Kosha Mangsho or Mutton Kosha is a delicious spicy Bengali style mutton curry that is full of flavors from mutton, spices, and mustard oil. Here is how to make it.
Here are some more Bengali recipes, that you might want to try – Begun Bhaja, Doi Murgi, Cholar Dal, Chicken Rezala, Bengali Aloo Dum, Bengali Mishti Pulao, and Chaler Payesh.
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About This Recipe
Kosha mangsho or mutton kosha is a very popular traditional dish in Bengal, and it’s translated as sautéed meat. The gravy is slow-cooked over low flame for a very long time to get a rich, dark-brown gravy and melt-in-the-mouth mutton pieces. This thick gravy made with the strong flavors of mutton is a favorite at every Bengali household.
A little high on the spice quotient, this kosha mangsho recipe or Bengali style mutton curry can be had with traditional crisp Bengali luchi or with a portion of the delicious Bengali mishti pulao.
This dish is traditionally made in an iron kadai which gives it a deep dark brown color. This Bengali mutton recipe is an instant hit at every Navratri and Poila Baisakh or the Bengali New Year celebrations.
There is nothing like this sumptuous mutton curry to take you through the day. If you are visiting Kolkata, a trip to Shyam Baazar to taste the iconic Golbarir kosha mangsho is a must. It’s a tiny eatery but the flavor that the mangsho it serves is unmatchable.
Ingredients
Goat Mutton – To make this recipe, choose the best goat meat with bones. Meat from the shoulder or the hind legs are best to make the curries. Ask your butcher to cut you from these areas. Wash the mutton very well before using and drain all the excess water.
For Marination – To make this curry, firstly mutton is marinated and for the same, you will need – thick yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste.
Mutton is marinated so that it becomes tender and also soaks up the flavors really nicely. Also, taste the yogurt, if it’s sour then it will ruin the taste. Use the fresh one. To make thick yogurt, simply transfer it to a fine sieve and let it rest for an hour in the refrigerator over a bowl. All the excess water will drip down and the yogurt will be thick and creamy. You can use Greek yogurt too. It doesn’t require hanging.
Oil – The mustard oil really brings out the flavor of the curry. If not mustard oil, then you can use any vegetable oil or even ghee.
Whole Spices – For the curry, you will need whole spices such as – black cardamom, green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, dry red chilies, and bay leaves. When infused in hot oil, these release a nice aroma and also flavors up the curry.
Potatoes – This Bengali mutton curry also uses potatoes along with mutton. Peel and cut the potatoes in thick rounds and then add to the curry.
Spice Powders – To enhance the flavor, even more, we will add in coriander powder, turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, cumin powder, and garam masala powder.
Others – Another set of ingredients that are required for this delicious curry – onion, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, lemon juice, fresh coriander, and water.
How to make Kosha Mangsho?
In a large bowl, mix ½ kg bone-in goat mutton, ½ cup thick yogurt, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste, and 1 tbsp mustard oil. Cover the bowl with a lid and refrigerate it for 3-4 hours and marinate the mutton well.
Heat 4 tbsp mustard oil in a large pan. An iron pan is best to make this dish as it gives a deep blackish color to the dish but if you don’t have one, use any heavy bottom pan. I used my steel kadai.
Slightly crush 2 whole black cardamoms, 3-4 whole green cardamoms, 1-inch piece of whole cinnamon stick, and 2-3 whole cloves in a mortar and pestle. Crushing the spices helps in releasing all their flavor in the oil. When the oil is hot, add 2 whole bay leaves, crushed spices, 3-4 whole dry red chilies, and 1 tsp sugar to the pan and fry for 4-5 seconds.
Add 1 and ½ cups of thinly sliced onion and fry on medium-high heat until they turn slightly brown. Keep stirring at regular intervals. It will take 6-8 minutes.
Add 1 tsp chopped ginger and 1 tsp chopped garlic and fry until the onions are nicely browned. It will take 8-10 minutes.
Now add ½ cup chopped tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the marinated mutton pieces along with the marinade and 2-3 medium size potatoes cut into halves and fry for 5-6 minutes on high heat.
