Of mutton and beef

Spicy mutton masala

(Serving for 6-8 people)

Ingredients:

- 1 kg mutton, bone in - 1 tbsp ground ginger - 1 tsp ground garlic - 1 cup finely chopped onion - 1 tsp ground turmeric - ½ tsp chilli powder - 1 tsp ground coriander - ½ tsp ground cumin - ½ cup natural yoghurt - 1 bay leaf - ½ cup cooking oil - ½ tsp sugar - 10 green chillies - 1 tbsp poppy seeds, paste - Salt to taste

Directions:

In a saucepan combine all the ingredients except the sugar, green chillies and poppy seed paste. Mix thoroughly. Put lid on, cook over moderate heat for about 15 minutes. Lower the heat and then simmer for about one hour. Stir from time to time. Add sugar, salt and poppy seed paste. Fry the meat, stirring constantly till oil separates. Add the green chillies and one to two cups of hot water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve hot with fluffy boiled rice, pulao, luchi, chapatti or paratha.

Mutton leg roast

(Serving for 8-10 people)

Ingredients:

- 1½ kg mutton leg - 2 onions - 4 tomatoes - 2 tbsp red chilli - 1 tbsp white cumin - 1 tbsp ginger - 1 tbsp garlic - 4 to 5 green chillies - Salt to taste - 1 tsp allspice powder - Oil as required - Water as required

Directions:

Place the mutton leg in a heat proof dish and gently prick it with a knife. Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onions. Now add tomatoes, red chilli, cumin, ginger, garlic, green chillies and salt, then sauté more for a while. Marinate mutton leg in this mixture. Again prick the mutton leg with a fork this time. Take a large pan and pour water in it. Now place a small bowl upside down in it making sure the water level does not touch the top surface of the bowl. Place the heat proof mutton leg dish over the bowl. Cover the pan and cook on the stove till tender. Take out the mutton leg roast in a serving platter and sprinkle allspice over it.

Mutton bhuna gosht

(Serving for 10-12 people)

Ingredients:

- 2 kg mutton - 6 red chillies - 1 tbsp chopped ginger - 2 tbsp crushed garlic - 1 cup sliced onion - 1 tbsp coriander seeds - 1 tbsp cumin seeds - 2 tsp peppercorn - 6 cardamoms - 4 cinnamon sticks - 1 cup yoghurt - 1 cup cooking oil - Salt to taste

Directions:

Cut the meat into 250-gm by pieces. In saucepan place the meat, chillies, ginger, garlic, onion and coriander. Add five to six cups of water. Cover the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer till meat is tender. Add salt and rest of the ingredients. Stir, cover and keep over a low heat until the water has been taken up. Fry meat, stirring constantly for about 10-12 minutes, until oil separates. Serve hot with chapatti, paratha, pulao or fluffy boiled rice.

Beef jali kebab

Ingredients:

- 250-g of raw keema - 1 piece of bread, soaked - 3 tbsp fried onion - 1 tsp ginger paste - ½ tsp garlic paste - 1 tsp raw papaya paste (optional) - ¼ tsp red chilli powder - 1 tsp special kebab masala (dry roast cumin, whole coriander, red chilli, allspice/kebabchini, black peeper, cloves, fennel, mace and nutmeg together and grind them into a smooth powder) - A pinch of nutmeg powder - 1 tbsp chopped mint or pudina - 1 tbsp chopped cilantro - Chopped green chillies to taste - 1 beaten egg - Salt to taste

For coating and frying:

- 2 eggs mixed with water - Bread crumbs - Oil

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together except the ingredients mentioned for coating and frying. Refrigerate them for half an hour. That would make the kebab firm. Dip the kebab into the egg-water mixture, and coat them lightly with bread crumbs. Repeat this step one more time and deep fry. Take some egg mixture in your hand and lightly sprinkle them in circular motion into the oil to create that net affect. Serve hot with biryani or pulao.

Beef rendang

Ingredients:

- 1½ pound boneless beef short ribs or topside (cut into cubes) - 5 tbsp cooking oil - 1 cinnamon stick (about 2-inch long) - 3 cloves - 3 star anise - 3 cardamom pods - 1 lemongrass (cut into 4-inch length and pounded) - 1 cup thick coconut milk - 1 cup water - 2 tsp tamarind pulp (soak in some warm water for the juice and discard the seeds) - 6 kaffir lime leaves (very finely sliced) - 6 tbsp kerisik (toasted coconut) - 1 tablespoon sugar/palm sugar or to taste - Salt to taste

Spice paste:

- 5 shallots - 1 inch galangal - 3 lemongrass (white part only) - 5 garlic cloves - 1 inch ginger - 10-12 dried chillies (soaked in warm water and seeded)

Directions:

Chop the ingredients for the spice paste and blend them in a food processor until fine. Heat oil in a stew pot, add the spice paste, cinnamon, cloves, star anise and cardamom, and stir-fry until aromatic. Add the beef and the pounded lemongrass and stir for one minute. Add the coconut milk, tamarind juice, water and simmer on medium heat, stirring frequently until the meat is almost cooked. Throw in the kaffir lime leaves, kerisik (toasted coconut), sugar/palm sugar, stirring to blend well with the meat. Lower the heat to low, cover the lid, and simmer for one to one and a half hours or until the meat is really tender and the gravy has dried up. Add salt to taste. If not sweet enough, add more sugar to taste. Serve immediately with steamed rice and save some for overnight.

Special note:

To prepare the kerisik or toasted coconut, just add the grated coconut to a dry wok and stir continuously until they turn golden brown.

Beef kala bhuna

Ingredients:

- 900g meat (beef), diced into 3-cm cubes - 120ml oil - 60ml onion paste - 2 tsp garlic paste - 1 tsp chilli paste - 2 tbsp coriander paste - 8 cm length of cinnamon stick, halved - 1 bay leaf - 1 tbsp ginger paste - 2 tsp ground turmeric - 2 tsp cumin paste - 1 tsp freshly-ground black pepper - 3 green cardamom pods - 450g potatoes, peeled and cubed

Directions:

Heat the oil in a wok or pan and fry the meat until brown. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and set aside. Stir in all the spices and pastes into the remaining oil in the pan and stir fry for two minutes. Return the meat to the pan along with the bay leaf, turmeric, black pepper and cardamom pods. Add just enough water to cover the meat and cook over medium heat until almost all the water has evaporated. Now stir fry the meat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add about four tablespoon oil to a separate pan and fry the potatoes until they begin to change colour to golden brown. At this point add the potatoes to the meat mixture and stir fry for about five minutes. Add a little water to ensure that the mixture does not stick to the sides of the pan. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Uncover and allow any excess water to evaporate away before serving.Photos: The Westin Dhaka