BAKING

‘GOSHT DO PIAZA’ …A hearty & popular lamb stew.

“An onion can make people cry, but there has never been a vegetable invented to make them laugh.”
Will Rogers
IMG 0060 GOSHT DO PIAZA’…A popular & hearty lamb stew

Dopiaza, DopyazaDo” is “two” and “piaz” is “onion“; so dopiaza is a dish which has twice the amount of onions, usually added in two stages. Different regions have different versions, some as far as from Bengal. This is my mother’s version from North India. A beautiful blend of flavours; a hint of the sweetness of onions, & the warmth of garam masalas giving it depth. Keep it as hot or as mild as you like. A simple stew , ‘grindless’, & perfect for even a one dish winter meal. Serve with naan, rotis or parathas. Since it’s ‘grindless‘, it’s gotta be at SRA’s for her ‘Grindless Gravies’ blog event!!

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Do Piaza means “two onions’ or rather double onions. Legend has it that this delicious dish was invented by Mullah Do-Piaza the renowned and celebrated cook at the Mughal Emperor Akbar’s court. One of the Navratnas (nine jewels), it is said he could conjure up culinary delights using only two onions, and cooked in that particular style is called Gosht Do Piaza. Water is not used at all when cooking a Do Piaza. Onions are used twice – hence the name “ Do ” or “Two” Piaza.

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Ingredients:

Lamb – 1/2 kg (on the bone/shoulder cut preferably)
Onions – 1 kg (8-10 medium)
Garam Masala – Cloves-5; Black Cardamom- 5;Whole pepper-10;Bay leaves -2
Red Chilli powder – 1 /2 tsp (optional)
Yogurt – 1/2 cup
Garlic – 1 small bulb / chopped fine
Ginger – 2″ piece / chopped fine
Tomatoes – 2-3 medium / chopped
Paprika – 1 tsp
Whole Red Chillies – 2-3 / broken into large pieces (optional)
Green chillies – 2 / deseeded if desired (optional)
Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing
collage collage collageMethod:
  • Finely slice 2-3 onions.
  • Roughly chop the remaining onions & keep aside with the chopped ginger, garlic & tomatoes.
  • Heat about 1/2 cup oil in a pressure cooker.
  • Fry the finely sliced onions till golden brown.
  • Add the lamb & roast for 5-7 minutes, followed by the yogurt. Roast well till the sides leave oil.
  • Add the whole garam masalas + paprika + red chili powder (if using) and roast for a minute or two.
  • Now add the remaining onions with the chopped ginger,garlic, tomatoes & whole red chillies (if using).
  • Add salt, mix well cook under pressure, on low heat, for 25 minutes/or until done.
  • Open only once cool, i.e. steam dies down completely.
  • Roast well to dry excess water.
  • Add 2 slit & deseeded green chilies for flavour if desired.
  • Garnish with fresh coriander. (Remove bay leaves before serving).
  • Serve hot with naan, tandooti roti, paratha etc.

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I found a review online for the Gosht Do-Piaza by Vikram Karve. He described the dish perfectly…It looked good – nicely browned generous pieces of succulent mutton, in translucent juicy onion rings in a scrumptious gravy. It smelt good too – the mouthwatering aroma wafting towards me. It tasted even better – absolutely delicious, not spicy hot, the unique sweetish zest of onions discernible, as the heavenly medley of flavors and fragrances synergized inside me. Relished with soft tandoori roti, it was sheer bliss. ”

homegrowngourmet

Chanced upon the HomeGrown Gourmet event hosted by Michelle at Greedy Gourmet while surfing Jugalbandi’s pages. It’s an interesting blog event which encourages the use of local produce, matched up with a bit of trivia if possible. I totally believe in using local produce which will go a long way to help global warming if all of us chip in. The theme for this month is ‘Stews & Casseroles’. Yippee…I fit right in! As Michelle says, winter is officially upon us (in the northern hemisphere) and it’s time to switch on our ovens, take out our crockpots and pressure cookers. Here too it is brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…freezing cold & just the right time for a hearty stew! This one is off to Michelles’.

About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.

9 Comments

  • Ben

    Beautiful!
    This sounds great for the cold weather we are having on this part of the planet. Thanks for so many great recipes!

    Merry Christmas from my family to yours 😀

  • Nags

    i have heard mutton is the most diff to cook with. looks yummy and i adore ur serving dish..

  • Passionate baker...& beyond

    Thanks SRA…like I said…if it’s grindless it gotta be yours!
    Arimou…u must be busy running around before Christmas.Thanks for the wishes & the same to you & yours too. Have a great 2008!
    Guess what Nags…when I got married cooking mutton used to give me the shivers. By and by I’ve learnt that mutton is simpler than chicken, but the cuts & quality have to be good. Practice makes it breeeeeeeeeezy!! I find the dish very sweet too. :0)

  • Passionate baker...& beyond

    Thanks SRA…like I said…if it’s grindless it gotta be yours!
    Arimou…u must be busy running around before Christmas.Thanks for the wishes & the same to you & yours too. Have a great 2008!
    Guess what Nags…when I got married cooking mutton used to give me the shivers. By and by I’ve learnt that mutton is simpler than chicken, but the cuts & quality have to be good. Practice makes it breeeeeeeeeezy!! I find the dish very sweet too. :0)

  • meeso

    Another great lamb dish I will have to try as your other one turned out to be so amazingly good! I can almost taste it!!!

  • Mallika

    I just made this recipe and it was a massive HIT with my sis and hubby. The lamb almost fell off the bone and the sweetness of the onions and tomatoes offset the chillies perfectly. Thanks so much Deeba… you are a star!!

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