If you are a Bengali, you’ll know what ‘niramish mangsho’ is. Cooked sans onion and garlic — considered “non-vegetarian” — ‘niramish mangsho’ or vegetarian mutton curry is usually offered as a part of religious offerings during specific pujas. The mutton in this curry is slow-cooked with ginger and other spices. Taking the concepts of ‘niramish mangsho’, three city chefs give it a twist for t2.
Niramish Mutton Tart by Urvika Kanoi, chef-owner, The Daily
Ingredients:
For the mutton filling:
• Mutton, 250g (cubes from the leg)
• Mutton bones, 150g
• Oil, 1tbsp
• Carrot, ½ ,cut into cubes
• Celery, 1 stick, sliced
• Whole peppercorns, 10-12 pieces
• Bay leaves, 2
• Cinnamon stick, 2-inch
• Lamb or beef or chicken stock, 2.5cups
• Red wine, ¼ cup
• Thyme, ½ tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Butter, 1tbsp
For the bechamel:
• Milk, 2cups
• Flour, 1tbsp
• Butter, 1tbsp
• Bay leaf, 1
• Clove, 1
For a salad on the side:
• Lettuce
• Cherry tomato, 12-14 pieces, halved
• Olives, 3tbsp, sliced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Lemon, ½ , squeezed
• Olive oil, 2-3tbsp
Other ingredients:
• A 6-inch ring for the tart (feel free to make mini ones and these can be home-made or store-bought)
• Parmesan cheese, 2-3tbsp, grated (optional)
Method:
In a pan, add the oil. Once hot, add carrot, celery and saute for two minutes.
Then add the mutton bones. Once they start changing colour, put them in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for five to seven minutes.
Put the pan back on low flame and add the red wine. Give it a mix and then add the stock.
Once the stock starts to bubble, add thyme, cinnamon, peppercorn and bayleaf.
Let it reduce to half and once reduced, strain and keep aside.
In another pan, add butter and sear the mutton cubes. Add the sauce in and let it cook for 10-12 minutes, depending on the whether it’s done.
Now, to make the bechamel, add milk, clove and bay leaf to a saucepan.
Let it simmer for a couple of seconds before shutting the flame off.
Keep it covered for 15 to 20 minutes and strain.
Heat the butter in a pan and add flour. Cook this out and let it change colour.
Add the milk and cook till slightly thick (it will further thicken when it cools down).
Put the mutton filling into the tart, while reserving some liquid to serve on side later.
Top it with bechamel and cheese.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C just till it gets some colour on top. It will take two to three minutes.
Toss all the salad ingredients together.
The liquid can be reduced further, if needed to be made thicker.
Serve hot with the salad and sauce on the side.
The Daily pictures: B. Halder
Nitto Mutton bhinno Saade by Aishwarya Chatterjee, general manager and head chef, Bunaphile
Ingredients:
• Mutton, tender and nalli piece, 500g
• Dry red chilli, 10g
• Kashmiri mirch, 10g
• Ginger, 14g
• Galangal, 5g
• Garam masala, 2g
• Butter, 6g
• Pineapple juice, 160ml
• Raw pineapple, 30g
• Veggies (anything available at home), 20g
Method:
First, marinate the mutton with salt and lime and keep it aside.
Take a pan and add butter to it. Let it heat. Put all the dry spices and cook till the oil separates.
Add the mutton and start giving it a mix. Ensure that the flame is on a low.
Meanwhile, cut the vegetables roughly and keep aside.
Add butter to another pan and let it heat. The flame should be on high now.
Add all the vegetables and stir-fry for two minutes. Add water and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Now, to make the broth, add thyme, Kaffir lime, chopped pineapple and pineapple juice. Reduce it to half.
Take a pressure cooker and add the pineapple broth and mutton mix in it. Cook it till the mutton is tender.
Once done, take the mutton with the gravy out and put it on a pan. Reduce the broth to a semi-gravy consistency.
Add fried Kaffir lime and a piece of pineapple on top and serve hot.
Empanadas De Pollo by Roshni R Sood, executive chef, Marbella’s
Ingredients:
For the dough:
• All-purpose flour, 3 cups
• Salt, 1tsp
• Baking powder, ½ tsp
• Baking Soda, ½ tsp
• Warm water, ½ cup
• Vegetable oil, ¼ th cup
For the filling:
• Vegetable oil, 2tbsp
• Minced chicken, 500g
• Ginger paste, 2tbsp
• Cumin powder, 2tbsp
• Chopped fresh cilantro, 2tbsp
• Tomato paste, 1tbsp
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• Vegetable oil for frying, 1 cup
For dipping sauce:
• Ginger paste, 3tbsp
• Vinegar, 1tbsp
• Red chilli paste, 2tbsp
• Ketchup, 3tbsp
• Soy sauce, 1tbsp
• Brown sugar, 1tbsp
Method:
Mix flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a large bowl.
Add water and ¼ th cup vegetable oil and mix until well combined.
Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling for the dough by mixing all the ingredients together and set aside.
Divide the dough for the empanada into 12 pieces and shape them into 4-inch-diameter balls. Place about 2tbsp filling in the centre of each.
Fold in half and press down on the edges with a fork to seal.
Deep-fry the empanadas on medium-high heat, until light golden brown in colour.
Heat a pan and add all the ingredients for the dipping sauce. Allow to cook for five to seven minutes. Once off heat, let it cool.
Serve the sauce with steaming hot Empanadas de Pollo.
Bunaphile and Marbella’s pictures: Rashbehari Das