Achari Gosht – By Chef Kunal

The Abused “Achari Gosht” – By Chef Kunal

How does one feel when a great piece of art is vandalised? People who appreciate art, heritage, culture find it Like somebody defacing the Taj Mahal, or badly sung cover version of a kishore song or a real bad interpretation of modern art. I m driven to a similar point where I experience the same and hence my opportunity to pen down my experience, my version, my thoughts and my research on the “Achari Gosht”

Amongst a variety of dishes that have been abused by many restaurants by way of shortcuts is the “Achari Gosht”. Achari gosht is mutton cooked with pickle spices and not pickled mutton. And at no point the classic lucknowi or the hyderabadi achari gosht uses paste of pickle or mustard oil in cooking them.

Some of my friends find it useless and very pointless when I fume at some of the most irritating versions of the classic Achari gosht, touted as authentic with false stories cooked up y the manager and chef duo. It’s a comma mistake by many restaurants to add pickle (mango, mix or any) in a mutton curry and call it achari gosht. And people ordering and eating it don’t mind because that the only version most of them have been exposed to. But restaurants find it convenient to cook the mutton curry and do minor alterations to it to increase variety without having to work or invest more. This is find outright stupid, a daylight robbery and above all a mockery of our own food.

The problem is (if I can afford to call it a problem) that great Indian food is still locked away in the homes. The Indian home cooking is the most refined and advanced cooking and that is where the best of Indian found is rather in any fancy restaurant. Most of my research and learning that I acquire is by carefully watching and learning from the home cooks.

Achari gosht the true version is almost dying with the new breed of chefs not knowing the classic style. With achari gosht there are couple of versions from across all states in India. But I was fortunate to get exposed to the Lucknowi and the Hyderabadi version. Both of these versions are completely different with each other in the looks and the recipe but both have a strong mutton flvour perfumed with earthy tones of dry achari masala. Another surprising thing about the 2 versions is lucknowi is with a thin off white curry and the hyderbadi version is completely dry and bit spicy. And both the versions do not use the achar or mustard oil or tomatoes or water in their cooking and yet what comes out is sheer brilliance. That’s like the reward of a magic trick that goes right.

In fact lucknowi version of the achari gosht uses raw onions, yogurt, dry panch phoran and green chillies with regular oil or ghee. Which means no turmeric or chilly powder or coriander powder and yet what you get a very soothing flaour of achar in a robust mutton curry. The hyderabadi version is almost dry but uses red chilly coriander and jeera. Also the onions or tomatoes are never used and the meat is cooked in generous oil with dry red chillies and dry panch phoran. Some recipes call for inclusion of little yogurt or lemon juice. This variety is usually served with bajra ki roti.

Here are the two recipes –

Achari Gosht (Luckowi)

Mehtod

Pound all the dry masalas and stuff it inside the chilly. Seperately mix all the remaining ingredients and place on a low flame. Add the stuffed green chillies and cover and cook till the mutton is done. Remove and serve with a hot roti ot rice.

Achari Gosht (Hyderabadi)

Mehtod

Marinate the meat with ginger garlic paste, chilly powder, jeera powder, coriander powder, yogurt, slit green chillies and salt. Heat oil and add the dry red chillies followed by the rest of the whole spices. Once they splutter add the curry leaves and immediately add the meat. Cook covered on low flame till it is tender and dry. Serve with bajra roti. And the next time you arder a achari gosht remember that you are paying for the mutton and not the achar.