Mutton Curry

Okay, let me tell you one thing – curry is never made in hurry. So whoever sells you curry in a hurry, is either being facetious or just hasn’t got their curry basics right.

This Mutton Curry for all the time it takes to make is probably one of the most tasteful things you can make with meat. I have used goat meat in this recipe (which is how its made in India). But if don’t find goat meat, you can make it with lamb too.

Ingredients for Mutton Curry are:

1 kg goat meat, bone in, cut into two inch pieces
2 medium size red onions finely slivered
1 pod of garlic
2 inch piece of root ginger
Handful of green chilies
Handful of chopped coriander leaves
2 heaped tablespoons of MDH Kashmiri Lal Mirch (or paprika)
1 heaped tablespoons coriander powder
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
Half tablespoon cumin powder
1 small cinnamon stick
2 black cardamoms
2-3 green cardamoms
4-5 cloves
2 bay leaves
2 + 4 tablespoons mustard oil (or canola oil)
Salt

Wash and drain all the moisture from the meat. Grind to a smooth paste the garlic cloves, ginger and green chilies. Add minimum water to this mixture.

In a glass bowl, mix the meat, ginger-garlic-chili paste, turmeric, Kashmiri lal mirch powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and two tablespoons mustard oil. Give everything a good mix and marinade for 5-6 hours. Since I was making this curry for lunch, I did the marinade overnight in the fridge.

Heat mustard oil, add the bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms. Sauté for a minute and add the slivered red onions. If you want your onions to caramelize quickly, add a pinch of sugar in the hot oil and then add the onions.

Keep stirring the onions on low-medium heat till they turn golden brown in color. Add the marinated meat and start stirring to mix it thoroughly with the onions. Keep stirring so that the meat at the top changes position and goes to the bottom of your pan. Get a light brown color on the meat. You can even cover and cook the meat right from the start.

After browning the meat, add salt to taste. Adding salt tenderizes the meat and it starts cooking in its own moisture. Keep the pan covered but stir from time to time.

You will see the meat and the spices changing color from a raw, bland look to a rich, dark brown color. It takes about 40-45 minutes for the meat to cook in it own moisture. But since we want some “curry” in our meat, we will add little by little water and cook the meat covered.

Check the meat if it has been completely cooked. Garnish with chopped coriander and remove from heat.

Mutton Curry is best served with plain white rice, rotis or even pulao (something which I personally love!).