Bhuna Gosht

Last weekend my husband and I went to downtown for grocery shopping. After shopping, with heavily loaded bag we got into a taxi and somehow my husband managed to guide the driver to the nearest metro station Xiaobei to get back home. The guy was so surprised and happy to see my husband speaking broken Chinese ;).
While trying to explain about the metro station, he nodded for some reason and asked whether we are going for dining. We were confused and was checking GPS all the way till we got there. When finally we got down in the right destination we realized huh!! That's what he meant.. I guess he thought we are from  middle east countries and we are heading to have dinner at Arabic street..
The street is full of Arab restaurants and stores.We'd no idea such place exists in Guangzhou.. We bookmarked the place to reach out again for Middle east cuisines. But we did go through a store selling imported foods from Arab countries. As our days shopping had over, we just had a look around. But one thing caught our eyes lying on the bakery was Pita bread. I'd heard many recipes of Pita bread but never got a chance to use them. So quickly i grabbed one pack. The next day we made sandwiches with pita.
With 2 more breads left and we both were craving for spicy meat dish for long, I decided to cook "Bhuna Gosht" to have with pita breads. Its not traditional but pita bread is very similar to Naan bread. So went very well with Bhuna gosht.
Bhuna Gosht is all about spices. Mutton is slow cooked with loads of spices for hours. The slow cooking process gives the brown color to the dish. It takes 1-2 hrs to cook the meat along with all the spices. But its worth the wait.  It is rich and Lip smacking delicious. It can be made easier by using pressure cooker. But there is no room for taste when you hurry up for this dish. My advice is to make this recipe when you have plenty of time and mood of cooking something special for your tastebud....  I love the Bhuna gosht recipe from "ecurry" and this recipe has been adapted from them with slight variation.

Servings:  2        

Preparation Time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 1 hr

Level: Moderate

Ingredients:

Mutton	250 gm
Onion	200 gm/ 1 Medium
Tomato	150 gm / 1 Medium
Ginger	15 gm
Garlic	4 cloves
Green chilli	2 nos
Cumin seeds	1 Tsp
Bay leaves	2 nos
Cloves	4 nos
Green cardamom	2 nos
Black cardamom	1 no
Mace	a pinch
Cinnamon	1 no , 5cm stick
Nutmeg	a pinch
Coriander powder	1 Tbsp
Cumin powder	1 Tsp
Red chilli powder	½ Tsp
Black pepper powder	½ Tsp
Salt	as req
Curd/Yogurt	2 Tbsp
Water	2 cups
Vegetable Oil	1 Tbsp

Method:

Preparation: 1)      Marinate mutton by combining yogurt,  half quantity of following spices – Coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, pepper powder and salt.  Mix well with the meat and leave for 20 mins. 2)      Chop the onion, ginger, garlic and green chillies finely. 3)      Blend the tomatoes in a blender and set aside. Cooking: 1)      Heat 1 Tbsp Oil in a large skillet. 2)      Turn to medium heat and add cumin seeds. When it  splutters add the spices bay leaves, cinnamon,  green cardamom, cloves, and black cardamom pods  respectively.  3)      Add chopped garlic ginger and sauté well for 1 min. 4)      Now add the chopped onion and green chilli along with little salt. Adding salt will ease the frying process. 5)      When the onions have turned to brown,  sprinkle mace and nutmeg powder. Sauté for few seconds. 6)      Add in the blended tomato, remaining spices coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powder, turmeric and combine well. Add the marinated meat. 7)      Pour 2 cups of water, mix well and reduce the flame to low. Close the lid and cook for 30 mins stirring         in-between.   8)      After half an hour check for salt and add salt if required. If the gravy is dry add little more water and cook another 15-20 mins or till the oil floats and the gravy is thick. 9)      Garnish with coriander leaves and sliced onion. 10)   Serve with naan, rice or any Indian bread. Note: 1)      If using pressure cooker, cook the marinated mutton with 1 cup of water in cooker. And follow the other steps.  No need of adding water while cooking in pan. Instead of cooking 45 mins,  just cook till the gravy thickens. 2)      Yogurt is optional. Instead you can use 1 Tbsp of lemon juice while marinating. 3)     I have used boneless mutton pieces. Better way is to use boned meat.