Mutton Posto (Mutton with Poppy seeds)

jyotirmoy

So here it is for those who care.

MUTTON POSTO
Ingredients:
1. Mutton with bone 1Kg, not large chunks. A mix of cuts from hind leg, loins & neck.
2. 2 large onions very finely chopped.
3. Grind together 2 cloves of Garlic & a 2 inch piece of Ginger.
4. Bay leaf 3 leaves.
5. 3 sticks of Cinnamon.
6. 5 whole black Cardamoms.
7. 4 to 5 whole red Chilies.
8. About 100gms of Posto (Poppy seeds) ground with water.
9. 1-1/2 teaspoon of sugar.
10. Salt to taste.
11. Ghee about 100gms.

Methode:
Use a very heavy thick bottomed pan with a close fitting lid. On a Tawa lightly roast the red chilies; note very lightly so that the colour doesn’t change. Keep these aside.

Put the pan on heat & put the Ghee in it. When the Ghee is hot put the Bay leaves & the sugar. The sugar is added at this stage so that it gets partially caramalised. Now add the Cinnamon & the Cardamoms. Fry these a bit & then add the onions. Fry till the onions are translucent. Add the ground Garlic & Ginger. Sauté a while.
Add the mutton pieces & mix thoroughly. Stir constantly & fry the mix over medium high flame. After the mix begins to brown slightly add the Poppy seed paste & some hot water. Never ever add cold water. Cover the pan tightly & let it cook on low flame till the meats are well done. Do check & stir occasionally so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
I often grind a few Cashew nuts with the Poppy seeds.

Can be eaten with rice as well as Parathas. Please don’t have the heavy whole wheat Parathas with it. Make a dough of Maida, make balls of 2-1/2 inch dia, roll, apply a little Ghee then fold, roll again apply Ghee & fold do this at least 4 times. First roast these on a dry Tawa & then fry with a spoon full of Ghee. These should turn out light golden.

So would this be the menu on Saptami or Navami? Do let me know how it turned out.
Bon apetit.

Vasko

Can I have this delivered to my door?

rangss

How about Alu Poshto recipe or at least Poshto Bada?

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Hyderabadi

Can this be made with chicken too?

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"There’s nothing common about common sense." - Internets.

jyotirmoy

Yes it is possible, if available use cornish hen with the skin. Infact many people prefer chicken as it is quicker.
The original uses mutton because of 2 reasons. Firstly along with bones the chunks offer more surface area for the popy seed & the spices to cling to. Secondly the fat from the meat enhances the taste.
Enjoy.

TREKorDIE

hey,

my mom told that it will be like Mutton Chap.
wow.

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TREKorDIE:
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wonderwomanusa

It sounds wonderful; I've never seen it on a menu so I just might have to try this!

Paagla Dashu

Dada,

this is not exactly Mutton Posto - this is more like "Posto diye Mutton". Posto or Khas Kahas is regularly used as an ingredient in many of the mughlai or nawabi recipes for Mutton.

You may see this dish as "badshahi Ghost" or "Mutton Chump" or "Nawawi Ghost" in restaurant menus.

Proper Mutton Posto will use more than 100 gms of Posto with 1 KG of mutton - at least doubble ....200 gms. But you won't get that dish in any restaurant - you can only eat it in a Bengali household.

jyotirmoy

Pagla bhai,
Yes Posto is used in many Mughlai preparations basically to add some body to the gravies but the real taste of Posto is submerged in the over powering spices. In my recipe you will find that minimal amount of spices have been used & the roasted Red Chilly wonderfully enhances the tastye of Posto. As to the quantity yes you can add more if you like but then adjust the seasonings accordingly.
You are right that you wont find this in any restarant even in Kolkata.
Wish you & all here a very very happy Puja & Dusherra.

Alan D

Jyoti

I use so very little poppy seeds in my cooking that the packet in my spice box dates back to 1999! I suppose I should dump it and buy a fresh one?

It's also quite surprising for me to hear that poppy seeds are often used in Mughlai cuisine - is this generally across the country, or in specific regions?

I normally don't use ghee for cooking. Which would be preferable - ordinary butter or sunflower oil and would this radically affect the end taste?

Thanks for the recipe. I'll try it out on the family and report back.

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What a long strange trip it's been!

Hyderabadi

Hyderabadi cuisine (note that I say Hyderabadi and not Andhra) uses poppy seeds frequently too.

natasha chanda acharya

Wow! I've not only not seen it on the menu anywhere, but never tasted it or even heard of it. It certainly sounds ummmmmmyy. My foster son is crazy about posto and mutton. he will just go mad if I tell him about this one. I will try it out and report back.

jyotirmoy

Dear Alan,
Ghee has a flavour which most Indians like & because good Ghee is expensive use of it gives a rich feeling. It is like some of my friends who spend recklessly on the persuit of acquiring the best of the best of Caviar & I have to fake an orgasmic delight when ever they treat us.
I personally dont use much Ghee I do either of the 2 things. I mix Ghee with odourless oils like as you said Sunflower oil. A slight draw back here is that the smoking point of the Ghee & oil is different so the Ghee may smoke if used with a hight temperature oil. Sunflower oil is ok. Again health pundits recomend hight temperature oil as once the oil begins to smoke complex chemical are formed which the body finds difficult to break down. Otherwise I cook in oil & at the last phase I add a bit of Ghee which imparts the flavour with out making the gravy too rich.
Yes your pouch of Poppy seeds need to be discarded. How do you grind the Poppy seeds? Soak some Cashew nuts in water & grind them with the Poppy seeds. The sugar is important so take care not to miss it. Slightly caramalised it not only adds a pleasant taste but also helps the spicy Posto to cling to the meat.
I have decided to eat it myself tonight, I have called my wife as well as my butcher who has turned a friend in the 34 years that I am visiting his shop. This has happened many times after I had written about a recipe that I get the urge to eat it. Another thing I admit here that I wont cook it. My wife is a kind of druid whose alchemy with herbs & spices I cant match but I will definitely make her life miserable by telling her how to proceed, what to use, how much to fry, with frequent references to the cooking style of the Aztecs & the nomads of Mongolia. Quite a few families have been known to break up like this I had been warned!

Poppy seeds were used in ancient times too. As per the Ayurveda system Poppy seeds have cooling properties & very mildly tranquilising. In Mughal cooking it was used to thicken the gravy along with pastes of nuts & dried Sultanas. The crazy dish "Butter Chicken" gravy you will have at any Indian restaurant here will invariably have Posto paste, Cashew paste & a bit of coco nut paste.

After writing about a recipe I often get a reply from people saying they are going to cook it but almost invariably they never let me know how it turned up. Dear Alan I hope ypu will write.
Good luck.

shubho

jyotirmoy, you're a living legend.
what passion. what poetry. what drama.
if there is a king of cuisine, it's you sir.

jyotirmoy

Bhai Subho,
Thank you & I most humbly accept your compliments. I am always glad to be of service.