Meat Rezala – Yogurt based hearty goat meat curry with rice and flatbread – an Indian Holiday Dinner.
All I wanted was a free weekend at home without chores and much moving.
However, this weekend, we had Durga Puja at Boston. So I went to spend some time draping myself in a traditional Bengali saree. Now, I should mention that I suck at draping saree. I grew up wearing jeans and mom always helped me to wear a saree whenever required. After coming here, my girlfriends helped me to wear saree a couple of times. And now Matthew does that for me. He drapes me pretty darn well, by listening to mom’s instructions over Skype and watching YouTube.
For me, Durga Puja means much more than going to a community and celebrating. Many Indians here enjoy that, but I always miss the Durga Puja back there in Kolkata. I miss the sounds of drums, the aroma of incense sticks and hullaballoo of devotees. We wear new clothes for all five of those days.
Eating outside was never an ordeal at our family, which is why ma prepares many delicacies on different days. And preparing goat meat curry on one of the days is very much normal at our home.
This weekend, I felt in a festive mood, so I decided to make ma’s goat meat rezala for two of us. Not to mention the fact that the night temperature of Boston was around 30F (under 0C). During those cold freezing nights, it was mandatory to whip up super-hot and spicy goat curry with flat bread pieces. It was a sheer pleasure.
Eating goat curry was a Sunday and holiday affair at our home. Whenever dad used to get fresh goat meat, I used to beg mom to prepare meat rezala for us. There are two types of rezala recipes that ma cooks. One is with saffron (simple) and the other one is with roasted spices (special). She prepares this one on special occasions and mainly for guests. The other rezala recipe can be found here (please ignore the crappiest picture).
In Bengal, cumin turmeric goat curry is much more popular than this version, but I loved rezala much more. Super-hot goat curry and some steaming rice used to take our holiday lunches to another level. Ma used to serve this with rice at lunches and with flatbreads at dinner.
Rezala is a typical Awadhi dish that originated from Kolkata. At my home, it’s prepared mostly with chicken and mutton. The color of rezala is white and the texture is smooth and creamy and it has a perfect balance of sweetness and heat. If you want it to be spicier, you can always add more red chilies or peppercorns. If you’re in Kolkata, you can try Rezala from Sabir (my friends vouch for it).
I request you to try this recipe at least once, which mom has perfected over multiple trials and errors. I am not a big fan of preparing it in a pressure cooker and mom never does that. I prepare it in a pot and slow cook it as it infuses much more flavor to the curry and juicy, succulent meat pieces.
Giveaway:
As the festive season is just around the corner, we decided to share a camera backpack with all of our readers.However, this is only limited to US participants, so do not forget to participate in this giveaway. It’s ending this week.
Recipe for Special Meat Rezala
- Ground Roasted Spice
- 3 Bayleaves
- 1 piece (1 1/2 inches) cinnamon bark, lightly crushed
- 5 whole cloves
- 5 green cardamom pods
- 1 black cardamom pod
- 5 black peppercorns
- Marination
- 1 medium red onion, cubed
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 piece (2 inches) fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 pounds goat meat, cut into 2-inches square pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
- Milk
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 tablespoon raw cashew (broken in pieces)
- 1/2 tablespoon golden raisins
- Curry
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons clarified butter
- 1 whole dried redchile
- 1 bayleaf
- 6 black peppercorns
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon kewra water
Instructions
Ground Roasted Spices:
- In a non-stick pan, over a medium heat, heat bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, green cardamom, black cardamom, and peppercorns. Cook it for 2 to 3 minutes, until the aroma of spices comes out. Take it aside. When it’s cool enough to handle, add it all to the spice grinder and work it until smooth.
- Take it aside in a bowl.
Marinating:
- In a food processor, add red onion, garlic, ginger and yogurt. Work it until smooth and transfer it to a bowl. Add ground roasted spices, meat pieces, onion-ginger-garlic-yogurt paste, ground nutmeg, and ground mace. Mix it well with your hands. Cover with a cling wrap and set it outside for 2 hours to 8 hours (in the refrigerator).
Milk:
- In a saucepan, add 1 cup of milk. Over a medium heat, stirring often, cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until it reduces to half.
- Take it aside in a bowl. When it’s cool enough, add that to the food processor, along with cashew and raisins. Work it until smooth. Take it aside in another bowl.
Curry
- In a non-stick pan, over a medium heat, heat vegetable oil and clarified butter. Add red chilies, bayleaf, peppercorns and cook it for 1 to 2 minutes, or until they sizzle.
- Add onion slices and cook it over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they turn brown.
- Add the marinated meat mixture, salt and sugar. Cover and cook it over a medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Open and give it a stir. If needed, add 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook again for 45 minutes, stirring in between. Add milk-cashew paste and kewra water. Over a medium-low heat, cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Take it aside. Serve hot with rice and flat breads.
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