Indian Dastarkhan: Dabba Gosht & The Chamber of Secrets

Like most things, Dabba Gosht, I think is a closely guarded secret of Bohra Cuisine. It has disappeared from Bohra Thaals almost completely. It is very rarely available at restaurants and if it is, then it's not even a long-lost distantly related step-cousin of the original. If you try searching on Google, you will find about 8 to 10 different variations of Dabba Gosht but very few come close. In fact, one of the Dabba Gosht recipe I discovered online had all the possible ingredients available in a kitchen added into this dish: Cream, curd, cashew paste, bits of noodles, macaroni, tomatoes... the list is endless!

I have attempted to recreate Dabba Gosht with minimal but effective ingredients so that taste-buds are not bombarded with too many unrecognizable flavours. What you get is a basic side-dish (but good enough to be the main course!) that you can probably imagine being enjoyed by a happy Bohri family on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Take succulent boneless mutton pieces or use beef instead and cut into small bite-sized cubes, which is also known as 'chana boti'. The best meat selection for his would be 'adle ka gosht' or meat from thigh. Boil in a little water with a pinch of turmeric, some salt, a teaspoon of ginger & garlic paste and a pinch of garam masala powder. Cook till tender. Some people use the same mutton stock for making the sauce: I don't do that for a simple reason that mutton stock has no flavour when made with boneless meat (The juice is in the bones!) For the sauce, heat a tablespoon of butter and add 2 teaspoon of flour (maida) and fry lightly for a few seconds, add 2 cups of milk and cook on low heat beating continuously till you have a light white sauce. Add a little salt and finely chopped garlic and there... you have a Garlic Bechamel Sauce that will make an excellent base for the Dabba Gosht.

You will also need a few eggs, red or green chilly sauce, some cheese and coriander leaves. Okay, agreed that this coriander must have seen better days, but when washed and chopped finely it added a lot of colour and flavor to the food. To add some body to the dish, I added some corn and a couple of chopped soft-boiled eggs. Now this is just optional and though most people may not mind the egg, the corn added a little sweetness which may not be favoured by all. So next time I might not add it.

In a pan, saute mutton pieces with white sauce, add lots of chilly sauce depending on the spiciness quotient you want, some salt to taste, black pepper powder, corn, chopped eggs & chopped or grated cheese. Cook for a few minutes only till cheese has melted and mutton has been coated with all the sauce. Transfer in a baking dish and lightly pack it down with a spatula. Beat a couple of eggs with a little salt, pepper powder (red or black) and chopped coriander. Pour evenly over the surface. Now you have two options: Traditionally, you can either heat a lot of ghee or butter and pour it hot over the egg so that the egg gets fried. In this Big Bad World of Cholesterol, I chose the safer option: I omitted the ghee/butter and just popped it in the oven (my Chamber of Secrets!) and baked it for about 20-25 minutes.

The success of your Dabba Gosht depend on how succulent the meat is: If it does not melt in your mouth, you have failed.

I made this for someone's birthday party and after the cake-cutting, while the birthday cake was lying unnoticed, the Dabba Gosht was wiped out within minutes. This, I think, is the biggest compliment.