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@sandipghoseSANDIP GHOSE

LIFE | 4-minute read | 26-01-2016

Every meat connoisseur knows – mutton is the real thing. Beef, buff(alo) andpork are all good and have their own character - but none have the enduringappeal of the great Indian goat. Chicken was relegated way down in the non-vegetarian list of honour - once the hormone-injected broilers replaced thegood old free-range “Desi” or “Gauti” on the dining table.

Sure – there is a cultural history behind this – but let’s not get intogastronomical anthropology and concentrate purely on matters of taste andgut. And, mutton strikes the perfect balance between palate and stomach.

Why only the great Indian goatgets my gutThe subcontinent's mutton variety strikes the perfect balancebetween palate and stomach.

Laal Maas - a Rajasthani preparation

Going down to the basics – as most meat preparations mutton can be cookedin three essential forms – grilled or roasted (kebabs), dry gravies and curries.While the first and the last (kebabs and curries) get a lot of attention – thesecond is the neglected art – probably because it is more difficult to prepare– requiring far more time and patience - than the other two.

Kosha Mangsho - a Bengali preparation

Take for instance – the case of Rajasthani “Jungli Maas”. While everyoneraves about "Lal-Maas" – the ubiquitous red curry with loads of chilly-powder – it is Jungli Maas – cooked in slow fire for hours in pure ghee andminimal spices (whole Kashmiri pepper) that few know of and even moredifficult to find in a commercial restaurant (try Handi on MI Road in Jaipur).Same is the fate of Kabargah or Tabak-Maaz from Kashmir – a Wazwandelicacy not known to the regular Rogan Josh gluttons. Similarly, theauthentic Bengali Kosha Mangsho (a patent of North-Calcutta’s Shyam BazarGol-Bari) and it’s Mughlai cousin "Chaamp" cooked without a drop of water(the latter shallow fried) hasn’t got their due on the national food map.

For those who think Bihari cuisine begins and ends with Litti-Chokha - atbest supplemented by rich Mutton Curry in a mustard oil and turmeric base– have to be initiated to the heavy-duty mutton preparations fromChamparan (once made famous by Gandhi – now has nothing Gandhian leftabout it).

'Ahuna' at Champaran Meat House in Bihar.

While Taas – a type of basic bar-be-cued Mutton (an import from theneighbouring Terai region of Nepal) with Chivda (beaten rice) is a staplesnack of the region – the real hero is “Ahuna” – simmered for hours overcharcoal in sealed earthen pots (matka) to even tenderise the bones. Wholepods of garlic and red-chillies and the collusion of marinade (turmeric, red-pepper mixed in mustard-oil) mutton fat and ghee give it that sinful – readyto die for – character. Had with Chapatti – quarters of onions and gree-chillies – it is God’s creation to overcome guilt of all the misdeeds of the day– which is par for the course in the bad-lands of North Bihar.

But, "Ahuna" has a more spiritually evolved cousin – "Atthey" cooked by thePandas of the Baidyanath Dham Temple in Deoghar (once a part of Bihar –but now Jharkhand). The Atthey has practically no spices – just the aroma ofghee invading every pore of the melt-in-the-mouth mutton to be enjoyed withthe special Paratha – sold by weight in the narrow by-lanes leading to thetemple. The Pandas, far from being vegetarian, are known to polish off morethan a kilo of Atthey in one sitting.

Mutton Sukka, a Chettinad preparation.

Further down South there is Mutton Sukka. But, the spices are too strong andaddition of kari-patta and grated coconut overpower the natural flavor of themutton. But, if fire in the belly is what one is longing for– then there’snothing to beat the Guntur Mutton Fry.

Also read: From beef to bugs: What do people not eat in India?

Finally, every meat-eating family has its own signature dry mutton dishhanded down over generations. Ours is mutton "Bawli-Handi". Only spicethat goes into it is whole methi (fenugreek) seed and onions. Marinated incurd it can be made only in pure ghee till the meat is tender to the bones.Thereafter, it is a virtual ride to paradise.

#Non-vegetarian cuisine, #Mutton,

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SANDIP GHOSE @sandipghose

A prodigal Bong, born contrarian - politically rightnot correct. Ex-Gastrophile now living ontrivia,current-affairs and Scotch. Nothing officialabout Tweets.

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