Masoor Ma Gos (Mutton Cooked With Lentils)

A typical Parsi recipe! This recipe can be made without mutton. We Bawas, though, prefer our food with ramakras-toys (read mutton/chicken) added to it. The mutton enhances the flavour of the masoor. 😉 And yes, we pronounce Gosht as Gos! 😊

Ingredients:

1½ cups black masoor, soak for an hour, then wash and keep aside

450-500 grams mutton pieces, wash and keep aside

3 large onions, finely chopped

3 green chilies, slit and finely chopped

5 tomatoes, halved and grated

1½ tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

5 teaspoons red chili powder (I use MDH Deghi Mirch Powder)

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon dhania-jeera powder

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon garam masala powder

½ teaspoon dhanshak masala powder (optional)

3 teaspoons Parsi sambhar masala powder (optional)

Salt to taste

Oil as required

A handful of coriander leaves, chopped

Method:

1.    Heat oil in a cooker, add cumin seeds and allow to splutter.

2.    Add onions and chilies. Fry till the onions begin turning brown.

3.    Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a few seconds.

4.    Add the red chili powder, turmeric powder, dhania-jeera powder, sugar, garam masala powder, dhanshak masala powder and parsi sambhar masala powder. 

5.    Sauté to cook the spices; do not allow the powdered spices to burn. If need be, add an extra dash of oil or water to prevent the powdered spices from burning.

6.    Add the grated tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are done (the raw smell disappears) and tiny specks of oil begin forming on the surface.

7.    Add the mutton and sauté well; then add the black masoor and saute for a a couple of minutes more.

8.    Season with salt, to taste.

9.    Add 700 to 800 ml of water, close the lid of the cooker and cook for 3 whistles. Lower heat and simmer till the cooker sounds off one more whistle. 

10. Take the cooker off the stove and allow the pressure to release gradually. 

11. Empty the masoor-gos into a vessel or a serving bowl.

12.Add chopped coriander leaves and give it a gentle mix.

12. Serve with masala khichdee or brun pau or rotis.

Chef Notes:

1.    The masoor used was Belgaon Masoor and was gifted to me by a very kind soul (Dr. Uday Potdar). The grains of Belgaon Masoor were smaller. The grains of this masoor were smaller in size than the regular masoor. The colour bordered more on brown than the regular blackish-brown masoor available in Pune markets.

2.    Sometimes the family likes tithka-khatta-mithha (spicy-sour-sweet) masoor at which time I increase the sugar and add some malt vinegar. The quantity of sugar and malt vinegar will depend on the quantity of masoor cooked. You may, of course, adjust the sweet-sour-spicy taste as desired.

3.    Dhanshak masala and Parsi sambhar masala are spices we Parsi’s add to most dals to bring out the typical Parsi flavour. Use it if you can get your paws on it, if not, feel free to cook without it.

4.    Mum does not enjoy pieces of tomatoes and roughly chopped coriander which is why I have grated the tomatoes and have had to butcher the gorgeous coriander leaves (sigh!) to chop it really fine. You may use chopped tomatoes and also chop the coriander with more sensitivity.

5.  You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.