A fiery, thin, deeply red goat curry from Kolhapur made with a specific dry spice blend and generous dried red chilli — the red companion to the white pandhra rassa. Served alongside pandhra rassa at every Kolhapuri meat meal so guests can mix according to their heat preference.
Ingredients
700 g goat meat — bone-in pieces
3 tbsp oil
3 large onions — finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger paste, 1 tbsp garlic paste
2 tomatoes — finely chopped
For the Kolhapuri red masala:
8 dried Kashmiri red chilli + 4 Byadagi red chilli — dry roasted
1 tbsp coriander seeds — dry roasted
1 tsp cumin seeds — dry roasted
6 black peppercorns
4 cloves, 2 green cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon
1/4 tsp stone flower (dagad phool — the Kolhapuri signature spice)
2 tbsp fresh grated coconut — dry roasted until golden
1/2 tsp turmeric, salt
water for grinding
Method
Make the Kolhapuri red masala: Dry roast Kashmiri and Byadagi dried red chilli, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon separately until fragrant. Dry roast the fresh grated coconut until golden. Grind all together with stone flower, turmeric and a pinch of salt, adding water gradually to a very smooth, deep red paste.
Heat oil and cook onions: Heat 3 tbsp oil in a heavy pot. Cook onions 15 minutes until very deep golden-brown.
Add ginger and garlic: Stir in ginger paste and garlic paste. Cook 3 minutes.
Add tomatoes: Add finely chopped tomatoes. Cook 6 minutes until soft and oil separates.
Add the red masala paste: Add all the ground Kolhapuri red masala. Cook on medium heat, stirring continuously for 6 to 8 minutes until the paste darkens and the oil turns a vivid red.
Add the goat meat: Add the meat pieces. Stir to coat every piece with the red masala.
Sear on high heat: Cook on high heat for 5 minutes, turning pieces, to sear the outside.
Add water and salt: Add 3 cups hot water and salt. Bring to a boil.
Slow cook: Reduce to medium-low. Cover and cook 45 to 50 minutes until meat is completely tender.
Serve: The tambda rassa should be thin, flowing and deeply red. Serve in a separate bowl alongside pandhra rassa, allowing diners to mix the two in their own proportions over rice.
Note: Tambda Rassa (tambda = red in Marathi, rassa = thin meat broth) is the fiery red counterpart to the white pandhra rassa in the Kolhapuri double-curry tradition. The stone flower (dagad phool) is a dried lichen specific to Kolhapuri masala — giving it an earthy, slightly mushroom-like undertone not present in any other regional curry blend. At Kolhapuri meat restaurants, both rasas are always served together — the skill of mixing the two in the correct ratio is considered a Kolhapuri dining art.