Mutton Kosha | Classic Bengali Kosha Mangsho Recipe

Presenting the quintessential mutton kosha recipe from a classic Bengali kitchen only for you to devour on your cheat-meal days! But do remember that moderation is the key!

In the good old days, a typical Bengali Sunday lunch was incomplete without the generous serving of this out-of-the-world Bengali delicacy called mutton kosha!

If you ask any meat-eating Bengali to name one dish which is connected to their heart & soul, then the answer would be mutton kosha with the highest probability! Or as we dearly call it kosha mangsho!

If you love dark meat and prefer spicy dishes, then just one bite on that buttery soft piece of meat infused with incredible flavors of spices will blow your mind instantly!

The transformation of spices during the slow roasting in oil & mutton juices while cooking the mutton kosha is something indescribable; you can only feel it when you taste it!

What is Bengali mutton kosha or kosha mangsho?

Mutton kosha is a spicy preparation of meat, preferably goat meat, where the ‘mangsho’ i.e. the meat is stir fried in spices for a significant length of time to allow the flavors to develop fully and infuse the mutton with mind-blowing flavors!

Kosha is the process of slow cooking the meat on low heat in oil and spices with minimal liquid. Initially, mutton will release a lot of liquid but as you stir fry them, the water would be completely absorbed and oil would start to release.

You would need to have patience while cooking this Bengali delicacy as the entire process of liquid getting absorbed and oil starting to release might take an hour as this process needs to be done on low heat to avoid any risk of burning the meat or spices.

Being brought up in a typical Bengali household, I had my fair share of Bengali mutton kosha since my childhood. A classic Bengali Sunday lunch used to be a special affair in almost all Bengali homes.

Sundays were always different back then as that was the only weekly off for my parents. After so many years, I can still remember our dad getting hoards of groceries from the special Sunday market and our mom being extremely busy in the kitchen cooking up a storm including this flagship mutton kosha on almost all Sundays!

The aroma from my mom’s kitchen used to drag me to the kitchen after every 10 minutes pretending to be the efficient taster on her behalf and evaluate how good or bad her mutton kosha is!

Those days are etched in my memory so deeply that I can replay those visuals in my mind as soon as I close my eyes!

Basically, this mutton kosha is not just a recipe for us Bengalis, but a piece of our memory lane; it’s like a heart-touching short story, a very personal one!

And that’s the very reason that I am sharing this classic recipe here even though it is not in line with my healthy recipes! This is one of those special occasion recipes which you need to master to impress upon your friends, family and guests!

What’s your fondest food memory of childhood?

Ingredients for Bengali mutton kosha

Mutton/Meat: The star of the show is of course the mutton which, for us Bengalis, by default means goat meat. Lamb meat is not too popular in Bengal; so I would suggest sticking to goat meat only for making this Bengal special mutton kosha.

Try to use fresh meat instead of frozen as it would make a huge difference in the final taste.

Curd/Yogurt: Curd is the essential ingredient while marinating the mutton pieces as it will not only soften the meat but also help spices penetrate their flavors deep inside. Use thick curd if possible as it would have less water and hence consume less time to absorb while stir frying.

Ginger & Garlic: These 2 quintessential aromatics are added to mutton pieces in generous amounts while marinating the meat. They infuse the meat beautifully, killing the raw smell of the meat.

Red onion: Onion makes the base of this mutton kosha. I use a generous amount of onions, red onions to be specific, which are thinly sliced and cut in half lengthwise.

A rule of thumb for the amount of onion would be 2:1 i.e. if you are cooking 1 kg of meat, use half a kg of onions.

Spices: Bengalis love spicy food and this kosha mangsho is a perfect example of authentic Bengali spicy delicacy! You need all the usual suspects of Indian cuisine – turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and red hot chilli powder but the last one is optional if you want to cut down the heat.

Whole spices: Along with the ground spice powders above, you will also need a bunch of whole spices to build the depth of flavors from the very beginning which is done by tempering the hot oil.

You will need bay leaf, green & black cardamom, cloves, cinnamon sticks and dry red chillies. The combination of all these whole spices creates an astonishing infusion of flavors that makes this mutton kosha so special!

Sugar: Just a teaspoon of sugar is added to the oil while tempering which caramelizes and adds a bright red color to the dish.

Mustard oil: Since this mutton kosha is a typical Bengali delicacy, it would be most authentic if you make it using mustard oil.

I understand that mustard oil might be too pungent for some of you especially if you are not used to it; in that case you may use any other flavorless vegetable oil, but just note that it would impact the final taste of the dish.