Add the dry spices like 2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, and salt to taste, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Now add a cup of water and cover the pan. Cook for 1.5 to 2 hours until the mutton is tender. Keep stirring in between. Add more water while cooking if the mutton is getting dry and the masala is burning at the bottom of the pan. The consistency of Kosha Mangsho is slightly thick, so keep that in mind.
Finally add ½ tsp garam masala powder and 1 tbsp lime juice and mix well.
Cook for another 3-4 minutes until the gravy is slightly thickened. Serve hot.
Pro Tips by Neha
Some people also add raw papaya as a tenderizer but I have not added it. If you wish, you can add 2 tsp of grated raw papaya while marinating the meat.
If you are short on time, cook the curry in a pressure cooker. Once the mutton is added, close the lid of the cooker and pressure cook for one whistle on high heat. Then simmer the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally and then open the lid.
This dish tastes best the next day. So if you have planned it before, make it a day prior to serving.
To make a restaurant-style smooth gravy, you can also grind the fried onion masala and then add it back to the pan.
Potatoes are a must-add in this curry and no Kosha Mangsho is complete without adding a few.
You can drizzle a few teaspoon of ghee over the ready gravy just before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Luchi Kosha Mangsho is a match made in heaven. This curry tastes the best the next day so plan accordingly.
You can also serve this spicy mutton curry with any Indian bread like parotta, tawa paratha, or rice dishes like jeera rice or Bengali basanti pulao.
Storage Suggestions
You can refrigerate it for 2 days in an airtight container. It can be frozen for up to a month in an airtight freezer-safe container. When ready to serve, thaw it for a few hours over the counter. Then reheat in a pan or in the microwave. Add little water if the gravy is too thick.
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Recipe Card
Kosha Mangsho Recipe
Ingredients
For the marinade
- ½ kilo gram bone-in goat mutton
- ½ cup thick yogurt
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon mustard oil
For the gravy
- 4 tablespoon mustard oil
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 2 whole black cardamom
- 3-4 whole green cardamom
- 1 inch piece of whole cinnamon stick
- 2-3 whole cloves
- 3-4 whole dry red chilies
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 and ½ cup sliced onion
- 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- ½ cup chopped tomato
- 2-3 potatoes (peeled and cut into halves.)
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoon chopped coriander
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix ½ kg bone-in goat mutton, ½ cup thick yogurt, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste, and 1 tbsp mustard oil. Refrigerate the bowl for 3-4 hours and marinate the mutton well.
- Heat 4 tbsp mustard oil in a large pan. An iron pan is best to make this dish as it gives a deep blackish color to the dish but if you don’t have one, use any heavy bottom pan. I used my steel kadai.
- Slightly crush 2 whole black cardamoms, 3-4 whole green cardamoms, 1-inch piece of whole cinnamon stick, and 2-3 whole cloves in a mortar and pestle. Crushing the spices helps in releasing all their flavor in the oil. When the oil is hot, add 2 whole bay leaves, crushed spices, 3-4 whole dry red chilies, and 1 tsp sugar to the pan and fry for 4-5 seconds.
- Add 1 and ½ cups of thinly sliced onion and fry on medium-high heat until they turn slightly brown. Keep stirring at regular intervals. It will take 6-8 minutes.
- Add 1 tsp chopped ginger and 1 tsp chopped garlic and fry until the onions are nicely browned. It will take 8-10 minutes.
- Now add ½ cup chopped tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the marinated mutton pieces along with the marinade and 2-3 medium size potatoes cut into halves and fry for 5-6 minutes on high heat.
- Add the dry spices like 2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, and salt to taste, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add a cup of water and cover the pan. Cook for 1.5 to 2 hours until the mutton is tender. Keep stirring in between. Add more water while cooking if the mutton is getting dry and the masala is burning at the bottom of the pan. The consistency of Kosha Mangsho is slightly thick, so keep that in mind.
- Finally, add ½ tsp garam masala powder and 1 tbsp lime juice and mix well.
- Cook for another 3-4 minutes until the gravy is slightly thickened. Serve hot.
