The lamb/mutton is among the most delicious meat options out there. It is my favourite kind of meat as well. Over the years, I have tried cooking mutton curries in various ways. I particularly like this variant of my recipes for its most tender texture and fragrant gravy without much capsaicin. Nothing is wrong with making it hot, but many of my European colleagues would enjoy a delicate curry without worrying about their spice tolerance. Cooking this recipe takes about 90 minutes and a bit of preparation.

Ingredients

  • Leg or shoulder mutton (with bones)- 1kg
  • Red onions - 400g
  • Tomatoes - 250g
  • Garlic - 1 bulb
  • Fresh Coriander - 10g
  • Turmeric Powder
  • Asafoetida - 1g
  • Fenugreek Seeds - 15g
  • Fennel Seeds - 10g
  • Coriander Seeds - 5g
  • Coriander Powder - 20g
  • Anis flower - one half
  • Cloves - 2
  • Cinnamon Powder - 1g
  • Cardamom, Whole - 5
  • Kasoori Methi - 2g
  • Generic Meat Masala - 2g
  • Paprika Powder - 2g
  • Salt and Sugar
  • Cooking Oil - 50ml

Preparation

  • Chop the meat into about 4-5 cm-sized pieces.
  • Wash thoroughly and soak in cold water with 10g of salt and 2g of turmeric. Let the meat soak for about 45 minutes.
  • While the meat cooks (see below), chop the onions and tomatoes and blend with garlic cloves. A rough blend will do.
  • Grind the anis flower and cloves together.

Cooking the Meat

  • Transfer the soaked meat to a pressure cooker. (Open boiling will not make the meat tender, no matter how long you boil)
  • Ensure that the water level doesn’t exceed half the level of meat. Excess water may be drained out.
  • Once the pressure cooker attains the highest temperature, simmer down to low and maintain the heat for 20 minutes.
  • Let the cooker cool down and release the pressure on its own. Don’t force open the cooker.
  • Work on the Masala as the boiling goes on.
Boil the mutton

Boil the mutton to tender most texture in a pressure cooker.

Masala

  • Heat the oil and add coriander seeds, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds. Fry without burning.
  • Add asafoetida to the oil and continue frying.
  • Pour the onion-tomato-garlic blend into the oil and stir.
  • Cook for about 15 minutes on medium to high flame. Keep the lid closed and occasionally stir to avoid burning in the bottom.
  • Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking without the lid. The goal is to remove as much water as possible.
  • Add paprika, anis-clove powder, cinnamon powder, cardamoms, and salt. Keep stirring. Cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Add coriander powder and mix well. Cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Add 3g of turmeric powder. Mix well and cook for another 2 minutes.
  • Add kasoori methi and mix well.
  • Add about 2-5 of garam masala or any generic brand of meat masala. This is optional. If you choose to make the curry hotter, add some hot chilli powder, peppers, or a few slices of green chilli.
Making meat Masala

Better Masala Makes Better Curry

Bringing It Together

  • Add the masala to the boiled meat.
  • Slowly stir to mix. Since the meat is tender, rigorous mixing will break the meat.
  • If there is too much water, turn on the heat to evaporate.
  • Taste the salt level and adjust as you like it.
  • Add a pinch of sugar to balance the flavours.
  • Once the curry is ready, turn off the heat and add chopped coriander leaves.
  • close the lid and let sit for about 15 minutes.
Mixing the Meat and Masala

Mix well and simmer for a while to lose some water and thicken the gravy

Serving

The tender mutton curry goes very well with fragrant varieties of rice. Eating it with various kinds of roti or naan is most common. Some might even prefer it with hardened flatbread. Explore your taste.

When done right, you could even eat the bones!

Serve with rice

Slow cooked Basmati rice and some salad make a good combination with the curry

Serve with roti/naan

And it tastes even better with Roti or Naan

Cite As: Umadi, Ravi (2023). Mutton Curry - I, Retrieved from https://biosonix.io/Mutton-Curry-I