A dish invented in the Indian Railways during the Colonial time period. A perfect blend of coconut milk and Mutton pieces that grabbed attention from all over the world! Railway Mutton Curry originated from a pre-existing Bengali dish Kosha Mangsho.
Was this familiar to you? Maybe yes, but mostly a big no! To overcome this challenge we are going to share some unknowing facts and figures related to Railway Mutton Curry. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s join thefoodhistory on this historic identity revelations.
History Of Railway Mutton Curry
The story takes us in British India, when Britishers were ruling. It is purely inspired from the Bengali Dish, Kosha Mangsho which is spicy, juicy, mainly based on Indian taste. This taste was not likeable by Britishers during that time due to their less spicy food and edible taste buds. Though they liked the taste of Kosha Mangsho and asked cooks to make it less spicy. In order to keep it significant as per the orders, cooks added Coconut milk to the base gravy. As a result, this dish became popular as Railway Mutton curry. Due to its significance from Indian railways.
Remember, we are talking about a time before express trains, and unlike today’s automated trains, coal had to manually loaded in these trains, so the soot and smell of burnt coal was hard to ignore, but looking at the luxurious menus of that time, we can partially understand why people were so excited about train journeys, especially in the premier, first-class trains. You could forget many sorrows while enjoying a multi-course meal inside your comfortable bogies, enjoying the view outside the window. Mutton curry also belongs to the legacy of such luxurious ‘railway’ cuisine.
The mutton curry was a slightly milder, watered-down version of the Indian mutton curry, as the British found Indian mutton curry too spicy. However, they loved the pungency of the spices used in typical Indian curries like ginger, garlic, red chillies, turmeric and cumin, which were used ample in this mutton curry, along with British favourites like bay leaves, cloves and black pepper.
When Is Railway Mutton Curry Invented?
When Robert Maitland Brerenton in 1857 started the Indian railway network. Frontier Mail (Golden Temple Mail) was consider as one of the most premium trains to travel from! The train was inaugurated in 1928 connecting Bombay to Peshawar. As the travelling time was long In first class coach of Frontier Mail, Kosha Mangsho was prepare. In response to this, it was asked to be made less spicy.
Since most of the pantry staff in those days were from the Bengal region (including present-day Bangladesh), this was their staple food.
So, what they did was that they reduced the amount of spices in their mutton curry and served it to the officer with rice. And apparently, he liked it so much that he asked for it every time he traveled in a train. After this, this curry started being served in first class compartments and became popular as railway mutton curry. However, it is no longer on their menu. This mutton recipe is made with lots of whole and some powdered spices. In fact, if you look carefully, it is actually a variation of Bengali mutton curry. And the addition of coconut milk in this recipe is a variation of it.
Varied Range Of Railway Mutton Curry
The Railway mutton is prepared in number of ways across the country. In eastern parts, it is expected to be prepared and served in a whole different way, in northern parts, there is a unique way of its presentation while in western parts, people have their own way of mutton curry. We are going to enlist popular ways below:
Mutton Curry In Orissa
Like we mentioned above, some Bengalis were relocate to Western parts Of Orissa. This resulted in exchange of taste and region based dishes. People from Bengal shared their Kosha Mangsho and vice versa. In today’s time, Western Orissa people have Mutton curry with Puffed rice. In other parts of Orissa it is eaten with Naan or Other Indian breads.
Gujarat’s Mutton Curry
People living in Surat, Orissa prepare their own kind of Mutton curry which has different taste preferring Salted + Sweety. Like their own dishes, which has sweet flavor of jaggery along with salted flavor to give it an amazing and unique taste.
Mutton In Bihar
Biharis have started making their own kind of mutton. They generally prepare it in a soil pot which is cook on slow flame in order to soak complete moisture and give it a good balance of taste and aroma to each thread muscle inside the mutton. In Champaran, people make it in a single pot and keep it to cook slowly for 2-3 hours.
Northern India’s Mutton Curry
Rest of India has multiple ways of serving. Most of them cook it in an amazing gravy which is later mix with water and adjusting the thickness. Some people in north India cook railway mutton curry with long sliced onion and tomato, later adding fried potatoes in it.
Who Serves The Best Railway Mutton Curry?
Nowadays it is not seen in Indian Railways menu but multiple restaurants serve it. One of the most famous restaurant Oh! Calcutta! A Bengali restaurant chain now available in Delhi too.
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