On the 5^th Anniversary of my blog, I would like to dedicate this post on Bhuna Gosht to my mother.  She loves Mutton dishes and is a fabulous cook herself. She was my first teacher when I stepped my feet into the culinary world and is the inspiration behind my heirloom recipes as she likes to stick to the authenticity of her recipes.  In spite of that, she never stopped me from being creative in the kitchen even at a very young age and was always my guinea pig in trying out my new recipes. She is actually a big fan of my fusion recipes.

Currently, we are undergoing such unprecedented times with the entire globe weathering Covid-19. Hope you and your family are staying safe. I am trying to keep the kids and myself busy by letting them explore their curiosity and turn them into creative dishes in the kitchen. And this time it my turn to be the guinea pig – life has come full circle.

Like RB says – kitchen lessons are life lessons, I have learned a lot here and this is and will always be my happy place.  So keep cooking and thank you for your love and support in the last five years! Cheers!! I hope you like this recipe, Mummy!

Bhuna or bhoona is an Indian cooking technique in which the aromatic spices and meat are seared and cooked to a caramelized texture which gives it deep, and robust flavors. I have used Goat meat (Mutton) but you can make this recipe using Lamb or Chicken.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 Lbs. Mutton/Goat meat, cut into small, stew size pieces
• 2 Red Onions, finely sliced
• 5-6 Garlic cloves, grated or crushed
• 2 inch Ginger, grated or crushed

(Alternatively, you can add 2 Tbsp. ginger garlic paste)

• 2-3 Green chilies, slit
• 2 Tbsp. Yogurt
• 3-4 Tbsp. Oil (I like using mustard oil)
• 1 cup Water

Whole spices

• ½ tsp. Cumin seeds
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 2 Black cardamoms
• 4-5 Green cardamoms
• 1 Tsp. Coriander seeds
• 3 -4 Cloves
• 10-12 Black peppercorns

Powdered spices

• 3 tsp. Coriander powder
• 2 tsp. Cumin powder
• 1 tsp. Turmeric powder
• 1 Tsp. Kashmiri Chili powder
• ½ Tsp. Garam Masala powder
• 1 Tsp. Red chili powder
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pot or pressure cooker (I will not recommend using an instant pot for this recipe as the meat will not fry/bhuno properly.)
2. Add the whole spices and wait until they crackle. Add onions and fry on medium heat until they turn golden brown.
3. Add the meat pieces and fry until they get perfectly seared, for about 6-7 minutes.
4. Lower the heat, add grated ginger-garlic, and keep frying for another couple minutes until the raw smell of ginger garlic goes away.
5. Add all of the powdered spices (except for garam masala.), and green chilies. Mix well; add couple tsp. of water and fry for 5-6 minutes on medium heat.
6. Keep frying until oil starts to separate from the sides. You can add little water at a time so the masala does not burn.
7. Add a cup of water, cover with a lid and cook until the meat is tender for about an hour. (This will depend on the type and size of meat pieces; so keep checking in between) Alternatively, you can pressure cook for 5-7 whistles or until the meat is cooked.
8. Once the meat is tender, add yogurt and garam masala powder and continue to cook on medium heat until excess water dries up.
9. I fried/bhuno’d mine until it turned shurkh (perfectly roasted color). You can fry until your desired consistency.
10. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
11. Serve with Naan, Roti, Paratha or Rice. I like to eat it by itself too!