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6 recipes

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Kosha Mangsho

Kosha Mangsho

Kosha mangsho takes its name from the verb kosha, which in Bengali means to slow-cook a meat down, stirring patiently as the spices and onions caramelise and the gravy reduces until the oil floats free. There is no water in the early stages, only the meat's own juices, yoghurt and onion paste working under a closed lid. The result is intense, almost jammy, with a deep brown colour that comes not from food colouring but from honest bhuna technique and good mustard oil. In Hindu Bengali homes the dish is made with goat (khashi) on festive Sundays and at pujas; the Bangladeshi version is broadly similar but often uses a touch more garlic and sometimes finishes with a spoon of ghee instead of mustard oil. The cut matters: bone-in shoulder and leg pieces with marrow bones give the gravy its body. Mustard oil heated to smoke point, a whole garam masala tempering, slow-fried onions reduced to a near-paste, and yoghurt added in stages to prevent splitting are the technical demands. It is not difficult for a patient home cook, only long: rushing kosha mangsho is the surest way to ruin it. Serve with luchi (puffed flour breads), basanti pulao (sweet yellow rice with cashews and raisins) or simply steamed gobindobhog rice. A side of kasundi mustard and sliced onion makes it a feast.

Bengali 3 hours 25 minutes Serves6
Mangshor Jhol

Mangshor Jhol

The wet-style mutton counterpart to the drier, slow-bhuna kosha mangsho - and the more everyday of the two. "Jhol" means a thin, soupy gravy and mangshor jhol is exactly that: bone-in goat or mutton cooked low and slow with potatoes in a light, aromatic broth that you ladle generously over rice. You heat mustard oil to smoking to take the raw edge off, temper whole bay and cinnamon in the hot fat, then brown the onions deeply and add a measured hand of turmeric to give the gravy its colour and weight. The bones contribute marrow to the broth as the meat tenderises over an hour or so, and the potatoes go in late enough that they soften without disintegrating. Eaten with a mound of plain steamed rice, a wedge of lime, and a thin slick of mustard oil scattered with raw onion on the side. A Sunday lunch dish for a Bengali household, served from the same pot it was cooked in.

Bengali 1 hour 50 minutes Serves4
Sichuan Hot Pot

Sichuan Hot Pot

Two pots if you have them: a spicy red broth and a clear chicken broth. The red broth fries doubanjiang and chilli bean paste in beef tallow, adds Sichuan peppercorns, dried chillies, star anise, cassia, bay, ginger and garlic, then stock; simmers for 30 minutes. Diners cook their own ingredients in the simmering pot and dip in a small bowl of sesame oil + chopped garlic + coriander. The mala (numbing-hot) sensation comes from green Sichuan peppercorns + dried chilli together.

Chinese 1 hour 30 minutes Serves4-6
Suykash

Suykash

A bowl of warm, slightly tangy tomato-and-lamb broth thickened by the starch of just-cooked hand-torn pasta. The shape of the noodles is the soul of the dish: irregular thumbnail-sized squares with thick centres and thin edges that grab the broth differently in every spoonful. Aromatics lean savoury rather than spicy; cumin and white pepper sit in the background, fresh basil hits at the end, and a splash of black rice vinegar lifts everything. Texturally it's chunky and homely, diced turnip, potato, peppers and lamb, all about the same size as the pasta pieces, so it eats with one motion of the spoon. Easy to make solo, but the traditional way is collective: several people tearing pasta directly into the boiling pot at the same time, faster and looser. The dish is everyday food across Uyghur households and a counterpart to the more elaborate hand-pulled laghman; the name suykash translates roughly as "water tear", which captures the technique exactly.

Uyghur 1 hour 15 minutes Serves3-4
Trinidadian Curry Goat

Trinidadian Curry Goat

Trinidadian curry goat sits in a quiet rivalry with Jamaican curry goat, but the two are different dishes. Jamaican curry goat is built on Madras-style curry powder, scotch bonnet and allspice with little coconut and a wetter finish. Trinidadian curry goat is built on a fresh blend of green seasoning (a herb-and-aromatic puree of culantro, thyme, garlic, chives and onion), Caribbean curry powder (which leans heavily on amchar masala and roasted geera), and the bunjay technique of frying the curry paste in oil until it splits before the meat goes in. The result is a darker, herbier, drier curry that hugs the bone rather than pooling around it. Kid goat is the preferred meat; older mutton-goat works but takes longer. UK home cooks can usually find kid goat at Caribbean butchers, Halal butchers and many Asian supermarkets in the chilled or frozen section. Bone-in pieces are essential for flavour and gelatin. Lamb shoulder on the bone makes an honest substitute. Difficulty is low to moderate; the cook is mostly long and passive once the curry is bunjayed. Serve with paratha-style "buss-up-shut" roti, dhalpuri roti, white rice, or coconut rice.

Trinidadian 4 hours 5 minutes Serves6