Spicy Brain Masala Recipe – Goat Brain Dish

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4.86 out of 5 Stars by 7 readers!

Brain Masala or bheja masala is a mouth-watering dish among Indian non-veg enthusiasts that can be made in different ways. Forget the chicken roast and duck moile, here’s smoother and yummier!

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 goat brain masala curry. 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 A 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.

Six goats brains ready to go - Pic by Abby from AbbysPlate
Six goats brains ready to go
Chop the brains into 1 inch cubes - Pic by Abby from AbbysPlate
Chop the brains into 1 inch cubes

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.

Grind the masalas - Pic by Abby from AbbysPlate
Grind the masalas
Brain Masala is ready - Pic by Abby from AbbysPlate
Brain Masala is ready

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.

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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.

Spicy homemade brain masala.
Spicy homemade brain masala curry

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!

Brain Masala is ready - Pic by Abby from AbbysPlate

Spicy Brain Masala Curry – Indian Goat Brain Dish

Abby
An easy to prepare recipe for the spicy and rich East Indian Brain Masala or goat brain curry.
4.86 out of 5 Stars by 7 readers!

Click the stars to add your rating! Left you don’t like it, right you love it!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine East Indian, Indian
Servings 8 Servings
Calories 65 kcal
Gluten free icon on Abbysplate website.
meat icon on Abbysplate website.
No added sugar icon on Abbysplate website.
Offal icon on Abbysplate website.

Ingredients
  

  • 6 Goat Brains
  • 4 Bay Leaves (Tej Patta)
  • 2 Tablespoon Ghee (Indian clarified butter) (Clarified Butter)
  • .5 cup Yogurt

For the masala:

  • 6 Dried Kashmiri Chillies
  • 1 Tablespoon Salt
  • 1 inch Ginger
  • .5 teaspoon Coriander Powder (Dhania Powder)
  • 5 Cloves (Lavang)
  • 4 inches Cinnamon Sticks (Dalchini)
  • 8 Garlic Cloves or 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 or Coconut Powder 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!

Please click to rate the recipe! Left you don’t like it, right you love it!

Stuff You Might Want to Use

All Natural Slate Cutting Board
King Arthur Baking - Country Bread Knife
Hammered Steel and Copper Serving Kadhai – India Only
Steel and Copper Serving Handis (Indian Pots)
Stainless Steel Spoon

Nutrition (Per Serving)

Calories: 65kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 2279mg | Sodium: 1032mg | Potassium: 307mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 124IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 3mg

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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