Brain Masala or bheja masala is a mouth-watering dish among Indian non-veg enthusiasts that can be made in different ways.
What is brain masala?
Brain masala or brian curry is a dish of cooked goat brain that is popular among some Indian cultures, especially mine.
As East Indians, we also have our own method of preparing the traditional East Indian Brain Masala. And the recipe for this goat brain curry also differs from home to home! Here’s my mom’s version of the spicy brain masala recipe!
The difference from the regular brain masala recipe is in the extra chilies, and the coconut and cashewnut powder that mom adds in. Scrumptious!
What are the ingredients in the East Indian Brain Masala Recipe?
These are the ingredients we use to make mom’s goat brain masala recipe.
6 Goat Brains
2 tablespoons Ghee or Clarified Butter
4 Bay Leaves or Tej Patta
1/2 cup Curds or Dahi or Yogurt
For the masala:
6 Kashmiri Chilies
1 inch Ginger pieces
1/2 teaspoon Dhania Powder or Coriander Powder
5 Cloves
4 inches Cinnamon Sticks
8 Garlic Flakes
1 teaspoon Jeera Powder aka Cumin Powder
1/2 teaspoon Peppercorns
3 pods Elaichi or Cardamon
1 tablespoon Salt
1 tablespoon Cashewnut Powder
1 tablespoon Desiccated Coconut or Coconut Powder
1 Cup Water
how to cook Indian Goat Brain Masala
We start by washing and cleaning 6 goat brains, and then chopping them roughly into 1-inch size cubes. And yes, there’s bound to be some blood.
Did you know that some people couldn’t even think of eating brains? They discard it as offal along with the tongues, tails, ears, and other parts of the animal. But to each his own.
I know my Uncle Denzil loves eating pig brains. And most of my culture just loves eating ox tongue roast or salted beef tongue as much as they love eating goat trotters and goat tripe curries.
Leave the chopped brains, yogurt, and ghee aside; and grind the rest of the masala ingredients listed above in a mixie with a cup of water.
In a thick-bottomed pan or kadai, add the two tablespoons of ghee and fry the masala for 5 minutes. Then add in the chopped goat’s brains and bay leaves and allow to cook on a low flame for another 20 minutes.
When nearly done, add in the yogurt, stir, and allow to cook for another 5 minutes before serving. You can take the bay leaves out now or leave them in for your family to suck clean like chicken bones. Both ways work!
Brain masala goes deliciously well with naans, or just simple chappatis, pav, or even plain ‘ol rice for lunch or dinner. You don’t even need any pickle to go with it.
If you want our traditional East Indian recipes on hand, these books from the Abby's Plate Cookbook Series are perfect for you. Available online or in-store wherever books are sold, in most countries.
East Indian Celebration:
30 Festive Recipes from Abby's Plate
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PS. If you’re looking to make a brain curry with calf brains, this recipe will work too. (We’re not allowed in our country, but if you need to make it replace every 3 goat brains with 1 calf brain. )
Also PS, if you’re wondering how to make bheja masala in the Indian style, just skip the coconut and cashew nut powder. You can also skip the cardamom and cinnamon if you want to.
Try this easy brain masala recipe at home and let us know how spicy you made it!
Other Recipes You Might Like
- Boiled Tongue as a snack
- Crispy fried eggplant that’s gooey inside
- Bombay Duck Pickle
- Cookies made of gulab jamun mix
- Special East Indian Chicken Tope
Spicy Brain Masala Curry – Indian Goat Brain Dish
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Ingredients
- 6 Goat Brains
- 4 Bay Leaves (Tej Patta)
- 2 tbsp Ghee (Indian clarified butter) (Clarified Butter)
- .5 cup Yogurt
For the masala:
- 6 Dried Kashmiri Chillies
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 inch Ginger
- .5 teaspoon Coriander Powder (Dhania Powder)
- 5 Cloves (Lavang)
- 4 inches Cinnamon Sticks (Dalchini)
- 8 Garlic Flakes
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder (Jeera Powder)
- .5 teaspoon Black Peppercorns
- 3 Green Cardamon Pods (Choti Elaichi)
- 1 Tablespoons Cashewnuts Powdered
- 1 Tablespoons Desiccated Coconut Coconut Powder
- 1 cup Water
Instructions
- Wash and clean the 6 goat brains.
- Chop the brains roughly into 1-inch size cubes and set aside.
- Grind all the ingredients for the masala in a mixie.
- In a thick bottomed pan, add two tablespoons of ghee along with the masala and fry for five minutes.
- Next, add in the brains and bay leaves and allow to cook on a low flame for 20 minutes.
- When nearly done, add in the yogurt and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Serve with bread, naans or rice. Enjoy!
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Nutrition (Per Serving)
Disclaimer: Nutrition Information per serving is estimated by a third party software based on the ingredients used, and is for informational purposes only. It will vary from product to product, based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients. Please consult the package labels of the ingredients you use, or chat with your dietician for specific details.
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Love brain masala! Good recipe
Very rich and spicy
Spicy! Perfect recipe!