Authentic Parsi Dhansak with Mutton Recipe

 

🍛 Authentic Parsi Dhansak with Mutton

A sweet-sour Parsi delicacy with lentils, meat, and caramelized rice

⏱️ Cooking Time

• Prep: 30 mins
• Cook: 2 hours
• Total: 2.5 hours
• Serves: 4-6

📝 Ingredients

For Dhansak:

• 500g mutton (with bone)
• 1 cup mixed lentils (toor, masoor, moong dal)
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup pumpkin or bottle gourd (diced)
• 2 tbsp tamarind pulp
• 1 tbsp jaggery
• 1 tbsp Dhansak masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 green chilies
• Salt to taste

For Brown Rice:

• 1.5 cups basmati rice
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp sugar

🍳 Instructions

Dhansak:

1. Pressure cook mutton with 1 cup water, turmeric, and salt for 4 whistles.
2. In a pot, sauté onions until golden. Add ginger-garlic paste and green chilies.
3. Add tomatoes, pumpkin, and cook until soft.
4. Add cooked mutton, lentils, 3 cups water, Dhansak masala, and simmer for 45 mins.
5. Mash the mixture, add tamarind and jaggery. Cook for 10 more mins.

Brown Rice:

1. Caramelize onions with sugar and whole spices until dark brown.
2. Add rinsed rice and 2.5 cups water. Cook until done.

✨ Pro Tip: Serve Dhansak with brown rice, kachumber salad, and fried boondi!

📌 Notes

• Authentic Dhansak uses 3-4 types of lentils for depth of flavor.
• Adjust tamarind/jaggery to balance sweet-sour taste.
• Traditionally served at Parsi funerals, now a beloved comfort food.

🧐 Dhansak Secrets: Did You Know?

• • Funeral Food to Comfort Food: Originally served at Parsi funeral feasts (to honor the departed), Dhansak is now a Sunday staple and celebratory dish.
• • The "Four Dal" Rule: Authentic Dhansak must combine at least 3-4 lentils (usually toor, masoor, moong, and chana dal) for its signature texture.
• • Persian-Indian Fusion: The sour tamarind (Indian) + sweet jaggery (Persian) balance reflects the Parsi community’s dual heritage.
• • Brown Rice Ritual: The caramelized rice isn’t just a side – its sweetness counterbalances the spicy-sour curry, creating a perfect bite.
• • No Chicken Allowed: Traditionalists insist Dhansak should only be made with mutton or lamb – chicken versions are modern shortcuts!

"Eating Dhansak is like tasting history – every spoonful carries 8 centuries of Parsi tradition!"

🔥 More Dhansak Secrets!

• • The "Slow Food" Legacy: Traditional Dhansak simmers for 4+ hours – the longer it cooks, the deeper the flavor (pressure cookers are a modern cheat!).
• • Pumpkin Power: That diced pumpkin isn’t optional – it’s the secret thickener that gives Dhansak its velvety texture.
• • No Leftovers Rule: Parsis believe Dhansak tastes even better the next day as flavors meld (if you can resist eating it all at once!).
• • Spice Code: True Dhansak masala contains darchini (cassia bark) – it’s what makes Parsi versions distinct from imitations.
• • The "5th Taste": Dhansak is the ultimate umami bomb – lentils + meat + tamarind create a savory depth scientists call "kokumi."

"Dhansak isn’t just food – it’s edible alchemy passed down through Parsi generations!"