Recipe for Patthar Ka Gosht
What is unique about Patthar Ka Gosht?
( Marinated meat seared over hot granite slab stone )
As the name suggests Patthar which literally translates to a ‘stone’ and gosht meaning ‘meat’ in Hindi is a quintessential starter dish of the Nawabs. Patthar ka Gosht descends from the ancient times of the Hyderabadi Nawab Asif Jah in the later part of the 19th century. There lies a very interesting story behind the way in which this meat recipe is uniquely cooked.
According to the ancient legends, Nizam Asif Jhah was very fond of hunting, and while away on one of his hunting expeditions, his bawarchis (cooks) had forgotten to carry their essential skewers and shikanjas that are used to make kebabs. In order to compensate for the lack of the required cooking tools, the bawarchis cooked the meat on a flat granite stone heated using firewood below
The Nizam instantly grew fond of this innovative recipe and from Theron, the recipe was replicated repeatedly in the royal kitchens !!
Ingredients for Patthar Ka Gosht
Lamb meat – 1 kg, diced into medium-sized pieces and flattened
Garam masala powder – 1 teaspoon Yogurt – 1 cup, blended
Green Chilli – 10-15, grounded by blending them in a mixer jar along with a pinch of salt
Cardamom powder – 1/2 a teaspoon
Salt to taste
Raw papaya – 1 tablespoon, mashed
Ghee( clarified butter) –
Onion – 1, sliced into thin concentric rings
Lemon – 1, sliced into wedges
Method to cook Patthar Ka Gosht
Take the flattened meat pieces in a bowl and marinate them together with yogurt, green chili paste, garam masala powder, cardamom powder, mashed papaya, and salt
Give the marinade a good mix with your hands and leave it to rest for a minimum of
2-3 hours or preferably overnight
In order to cook the meat make use of a clean, seasoned granite stone which is about two and a half feet long and about four to six feet in thickness
Heat the stone by placing live charcoal under it. Allow the charcoal to heat the stone for about 10-15 minutes
Then spread the marinated meat pieces individually onto the hot upper flat surface of the stone 4-5 pieces at a time
Drizzle a few drops of ghee onto the meat pieces and leave them to cook on the heated stone
As one side gets cooked flip over the pieces onto the other side and repeat the process by drizzling in some ghee
This process of cooking the best over the heated granite stone allows the flavors of the gosht to infuse with that of the stone
and the raw papaya paste aids in the meat turning juicy and tender
Continue to cook the meat till it turns crisp and brown
Serve these delectable lip-smacking starter recipe drizzled with fresh lime juice and garnished with onion rings !!