Thursday, March 25, 2010

Sunday In The Middle Of The Week – Mangshow & Mishti Pulao

Almost without fail, my little sister B, our three pet dogs- Gittu, Dooga and Miss Webby, and I used to hover around the kitchen on Sundays. That was the day when very early in the morning my parents would go out to the local bazaar and stock vegetables, chicken and fish for the week. But that was hardly the reason why we were bushy-tailed and starry-eyed! It was the anticipation of a lunch of Mangshow (Bengali for meat, reference here is to goat meat) and Mishti Pulao (sweet Bengali pulao) that would keep us vulnerably close to any blackmailing my Mum would resort to on Sundays.

Of course, our three canine loves would be rewarded with a big bone each packed with marrow that day, enough reason for them to park themselves at the entrance of my Mum’s kitchen and curl their noses up every time the whistle from the pressure cooker went off, while their mutton stew was cooking.

I do not fuss much (or experiment) when it comes to a traditional recipe by my Mum. And why should I, when I know its just perfect. Or maybe I am too old and entrenched to change.

And change I brought with this very classic Bengali Sunday afternoon lunch – Mangshow ‘r Mishti Pulao, in the middle of the week on a Wednesday evening.IMG_6684Ingredients for the Mutton Curry (Mangshow):

500 gms of goat meat, cut into medium size pieces (I used the leg portion)
1 large onion finely sliced
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 tablespoon green chili paste
2 teaspoon red chili powder
2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoon coriander powder
2-3 whole green cardamoms
2-3 whole black cardamoms
3-4 cloves
1 small stick of cinnamon
2-3 bay leaves
2 tablespoon mustard oil
2-3 tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves
Salt
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IMG_6662 IMG_6663 Heat the oil in a pressure cooker. Add the whole garam masala (cardamoms, cinnamon, bay leaf, and cloves), let them splutter for a few seconds. Add the sliced onions and fry for a few minutes. Let the onions turn into a nice brown color, but be watchful not to burn them. Add the pieces of meat and fry till they start turning brown. Add the ginger-garlic-chili paste. I usually grind them all together.
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Set the heat on medium and keep stirring frequently. You can cover the pressure cooker with a lid and keep frying the meat and the spices. This Mangshow recipe is the labor of love and patience, don’t hurry up on it. It takes me usually an hour to cook the meat in its own moisture. Once the meat and the spices have released enough water and get a lovely brown color, I add salt and water. Enough water to eat with the pulao. Its only then that I pressure cook the meat for about 15-20 minutes depending on the tenderness of the meat. I asked my butcher for a baby goat which doesn’t take much time to cook.
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IMG_6676 Garnish with chopped coriander. You will not run out of ideas to serve this Mutton curry with. But if you do, what I did last night, you are surely going to be much loved.

Ingredients for Mishti Pulao:

2 cups Basmati rice (soaked in water and sieved)
Handful of cashew nuts
Handful of raisins
Half cup green peas
2 tablespoon desi ghee
1 teaspoon grated ginger (a frozen piece of ginger is just great to grate!)
Quarter teaspoon grated nutmeg
2-3 green and black cardamoms
1 small piece of cinnamon
2-3 cloves
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
3 tablespoon sugar
Salt
IMG_6669 IMG_6670 IMG_6671 IMG_6672 Heat the ghee in a pan, add the cardamoms, bay leaves, cloves and cinnamon. Next to add are the cashews and raisins. Let them get lightly browned on slow heat. Add the rice, and mix well with the spices. Add the turmeric, nutmeg, ginger and fry for a few minutes. The rice starts getting aromatic with the nutmeg and ginger. Add the green peas, salt and sugar. Fry for another 5-7 minutes till you see any moisture evaporated and the grains of the Basmati separated.

Transfer the rice in a glass/ microwave safe bowl. I make this pulao in the microwave using the regular ratio for rice and water. 2 cups of rice to 3 and three-fourth cups of water. I cook it for 20 minutes in the microwave covered with a cling film. A few drops of lemon juice makes the rice look like little pearls!
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Let it stand for a few minutes before you serve. You can then pull up a chair and enjoy the Mishti Pulao and Mangshow with some salad. And believe me, this dinner for us was a resounding “Yay”. It borders on indulgence of a purely luxurious kind, especially if you are making it in the middle of the week!
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16 comments:

naanosphere said...

I am hungry girl! :)) though I do not eat mutton much, I could fill my gastro greed with the gravy only!

