Gost Hara Masala ~ Weekend Lunch Non Veg Thali

Finally this Gost Hara Masala sees light, it's been in the draft for many months now. And since I had done a thali on that Sunday lunch, I might I might as well save it for the Indian Thali Mela. Many months ago, I landed in Ajoy's personal blog, where he shares his everyday life as restaurant owner of Nilgiri. With entertaining writing, he gives an insight into what goes into the back scene of running a restaurant.

Even though we decided we might not want to open up a restaurant, I always loved reading about it and hearing stories. So when I have time to read something, I surely land in his space. Unlike many restaurant folks, he actually shares the recipes of his restaurant menu, which is cool! So when I read this hara masala, I thought I must recreate it in my kitchen. I adapted it to our liking and used mutton  instead of chicken. Hubby dear liked it a lot. Though the youngest of the lot is very particular about the food colour. He is only used to seeing chicken or mutton in brown gravy, so this green colour didn't attract him and he refused to eat it.

I am sure Chinnu will get to love all the colours as he grows older.

With the climate not dropping down from the scorching heat, with scare supply of petrol, life seems so complicated. What happened to quality of life, when even such basic amenities become hard to access. As a policy we always conserve and never misuse natural resources. I have always been an advocate of Go Green Concept. I am known to be stingy and rebuked for reusing an envelope till it got torn beyond recognition.

Hoping for things to get back to normalcy, here is dish that you can enjoy.

Step by Step Picture Recipe

Gost Hara Masala
Adapted from Nilgiris

Ingredients Needed:

For the Marinade:

Mutton - 250 gms
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Curds/ Yogurt - 1 & 1/2 tbsp

For Brown Onions

Oil - 2 tsp
Onions - 2 medium
Salt to taste

For the Spice Masala

Cinnamon - 1"
Whole black peppercorns - 10 nos
Green cardamom - 1
Coriander seeds 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

For Masala Paste

Green chillies - 2 long
Fresh coriander- handful
Fresh mint - handful
Cashew nuts - 5 -6
Turmeric powder a pinch

Double cream - 1 tbsp*

How to make the Gost Hara Masala

For browning the onions:

In a frying pan, heat oil over medium-low

heat. Add onions and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are dark golden-brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.

Wash and cut mutton into bite size pieces. In a bowl, combine mutton, curds, ginger and garlic and stir to coat chicken evenly. Set aside.

In a mixer, grind cinnamon, peppercorns, cardamom, coriander and cumin seeds to a fine powder.

Next combine chillies, coriander leaves, mint leaves, cashew nuts and fried onions. Process until well combined and smooth.

In a pressure cooker, heat oil. Add the marinated mutton on high, turning occasionally, until all moisture evaporates and the meat is lightly browned.

Add turmeric powder and 1/2 cup water to cooker and stir. Reduce heat to medium-low heat, cover partially and cook for 10 mins.

Add ground spices, masala paste, combine everything well. Cover with lid and pressure cook for 3 whistles until the mutton is tender.

When the pressure falls down, open the cover and add the milk and butter mix and cook in sim for 5 mins.

*Since I didn't have double cream, I replaced it with butter and milk

Milk and Butter: In case of recipes, which require heavy cream without whipping, you can replace it with a homemade substitute. All you have to do is to mix ¾ cup milk and ⅓ cup of melted, unsalted butter. This can be used as a substitute for one cup of whipped cream. Low fat milk is not desirable, but, if you are using low-fat milk, add a tablespoon of flour to make the mixture thicker.- Source

Vegetable Biryani with Seeraga Samba Rice

Sending these for my Indian Thali Mela