Tamota Ma Gos, Parsi tomato and meat stew, is one of the most popular ma gos. The tomatoes soften, absorbing the meaty aromas and creating a lovely broth from the bones. The tikkhu-khattu-mitthu (spicy-sour-sweet) has an excellent balance, and potatoes add to the flavor and thicken the gravy. The sauce is rich, and the fresh tomato chunks are soft and lightly sweetened with jaggery* to cut the acidity.
Tamota ma gos is the Parsi version of macaroni ma gos, a traditional Persian ground meat and macaroni dish regarded as comfort food. The Persian version is cooked in a pot that transforms it into a characteristic upturned tahdig dish with a crusty bottom! Parsis substitute potato for the pasta, allowing the stew to be served with a thick gravy. It is eaten with or without bread, but roti is a delicious accompaniment.
*Editor’s note: You can find top-quality jaggery, a new poduct at Burlap & Barrel. The jaggery starts with fresh cane, juiced and boiled down to a syrup in traditional iron pots, clarified using wild okra, and then whipped by hand to produce light, crunchy crystals. (We may occasionally endorse selected products that we use in our own kitchens, but we may earn some coffee money from your purchase.)
Featured in: My Parsi Cookbooks: A Labor of Love
Ingredients
- •1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- •1 kg (2.2 lbs) bone-in lamb, mutton, or goat
- •2 teaspoons crushed fresh ginger
- •2 teaspoons crushed garlic
- •1½ teaspoons salt
- •1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- •1 teaspoon red chili powder
- •2 green chillies, finely chopped
- •1 kg (2.2 lbs) fresh tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and chopped
- •355 ml (1½ cups) fried onions, crushed
- •500 g (1.1 lbs) potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
- •50 g (2 oz) jaggery or brown sugar*
- •Roti, for serving
Preparation
- Heat the oil, add the meat, and brown it all over. Add the ginger, garlic, salt, cumin, and chili powder. Stir until aromatic. Add the green chillies, tomatoes, and onions.
Stir in 237 ml (1 cup) water. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 45 minutes, and then add the potatoes and jaggery.
Continue to cook, covered, until the potatoes are soft and tender and the gravy is thick and glossy, about 45 more minutes. Serve hot with warm, fresh, warm roti.
Tips:
*Although brown sugar is a good substitute for jaggery, it will not provide the same gloss that jaggery brings.