Sharmila said...

Ami aajkei mishti bhaat er kotha bhabchilam. Gosh! This is an all time fav ... barir kotha mone pore gelo. :-)

Unknown said...

Oye Pree......this one is so damn tempting and is next on my list now....:)

Kalyan Karmakar said...

I was about to leave from work when I saw your post. The heading enticed me.

Lovely pics. The pulao reminded me of what my mom and grandma make. With gobindo bhog. One qn, will all the water dry up. Won't the rice become soggy?

I make the rice separately and add the tadka but I know that your method is the correct one

PreeOccupied said...

Thank you everyone. This is a must try, I have been hooked on it for years.

@The Knife: yes, the water you add to the rice is all used up in the cooking process. Nothing remains and the rice is pearly! If you are using 1 cup of Basmati/ Gobindo Bhog rice, use little less than 2 cups, I would say 1 cup + a three-fourth cup, that should make it the way we like our Pulao.

Try adding a few drops of lemon juice and see how it works wonders.

Kalyan Karmakar said...

Hey thanks so much Pree. Just shared this post on Facebook and would be making the pulao in 5 minutes. This is the first time that I am using the micro for rice. Keeping my fingers crossed. I didn't read the recipe in detail the first time. Had some peas at home. And just bought some cashews and raising. Came back, opened your site and saw that you had specifed the same :) And it's a Sunday

PreeOccupied said...

@The Knife, I hope the pulao was worth all your effort on a Sunday.

Let me know how you liked it.

Kalyan Karmakar said...

Hi, pree it turned out to be fantPstic. Thanks for posting it. Your tips helped too. Linked your post on my post on the same

http://finelychopped-k.blogspot.com/2010/03/borodin-bengali-pulao-with-nostalgia-on.html

Not an effort at all. In fact made a very different dish at night. A creamy light sausage pasta :)

soumik said...

Hi Pree, it turned out wonderful. I tried Misti Pulao in Sasthi night during Durga Puja this year. In our local Durga Puja in Nabami they also made similar polao. I inquired them about they of rice and they said Govindo Bhog. Please suggest what will be best rice for future Basmati or Govindo bhog. This time I made it with Basmati and it was excellent.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.

PreeOccupied said...

Soumik, thank you for your feedback, which made my day!

If you are in Calcutta or near abouts where Gobindo Bhog is available, make do with that, but if you have Basmati rice you can use that too. I don't get Gobindo Bhog here in Canada, so don't have much choice but to make it with long-grain Basmati. Good quality Gobindo Bhog tastes and smells awesome. There is no second to that.

Seema said...

Hi Pree,

I am hooked on to your blog dear. Really admire all your talents be it cooking, photograpgy, pottery, painting, writing... I made the Mishti Pulao a few days back to entertain some guests and it was a hit! All thanks to you, the rice turned out exactly the way I wanted it to be. I could simply eat the Pulao on its own... I have posted this recipe on my blog. Please have a look....

http://amchi-bong-konnexion.blogspot.com/2011/01/bengali-mishti-pulao.html

I have my slightly different version of Kosha Mangsho, do check and give it a try sometime...

Thanks a ton!

Regards,
Seema
amchi-bong-konnexion.blogspot.com
seemabbas.blogspot.com

Isingcakes said...

Hey Pree..just made this pulao for lunch...effortless divine dish it is....had to avoid the peas though cause the boys at home just can't imagine goad bhaat(sweet rice in marathi) with peas in it:)) Will post the recipe on my blog very soon:)

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Pree
Beofore leaving for the deserts , must cook this meat dish...2 tsp of Turmeric will make all the difference , will give a try ..Mother diary misti Doi will do...it is the best misti doi I have ever eaten vis a vis top Calcutta shops
Bhalo theko
kaku

Rwitabhadra Chatterjee Dasgupta (RITZ) said...

Your lovely Pulao reminded me of the one, my Chhoto Mashi makes in Kolkata.Even called her up, and told her how similar it was.At all family get-togethers, we always requested her, for her Pualo, to be featured on the menu.I have never made Mishti Pulao in my life, as i felt, I never would be able to make it. A mental block I guess, for the simple awe of how iconic this delicacy is, for us Bongs.shall try it now, for sure, once you have made it so easy to follow. thanks so much for the lovely post.

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

I am soooo going to try this for pujo night!! Anything to remember fond memories of Kolkata.... Sigh....