Sunday must in most Bengali households. Occasions or parties seem to be incomplete with out this classic spicy Bengali mutton curry.
How to make Kosha Mangsho (Bengali mutton curry)?
This Bengali style mutton bhuna requires very basic ingredients that is easily present in your pantry. Authentic kosha mangsho (mutton curry) is made with mustard oil. But if it is unavailable you can use any veg oil or sunflower oil. Here are a few simple steps to make perfect Kosha Mangsho (bhuna mutton). It is a simple recipe but its best to start the preparation overnight.
Marination for Mutton kosha: It is an important step. The ingredients that go in this marination are yogurt, onion paste, ginger-garlic paste, raw papaya paste (or any meat tenderiser), chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt, and mustard oil. Now let’s get dirty and marinate the meat really nice with hands. It’s so therapeutic. It’s best to marinate the goat meat or lamb meat overnight or at least 4-5 hours.
Look at that juicy marinated meat. It already smells so so good.
Oh! look at my hand model!! It is my father pouring mustard oil in the marinade. Did I ever mention he is such an amazing cook. Infact this is how he makes kosha mangsho. And it is finger licking good.
For the Mutton curry:
The mustard oil is tempered with whole spices like cinnamon, cardamon, cloves and bay leaves and dried chillis. Then thinly sliced onions are added and fried until golden brown. Then marinated meat is added and then slow cooked fo almost 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the meat is cooked through, soft, tender and juicy.
Finally right at the end of the cooking a dollop of ghee and gorom moshala (Bengali garam masala powder) is added. I add my homemade desi ghee. Here is the recipe of my homemade ghee. Bengali garam masala is made with spices like cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. I like to freshly pound my garam masala in my pestle and motor right before adding in my curry.
Another ingredient that I like to add in this Bengali style mutton curry is potatoes. But it is completely optional or its a personal preference. I like big pieces of potatoes in my curry because it soaks up the all the lovely flavours and juices from curry and oh boy! it is just so delicious.
I love to serve Kosha Mangsho with hot puris, pulao, parathas or with hot steaming rice.
If you don’t like mutton, you can check out this chicken kosha and egg kosha.
Kosha Mangsho (Bengali Mutton Bhuna) | How to make Bengali style Spicy Mutton/Lamb Curry
Equipment
- Thick bottomed pan, Kadhai
- Large bowl
Ingredients
Kosha Mangsho Marination
- 1 kg Mutton/Lamb/Beef
- 1 medium Onion paste
- 2 inch Ginger (approx 22 grams) paste
- 7-8 large Garlic cloves (approx 22 grams) paste
- 1/4 cup Raw papaya paste
- 5 tbsp Yogurt
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric pwd
- 2 tbsp tbsp Red chilli pwd (or as per your taste we like it spicy)
- 1 tsp Cumin pwd
- 1 1/2 tsp Coriander pwd
- 2 tbsp Mustard Oil **
- 1 tsp Salt
For the curry
- 3 large Onion finely sliced
- 3-4 large Potatoes washed and peeled and cut into 4 pieces each
- 2 Bay leaves
- 2 Dried red chilli
- 2 inch Cinnamon
- 5-6 Cardamom
- 6-7 Cloves
- 1 large Black Cardamom
- 1 tsp Sugar/sweetener
- Salt (as per taste)
- 1 tsp Bengali Garam masala (freshly pound together 1 inch cinnamon, 4-5 cloves & 3-4 cardamom )
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- 5 tbsp Mustard Oil ** (I know its quite a lot but you need to be quite generous with the oil)
Instructions
Marination
- In a large bowl add all the ingredients under marination.
- Mix everything well with hands, cover and let it marinate overnight or at least for 2-3 hours.
To make Kosha mangsho
- Rub the potatoes with some salt and keep it aside.
- Heat a large heavy bottomed pan or large kadhai on medium heat. Heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil(**check notes)/veg oil/sunflower oil and fry the potatoes until it starts to brown on the sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep it aside.
- In the same pan add the rest of the oil. Then add the bay leaves, dried red chillies, cinnamon, cloves, green and black cardamoms and fry until you get a beautiful aroma of the spices.
- Add the sliced onions along with sugar and fry until light golden brown.
- Add the marinated meat and mix it all well. Mix and stir frequently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. Fry the meat until it is brown and the spices coats the meat.
- Continue frying the meat on medium heat for another 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently. (This method is called BHUNA).
- Now add one cup of hot water and cover and cook on low heat.
- When the meat is 80 percent done add the fried potatoes and mix well.
- Check the seasoning, add salt and sugar if required.
- Simmer until the potatoes are fully cooked and meat is soft and tender and falls off the bone. It takes around 1 to 1 1/2 hour depending on the quality of the meat. Meat will be perfectly cooked with oil floating on top.
- Finally add garam masala and ghee and mix it well.
- Serve it hot with luchi (poori), parotas or pulao or plain rice.
Notes
I hope you enjoy this delicious Kosha Mangsho (Bengali Mutton curry) as much as we do!
If you have tried this recipe, I would love to see your wonderful creation. simply click a picture and tag me @gastronomicbong or #gastronomicbong on Instagram.
Bon Appetit!!!
Kankana Saxena
July 2, 2019You got me drooling Arpita. Kosha Mangsho and luchi is my guilty pleasure. You styled it so beautifully.
Arpita@Gastronomic Bong
July 13, 2019Thank you so much Kankana.. this is my guilty pleasure too.. Can have it every week if possible..
Rachel
October 8, 2019Dear Arpita, this recipe looks so good and I would love to make it for my husband who’s a bengali! So sorry but do you mind letting me know what is the last ingredient listed for curry? It says, ‘1 large black ____’ something. Thank you!
Arpita@Gastronomic Bong
October 8, 2019Hi Rachel, thanks for the heads up. It is black cardamom. I have updated the recipe as well. Let me know how you like it.
Thank you!!