Bangladeshi · main

Mezbani Gosht (Feast-Day Beef in Ground Whole Spice)

Mezbani Gosht (Feast-Day Beef in Ground Whole Spice) reads umami 8.3, richness 7.3 and allium 4.3 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Bangladeshi main, about 3 hr 22 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 8.3 · Richness 7.3 · Allium 4.3 · Salinity 3.9 · Heat 3.7 · Earthy 2.9 · Warm Spice 2.7 · Nutty 2.6 · Sweetness 2.1 · Bitterness 1.5 · Floral 1.3 · Herbaceous 1.1 · Sourness 0.8

What's in it (15)

Time & effort: about 3 hr 22 min (3 hr 21 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 121.9 kcal, 13 g protein, 6.6 g fat, 3.6 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

  1. Heat the mustard oil in a very large heavy pot until it smokes and the pungency burns off, about 3 minutes, then add the sliced onions and fry 18 to 20 minutes over medium heat until they are deep brown and jammy. A mezban is a Chittagong communal feast cooked for hundreds of guests, and the whole dish is built on onions cooked this far and no further.
  2. Stir in the garlic and ginger pastes and cook 3 minutes until the raw smell has gone.
  3. Lower the heat, add the chilli powder, ground coriander, cumin and turmeric with 3 tablespoons of water and fry 3 minutes, until the powders darken and stop smelling dusty.
  4. Add the beef and the salt, raise the heat to medium-high and sear the meat in the masala for 15 minutes, stirring, until the pieces are browned all over and have given up their first liquid.
  5. Pour in the hot water, cover tightly and stew on the lowest heat for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is falling apart and the marrow has melted into the gravy. Stir every twenty minutes and add a little hot water if it threatens to catch.
  6. Stir in the mezbani garam masala and the roasted ground panch phoron and cook uncovered 10 minutes more. Panch phoron here is a marker of the whole eastern belt, not of Bengal alone; it runs from West Bengal through Bangladesh, Odisha, Bihar, Assam and into Nepal, and in this dish it is used roasted and ground rather than whole, which is the one context where that is correct.
  7. In a small pan warm the ghee, bloom the whole dried chillies for 20 seconds until they darken, and pour this over the pot. Rest 15 minutes and serve with plain white rice.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.