Mutton dalcha

Ingredients

• 500 g mutton with bone
• 1 cup chana dal, soaked 1 hour
• 250 g bottle gourd (lauki), peeled and cubed
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• ½ tsp turmeric, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp garam masala
• Tamarind the size of a lemon, soaked in 1 cup water
• For tempering: 2 tbsp ghee, 1 tsp cumin, 4 dry red chillies, 6 garlic cloves, curry leaves
• Coriander and mint leaves, salt to taste, 3 tbsp oil

Method

1. Boil the chana dal with turmeric until soft but not mushy.
2. Heat oil and fry the onions until golden. Add ginger-garlic paste, then the mutton, chilli powder and salt. Fry well.
3. Add the tomatoes and 2 cups water. Pressure-cook or simmer until the mutton is tender.
4. Add the cooked dal, the bottle gourd, garam masala and the tamarind water. Simmer until the gourd is soft.
5. Heat ghee for tempering, add cumin, red chillies, garlic and curry leaves, and pour over the dalcha.
6. Garnish with coriander and mint and serve with bagara khana.