Grey winter takes a bow.
And in hushed tiptoes arrives spring. With her mellow mornings and pleasant sun. With her nascent shoots and gorgeous blossoms. With her buzzing bees and lively butterflies.
I sit in my garden, sipping my jasmine tea, watching cheerful colours flirt with solemn chiaroscuro, playful light chase austere shadows.
The next few months shall be incredibly busy, I ruminate, a furious cauldron of activity, as S puts it.
The rest of the morning goes by, working on the unnervingly long to-do lists, timelines and dependencies, adding to the list, editing line items and scratching off that rare one that possibly can be deferred beyond.
I am shaken out of my stupor by the shrill of the doorbell. Takes me a moment to return to the present. Must be the bread delivery person.
And lunch shall be simple this morning – a rustic mangsher brown stew to be mopped up by the artisanal bread just delivered.
Mangsher Brown Stew. A recipe I have long longed to share. A melange of carrots, raw papaya and baby potatoes. The warmth of ginger. A generous grind of black peppercorns. Finished with a dollop of butter. (And more black pepper if you like the heat)
Easy, isn’t it ?
If you love old-school stews and casseroles as much as I do, my Bengali Fish Stew and Chicken Casserole are must tries !!!
Mangsher Brown Stew (Mutton Brown Stew)
Ingredients
- 500 g mutton curry-cut
- 8-10 baby potatoes with peel
- 8-10 baby carrots
- 1 medium raw papaya peeled and cut into long batons
- 1 cup onion juice
- 1 tbsp ginger juice
- 3 tbsp onion paste
- 1 tsp garlic smashed
- 1 tsp ginger finely chopped
- 1 tbsp black pepper powder freshly ground
- 2-3 green cardamoms
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp butter
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the lamb with ginger juice, 1/2 cup of onion juice and a little salt for 30 odd minutes.
- Heat the oil and 2 tbsp butter in a pressure cooker. Throw in the crushed cardamom, bay leaves and black peppercorn. Allow the spices to release their aroma.
- Add the garlic, cook till light brown.
- Now add the onion paste, cook till the smell of raw onions is no longer there.
- Add the marinated mutton, the remaining onion juice, a little salt and 1/2 tbsp black pepper powder, cook over a low flame until the masala starts to release oil.
- Add the carrots, potatoes and papaya batons. Splash a little water, cook for another 10-15 minutes.
- Now pour in 2.5 cups of warm water, cover the pressure cooker and cook, 3 whistles I would reckon.
- Remove from flame, allow the steam to release on its own. Adjust seasonings, sprinkle the remaining black pepper powder.
- Finish with a dollop of butter.
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