Meat dishes from the Western Deccan
By Sonal Mahurkar April 20, 2020 1 Comments

About 70% of Maharashtra’s population is non vegetarian. It is known for its meat, poultry, fish and seafood dishes that vary greatly in the different regions of the state like Vidarbha,Paschim Maharashtra called  Desh, Marathwada, Khandesh and the Konkan coast.

While the coastal area is known for its fish and seafood, the Marathi-speaking people of the Deccan are known for their mutton and chicken dishes. The warrior community of Marathas that ruled princely states over a vast area from Gwalior in the north to Thanjavur in the south has many traditional dishes made using mutton, lamb or chicken. The Princely City of Kolhapur is best known for its mutton dishes – a mutton dish is the star of a typical Kolhapuri meal, accompanied by pandhara rassa, tambda rassa, a mutton pickle called loncha, vegetable dishes and perhaps a sweet puran poli. Bharli Kombdi (stuffed chicken) and Chicken Rassa are other top dishes of the Marathas of the Western Deccan.

These recipes give simple instructions to making some rustic Maratha dishes.

Kolhapur Mutton (the same recipe can be used to make Chicken Rassa if you prefer poultry to mutton)

Time 1 hr
Yield – Serves 5 or 6 persons

Ingredients
Mutton 1 kg (you can use chicken if you prefer)
Onion 2
Green coconut 1/4
Dry coconut 1/4
Sesame seeds 10 gm
Poppy seeds10 gm
Tomato 1
Ginger 20 gm
Garlic 20 gm
Mint 10 gm
Coriander 10 gm
Kolhapuri masala (if not available any other similar ready spice mix) 2/3 tsp
Dry Coriander 10 gm
Oil 50 to 75 gm
Salt to taste

METHOD

• Apply turmeric and salt to mutton and keep aside to marinate for 30 min
  Roast sesame and poppy seeds till they become powdery.
• Sift chopped onions, ginger and garlic to a pan, sauté in one spoon of oil. Then add dry coconut and dry coriander, and after the mixture is well-cooked add dry and green coconut.
• Let the masala cool and then add the sesame and poppy powder, tomato, coriander and mint, creating a paste in the process.
• Fry the paste in about 50gm oil till the oil is completely absorbed. Add Kolhapur Masala if you have.
• Cook the mutton in an oil pan with some onions, and when done add the paste and continue cooking for 10 to 15 min. The gravy should be a bit soupy to serve over rice. You can also have this with bread that can soak in the gravy.
• Garnish with coriander before serving.

You can pair this with jowar bhakri (sorghum flat bread), whole wheat roti, hot rice or pao.

Khada Masala Chicken

Time 1 hr
Yield – serves 5 to 6 persons

Ingredients
Chicken 1 kg (you can replace with mutton if you prefer red meat)
Ginger garlic paste 2 tsp
Turmeric and salt for marinade
Ghee 100 gm
Black peppercorns 10
Cloves 10
Cinnamon 4 inches
Green cardamom 5 to 6 pods
Red dry chilli 10
Bay leaf 2 or 3
Black Stone Flower (Patthar Phool) – small quantity
Onion 4 (finely chopped)
Coconut Milk – as much as you can extract from half a coconut or equivalent
Almond 25 gm (best soaked in saffron-flavoured water)
Curd 25 gm

Method

• Apply ginger garlic paste , turmeric and salt on the raw chicken. Marinate for 30 minutes.
• To make the masala, Heat ghee in a lidded pan. Fry pepper ,cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom, red chilli, bay leaf, patthar phool in the ghee. Add finely chopped onions to the mixture and continue frying till the onions start to brown.
• Add chicken and fold into the masala, then cover with the lid to let the chicken cook in the masala.
• When done add coconut milk, and stir so the coconut mixes well with the chicken and masala.
• Add the saffron- soaked almond paste and mix well.
• Pour the curd and let the dish cook on slow heat till you can smell the aroma of the spices and the mixture developed into a thick sauce around the chicken.
• When the chicken is cooked you can serve garnished with coriander.

Best paired with paratha or tawa roti.

Sukkah Mutton

Time one hr
Serves 5/6

Ingredients
Mutton 1 kg
For the masala:
Red dry chilly 10/15 no
Dry dhaniya 15 gm
Dry coconut 1/2
Garam Masala 2/3 tsp
Cloves 9
Black pepper 9
Onion 3
Garlic 10/12
Ginger One-and-a-half inch
Lemon juice
Bay leaf 3

• Apply turmeric and salt to mutton, and after it is marinated sift to a lidded pan in which you have already heated oil and chopped onions.. Let the mutton cook in the covered pan.
• Saute all the ingredients of the masala except bay leaves (tej patta) in a pan with one tsp oil.
  When the masala forms a paste, add it to bay leaves and dry chillies, and fry the mixture till the oil begins to separate from the masala.
• Add the masala to the mutton and onion in the first pan, let it cook for 15 minutes (do not cover with the lid) on a low flame or till done (if there is too much water in the dish it may take a little longer).
• Squeeze a lemon or pour lemon juice over the mixture, and garnish with coriander leaves.
• Best paired with bhakari (millet or sorghum flat bread) but can also be had as a starter or side dish.

NB – To get the hot and well-spiced Kolhapuri taste you can add garam masala to the dish when cooking.

Bhakarwala mutton

Preparation time 1 1/2 hr
Yield -Serves 6/7

Ingredients
Mutton one kg

For the marinade:
Turmeric powder 1tsp
Ginger garlic paste 2 tsp
Salt as per taste

Ingredients for the bhakar :
Garlic; 1/2 cup roughly crushed
Ginger 1/2 cup roughly crushed
Green chilly 1/2 cup finely chopped (not spicy one )
Dry coconut 1 cup roughly crushed
Sesame seeds roasted to make a coarse powder
Poppy seeds roasted and crushed to make a powder
3 cup finely chopped coriander
2 tsp red chilli power
2 tsp garam masala
Oil 1 cup
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt as per your taste

Method

• Sauté garlic, ginger, green chillies and dry coconut in one teaspoon oil on a pan. Add garam masala, sesame and poppy seeds, coconut, garam masala, red chilli powder, green coriander leaves and dry coriander. When done add salt and lemon juice, and mix well to make the Bhakar.
• Marinate the mutton and then sift to a pan with oil and two finely chopped onions.Cook the mutton till done but not overcooked.
• Sift the mutton to a deep cooking vessel (karahi/kadai) in which oil has been kept to heat, then add the Bhakar. Cook the mixture together for 15 minutes (if you add water then let it simmer for some time till dry).

Step 3- now in big kadhi put oil add all mutton then add bhakar , on low flame keep string for 15 min if their is water it may take more time to dry .

Traditionally Bhakarwala Mutton is paired with a jowar bhakri but you could also enjoy it with tawa wheat roti or even khulcha.

---

About Author

Sonal Mahurkar

Sonal Mahurkar hails from Phaltan, a former non-salute Maratha princely state of the Deccan Agency. Being from the historical family of Nimbalkar, she has had the opportunity to dine at weddings and functions of many Maratha, Rajput and Islamic royal families of western and central India. She is a passionate home chef who takes orders for Maratha and Paschim Maharashtrian cuisine, Indian non-vegetarian food and homemade bakery products. She also consults restaurants and caterers who want to introduce Maharashtrian recipes. She is also planning a Maratha food popup/food festival with one of the hotels of Ahmedabad.