Green chili: If you can handle the heat, then add a couple of fresh green chillies slit lengthwise. You can skip this if you don’t want too much heat in your kosha mangsho.

Garam masala: To round off the flavors, a final sprinkle of garam masala is all you need at the very end of the cooking.

Ghee/clarified butter: Ghee is the best carrier of Indian flavors which is why you will need a generous drizzle of this pure gold over your buttery soft & succulent mutton kosha before you serve it to your near & dear one!

Salt: Do not forget to season your meat and spices well with salt!

How to make Bengali Mutton Kosha?

Step 1: Thoroughly wash the mutton pieces and drain all the water out. Take them in a large bowl and start the marinating process.

Pro tip: My recommendation is to marinate the mutton a night before you plan to cook it; this will allow the flavors to penetrate dark meat deeply and also cut down the cooking time.

Step 2: For marinating the mutton, add ginger paste, garlic paste, curd/yogurt, salt, turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and red hot chilli powder, if using. Also add a couple of teaspoons of mustard oil.

Step 3: Now start mixing the mutton with all the spices and curd, preferably using your hand to coat each piece of meat evenly on all sides. Take some time at this step to give the meat a good massage.

Step 4: Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Step 5: When you are ready to cook, heat the mustard oil in a large pressure cooker. You may also slow cook it in a large heavy bottomed stock pot; but I preferred cooking it in a pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time.

Step 6: Once the oil is hot, temper it with bay leaf, cloves, black & green cardamoms, cinnamon stick and dried red chilies. Let them crackle and become fragrant for a minute or so on low heat ensuring they do not burn.

Pro tip: We also add a teaspoon of sugar which I had learned from my mom. Sugar caramelizes in hot oil and adds a bright red color without altering the taste.

Step 7: Now add the sliced onion and start sautéing them in medium heat. Add the sliced green chillies and keep sautéing the onion until it becomes deep golden brown. This would take a good 15 minutes on low medium heat.

Step 8: Once the onion is nicely sautéed and has become soft and golden brown, add the marinated mutton pieces. Using a firm stirring spatula, stir the mutton to mix them well with onion and oil.

Step 9: Now you have to keep sautéing the mutton on low heat stirring occasionally to ensure the spices do not stick to the bottom of the pan

Step 10: Mutton will release a lot of water, so do not add any water at this stage. You need to sauté the mutton until all the water is dried up and oil starts to release; this will take a good 45 minutes to 1 hour. Do not rush this step.

Pro tip: Sautéing the mutton is the most crucial step of this recipe; otherwise the authentic flavor of kosha mangsho will not be built.

Step 11: Once oil starts to release from mutton pieces and spices keep sticking to the bottom of the pan, it’s time to add water. Add about 1 to 2 cups of hot water and give a good stir to mix the water with spices and meat.

Step 12: Let the gravy come to a boil. Then tightly close the cooker lid with the whistle on. Let the mutton kosha cook on high until the first whistle blows.

Step 13: After the very first whistle, reduce the flame to lowest and leave it for another 5 minutes; switch off the flame after exactly 5 minutes and allow the cooker to release the pressure on its own.

Pro tip: If you are cooking your mutton kosha in a pot, you will have to cook it under lowest heat and keep stirring frequently to avoid sticking at the bottom of the pan.

You may cover the pot in between to keep the steam trapped inside the pot which would cook the mutton faster; but stirring in between is crucial.

It would take about an hour & half on low heat to completely cook the mutton until they turn buttery soft.

Step 14: Once the pressure is completely released from the cooker, unlock the lid carefully and check if the mutton is completely cooked through. Try poking a piece of meat with the edge of a spoon and if the meat falls apart easily, mutton is fully cooked.

If the mutton pieces are not cooked through yet (which may happen due to the quality of the meat), put the lid back on and cook it on medium flame until another whistle blows. Allow the pressure release on its own and then check the doneness of the meat again.

Step 15: Mutton kosha ideally should not have too much gravy, it would have oily spices clinging to the meat. If the gravy looks too thin, boil off the excess water by putting the cooker on high heat for 5 minutes.

Step 16: Check and adjust the seasoning if needed by adding salt as per your taste. Finally, add garam masala and drizzle ghee on top. Give a final mix and your mutton kosha a.k.a. kosha mangsho is ready to serve!

More delicious meat recipes from flavor quotient

• Tandoori Lamb Skewers
• Goan Lamb Vindaloo
• Potato, Carrot & Lamb Stew