Maus (mutton) is the celebrated meat of Mithila, and khassi (goat) is the preferred kind. What sets the Maithil style apart is its restraint: the meat is traditionally cooked without onion or garlic, shallow-fried first in desi ghee and then simmered slowly in a light, almost soupy gravy of ginger, coriander, cumin and red chilli in mustard oil. The result is a clean, aromatic curry rather than a heavy masala one, eaten with rice.
Beyond the table, meat carries ritual weight: goat is offered to goddesses such as Durga and Kali during the autumn pujas, and the cooked maus is then shared as a feast. At a Maithil ceremony the great experience is the bhoj-bhaat — dishes served on a banana leaf to rows of guests seated on the floor — where a well-made maus is the dish guests remember.