MEAT KULIA

Name: MEAT KULIA
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 900 g Meat (bone-in mutton or goat, or beef), cut into large pieces (1 seer is approximately 900 g. Use bone-in pieces for more flavour. Ask your butcher to cut into large chunks.); 450 g Potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces (½ seer is approximately 450 g. Medium-sized potatoes work well; cut each into 3–4 large chunks.); 115 g Ghee (½ powa is approximately 115 g (about 8 tablespoons). Ghee is clarified butter, available at most supermarkets or Asian grocery stores.); 60 ml Neutral cooking oil (such as vegetable or sunflower oil) (1 chhatak is approximately 60 ml (about 4 tablespoons).); 115 g Plain full-fat yogurt (curd) (1 powa is approximately 115 g (about ½ cup). Use unsweetened, unflavoured yogurt.); 2.5 tsp Salt (2½ tolas is approximately 29 g. Start with 2 teaspoons and adjust to taste, as tola conversions to salt volume can vary by salt type.); 1 tsp Ground turmeric (1 tola is approximately 12 g, but for ground turmeric this equates to roughly 1–1½ teaspoons. Turmeric stains — handle carefully.); 30 g Fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped (or ground ginger) (2½ tolas is approximately 30 g of fresh ginger (a 5–6 cm piece). Alternatively use 2½ teaspoons of ground ginger.); 1 tsp Cumin seeds (or ground cumin) (1 tola is approximately 12 g. Use 1 heaped teaspoon of seeds or ground cumin.); 1 tsp Black pepper (whole or ground) (1 tola is approximately 12 g. Use 1 heaped teaspoon of whole black peppercorns or ground pepper.); 1 tsp Coriander seeds (or ground coriander) (1 tola is approximately 12 g. Use 1 heaped teaspoon of seeds or ground coriander.); 115 g Onions, roughly chopped (½ powa is approximately 115 g, roughly 1 medium onion.); 4 cloves Garlic cloves (A few pieces — approximately 3–5 cloves. Peel before blending.); 2 chillies Fresh green or dried red chillies (The original quantity is unspecified. Use 2 chillies as a moderate starting point; adjust to your heat preference. Remove seeds for less heat.); 3 leaves Cassia leaves (Indian bay leaves / tej patta) (Cassia leaves are also known as tej patta or Indian bay leaves. Available at Indian grocery stores. Do not substitute with Mediterranean bay leaves as the flavour differs.); 1 tsp Garam masala (1 tola is approximately 12 g, roughly 1 heaped teaspoon. Use store-bought garam masala or a pre-ground blend. Per the original recipe it can be kept whole (as whole spices) or ground into a paste separately.); 0.25 tsp Sugar (A pinch — approximately ¼ teaspoon. Balances the spices at the end of cooking.); 4 cloves Whole cloves (A few cloves — approximately 3–5. Used whole for tempering in the ghee.)

A rich, aromatic Indian meat and potato curry slow-cooked with a freshly ground spice paste, curd, and ghee, resulting in a thick, flavourful gravy. This colonial-era dish from Bengal is hearty and deeply spiced, perfect for serving over rice or with bread.

⏱ Prep: 30m

🍳 Cook: 1h

⏰ Total: 1h 30m

🍽 Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

900 g Meat (bone-in mutton or goat, or beef), cut into large pieces (1 seer is approximately 900 g. Use bone-in pieces for more flavour. Ask your butcher to cut into large chunks.)
450 g Potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces (½ seer is approximately 450 g. Medium-sized potatoes work well; cut each into 3–4 large chunks.)
115 g Ghee (½ powa is approximately 115 g (about 8 tablespoons). Ghee is clarified butter, available at most supermarkets or Asian grocery stores.)
60 ml Neutral cooking oil (such as vegetable or sunflower oil) (1 chhatak is approximately 60 ml (about 4 tablespoons).)
115 g Plain full-fat yogurt (curd) (1 powa is approximately 115 g (about ½ cup). Use unsweetened, unflavoured yogurt.)
2.5 tsp Salt (2½ tolas is approximately 29 g. Start with 2 teaspoons and adjust to taste, as tola conversions to salt volume can vary by salt type.)
1 tsp Ground turmeric (1 tola is approximately 12 g, but for ground turmeric this equates to roughly 1–1½ teaspoons. Turmeric stains — handle carefully.)
30 g Fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped (or ground ginger) (2½ tolas is approximately 30 g of fresh ginger (a 5–6 cm piece). Alternatively use 2½ teaspoons of ground ginger.)
1 tsp Cumin seeds (or ground cumin) (1 tola is approximately 12 g. Use 1 heaped teaspoon of seeds or ground cumin.)
1 tsp Black pepper (whole or ground) (1 tola is approximately 12 g. Use 1 heaped teaspoon of whole black peppercorns or ground pepper.)
1 tsp Coriander seeds (or ground coriander) (1 tola is approximately 12 g. Use 1 heaped teaspoon of seeds or ground coriander.)
115 g Onions, roughly chopped (½ powa is approximately 115 g, roughly 1 medium onion.)
4 cloves Garlic cloves (A few pieces — approximately 3–5 cloves. Peel before blending.)
2 chillies Fresh green or dried red chillies (The original quantity is unspecified. Use 2 chillies as a moderate starting point; adjust to your heat preference. Remove seeds for less heat.)
3 leaves Cassia leaves (Indian bay leaves / tej patta) (Cassia leaves are also known as tej patta or Indian bay leaves. Available at Indian grocery stores. Do not substitute with Mediterranean bay leaves as the flavour differs.)
1 tsp Garam masala (1 tola is approximately 12 g, roughly 1 heaped teaspoon. Use store-bought garam masala or a pre-ground blend. Per the original recipe it can be kept whole (as whole spices) or ground into a paste separately.)
0.25 tsp Sugar (A pinch — approximately ¼ teaspoon. Balances the spices at the end of cooking.)
4 cloves Whole cloves (A few cloves — approximately 3–5. Used whole for tempering in the ghee.)

