A Culinary Adventure: Discovering Golbari’s Kosha Mangsho

Bengali cuisine is widely varied, distinctive and exceptionally tasty compared to other regional cuisines of the country. It highlights the uniqueness and rich diversity of flavours, ingredients and cooking styles that make Bengali food stand out. Apart from ‘rosogolla’, ‘maach’ and ‘mishti doi’, there is much more to relish and love in this cuisine. When there is a discussion of Bengali cuisine there is one signature dish – ‘Kosha Mangsho’ – one must mention. This dish is so integral and beloved in Bengali culture that a traditional Bengali feast would feel incomplete without it. There is one place in Kolkata called Golbari, that is especially famous for this legendary dish. Golbari is considered a favourite spot among locals and food lovers.

This place was not called Golbari from the beginning, originally named The New Punjabi Hotel. This food spot was started by Mr. Ratan Arora about 98 years ago. The name Golbari comes from the semi-circular shape of building façade. The word ‘gol’ refers to round or circular and this distinctive architectural feature is what inspired the name of the eatery.

While golbari stands for circular house, ‘mangsho’ means meat, and ‘kosha’ refers to a cooking technique involving frying ingredients, particularly meat, for a long time. This process involves slow cooking and caramelising the spices and meat, resulting in a rich, thick and flavourful dish.

Although preparing this food might be time consuming and it require a lot of effort, the enjoyment of the final dish makes all the hard work worthwhile. It emphasizes the joy and satisfaction of eating delicious meal that you have put time and care into making.

So here is the recipe for you-

For Mutton Marination –

1 kilo mutton

8-10 green chillies

4 bay leaves

1 table spoon turmeric powder

1 cup raw papaya paste

4 table spoon mustard oil

For Mutton Kosha –

For Roasted Masala –

4 bay leaves

4 red chillies

2 table spoon garam masala

Black pepper 4-5

Jaifal

Javitri

Cooking Process –

Wash the mutton well

Make a smooth paste of raw papaya

Add the paste to the mutton

Add turmeric powder and mustard oil to the mutton

Keep the mutton in the refrigerator for marination for minimum 10 hours

Heat a kadhai and add all the spices to roast them. Make sure not to burn them in the process

Once done grind them in a mixer grinder

Make the beresta

Add 4 spoon of mustard oil in kadhai

Add onion paste, garlic paste and ginger paste

Add the curd, turmeric and coriander powder mixture to the kadhai

Keep the flame low

Add the roasted masala powder and mix well

Add beresta

Add red chilli powder, salt and sugar. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes

Add the mutton to the masala mixture in the kadhai

Cover and cook for 2 hours. Stir occasionally. You will see the change in colour, It will be dark maroon

When the mutton is soft enough, add 2 tablespoons of ghee. Switch off the flame, and ENJOY!