By Nandini Bhushan*
From Vat Savitri to Chhath Puja, and from humble litti chokha to the traditional dal pitha, Bihar is blessed with all the flavour and spirit of pomp and splendor. Eddie Kennyson rightly said, “when opportunity presents itself, don’t be afraid to go after it.” In these columns I shall not only be telling something about my native state Bihar through the window of its festival and food, but shall also offer the recipe so that one can try it oneself.
Bihari cuisine, I believe deserves its long overdue credit, as it is one of the most unexplored and under rated food today despite being full of flavours and among the most palatable cuisines. In today’s world of marketing and flamboyance, we seriously need a makeover of the sumptuous Bihari food to find its rightful niche in the gastronomical world. We need to present our recipe to the global audience, and being a food enthusiast myself, it is my humble attempt to present a traditional Bihari food with an interesting variation.
Also try: Make Yourself Bihari Food Part – 30: Boont ka Saag
Mutton Ishtew (stew)
Bihari non-vegetarians mostly love mutton and their fascination for mutton curry is not something new. There are a number of mutton recipes in their kitchen and mutton ishtew or stew is a highly popular non vegetarian dish in a Bihari household. The highlight of this recipe is that it is prepared with whole spices and it does not require water since the mutton is cooked in its own juice. It is a very basic recipe but believe me the slow cooking technique gives the stew a unique flavour and every bite is better than the next one.
Ingredients
Mutton : ½ kg
Onion : ½ kg
Garlic : 10 to 12 pod
Ginger : 1 tsp grated
Coriander seed : 1 tsp
Cummin : ½ tsp
Pepper corn : 10
Bay leaf : 3 to 4
Whole red chilli : 5 to 6
Clove : 4
Black cardamom : 2
Green cardamom : 4
Cinnamon stick : 1
Curd : 2 tsp
Salt as per taste
Mustard oil : 5 tsp
Ghee : 1 tsp
Step 1
Marinate the mutton with all the above mentioned ingredients along with onion and mustard oil. Cover it and leave it aside for at least an hour.
Step 2
Transfer the mutton to a thick bottom pan and cook it on a high flame for about ten minutes.
Step 3
Reduce the heat and cover with a lid and cook it for about 1 hour stirring it occasionally. It will get cooked in its own juice and so do not add any extra water to it
Step 4
Once the mutton becomes tender add the ghee and put off the flame.
Step 5
Enjoy the Bihari mutton stew with rice or roti .
*Nandini Bhushan is a well-known food blogger