Instructions

1Place the onion, garlic, ginger, chillies, turmeric, cumin, black pepper, and coriander into a blender or food processor. Add 2–3 tablespoons of water to help it blend smoothly. Blend until you have a thick, uniform paste. Scrape down the sides as needed. Transfer the paste to a bowl. Set the garam masala aside separately — do not blend it with the main paste. If using whole garam masala spices, keep them whole; if using ground garam masala powder, simply set it aside in a small bowl.
2Place the meat pieces in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the cooking oil, a pinch of salt (about ¼ teaspoon from your measured salt), and approximately one-third of the spice paste you made in Step 1. Mix thoroughly with your hands or a large spoon until every piece of meat is well coated. Cover the bowl and set aside to marinate while you prepare the potatoes. The longer it rests (at least 15 minutes, or up to several hours in the fridge), the more flavourful the meat will be.
3Heat the remaining cooking oil (about 2 tablespoons) in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the peeled and roughly cut potato pieces in a single layer. Fry, turning occasionally, for about 5–7 minutes until the potatoes are golden brown on the outside. They do not need to be cooked through at this stage — just browned. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate. Leave any remaining oil in the pot.
4In the same pot used to brown the potatoes (or a clean heavy-bottomed pot), add the ghee over medium heat. Allow the ghee to melt and heat until it is hot and liquid — it should shimmer but not smoke. Add the cassia leaves and the whole cloves. Fry them in the hot ghee for about 1–2 minutes, stirring gently. You will hear them sizzle and the kitchen will fill with a warm, aromatic fragrance. This process is called tempering and it releases the essential oils from these aromatics into the ghee.
5Add the remaining two-thirds of the spice paste (the portion not used to marinate the meat) directly into the pot with the tempered ghee. Immediately add the plain yogurt (curd). Stir everything together well, combining the paste and yogurt into the ghee. Continue stirring continuously over medium heat for 3–5 minutes. The mixture will bubble and the raw smell of the spices will begin to cook off. This step builds the base of the curry sauce. Keep stirring to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
6Add all of the marinated meat pieces into the pot. Stir thoroughly, turning each piece to coat it well in the spiced yogurt and ghee mixture. Make sure no pieces are sitting dry at the bottom. Once everything is combined, place a tight-fitting lid on the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low. The meat will begin to release its own juices and steam inside the pot, which will help it cook through.
7Cook the covered pot over medium-low heat. Check every 10 minutes by lifting the lid carefully (steam will escape). The meat will initially release a significant amount of liquid. Continue cooking until this liquid has almost completely evaporated and the pot looks nearly dry — this may take 20–30 minutes depending on your heat level. At this point, add hot water (use boiling water from a kettle) to the pot — enough to just cover the meat, approximately 500–700 ml. Stir gently, replace the lid, and raise the heat to bring the curry back to a boil.
8Once the curry is boiling, add the browned potato pieces from Step 3. Add the remaining salt (the rest of your measured salt, minus the pinch used in the marinade). Stir gently to combine, taking care not to break up the potato pieces. Replace the lid and continue to cook over medium-low heat for a further 15–20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fully tender when pierced with a fork and the meat is cooked through and pulling away from the bone.
9Just before you are ready to remove the pot from the heat, taste the curry. Add the pinch of sugar, the garam masala (either stirred in as a paste or sprinkled in as a powder), and a small knob of the remaining ghee if any is left over. Stir gently to incorporate. The curry should have a thick, rich gravy — not watery. If it looks too thin, leave the lid off and simmer for a few more minutes to reduce. If it is too thick, add a small splash of hot water. Once you are satisfied with the consistency and seasoning, remove the pot from the heat. Serve hot.