Goat meat rezala - a classic recipe from Calcutta

Calcutta’s culinary journey will be incomplete without the reference of Nawab of Awadh, Wazed Ali Shah. The last Nawab of Awadh succeeded to his throne when the kingdom was in decline. On 11 February 1856, his kingdom was annexed by the East India Company just two days before his ninth coronation. His estate was long under the protection of the Company under a treaty. He was exiled to the Garden Reach area of Calcutta where he lived on a generous pension till his death in 1887.

He was a poet, playwright, dancer and great patron of the arts. He was also a connoisseur of good food, he maintained a battery of bawarchis and khansamah, his personal cooks and chefs to create the finest of the cuisines he loved eating. When he moved into Calcutta, he had brought in his entourage of people who served him.  After his death in 1887, these people lost his patronage and became orphans. Gradually they moved into the main part of the city and opened eateries offering Awadhi cuisines, some of which are now the culinary heritage of Calcutta. This is how Calcutta got connected to the Awadhi cuisine and a new culinary culture started flourishing.

But my recipe today is from a later period though it is connected to Lucknow. It was well after 1940 that Sabir Ali opened an eatery in central Calcutta offering paratha, rezala and tea. It was made popular by the ‘Kabuliwalas’ of Kolkata. The place became famous for its signature dish ‘Rezala’.

This rezala recipe was sourced from an authentic source. There are many recipes available on the web with various ingredients but I personally follow this recipe.

Ingredients:

Goat meat – 750 g with little fat and bone attached cut into 4-inch strips, 8-10 pieces, thighs preferred.

Papaya paste – 1 tbsp

Butter – 100 g

White oil – 100 g

Onions – 2 large pasted

Curd – 200 g beaten

Dry red chillies – 4-5 whole

Bay leaves - 2 torn to smaller pieces

White pepper whole – 10 g

Shah jeera powder – 5 g

Green cardamom – 7-8

Cinnamon – 4 inches

Cloves – 5-6

Black cardamom – 1 whole lightly smash the pod

Mace – ½ of a flower

Nutmeg – 1 pinch

Ginger – 1 tbsp

Garlic – 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Kewra water – 1 tbsp

Instructions:

In a large bowl mix the meat with papaya paste and let it marinate for 1 hour.

Heat a large flat-bottomed pot, and add the oil, when the oil heats up add the butter and melt it in oil.

Add the dry red chillies, and when it crackles add the bay leaves, green cardamoms, cloves, and cinnamons.

When they splutter add the whole white pepper, black cardamom, shah jeera powder, mace and nutmeg.

Sauté for a while and add the onion paste and stir well. After a while add the meat and stir it all.

Next, add the beaten curd and mix well with the meat. Then add the ginger and garlic.

Add the salt. Lower the heat and gently stir. Gravy from the onion paste and curd will cook the meat and the spices will add flavour.

Keep stirring in low heat for ten minutes so that onion paste and curd make a homogenous mixture.

Add 200 ml hot water and let the gravy boil.

Add a teaspoon of Kewra water and cover the pot with a lid. Let it boil on low heat.

The meat will slowly cook in the onion-curd gravy. After 45 minutes check the softness of the meat, it should be done. The gravy should not dry up, if required add a cup of water and let it boil.

When the oil shows up on the surface put off the heat and let it settle.

Serve with Tandoori or Rumali roti.

*Most recipes on the web use poppy seeds and almond or cashew paste. But the authentic recipe never used these. But using them doesn't taste bad either.