My Mum's Mutton Curry

Mutton curry is a big deal in my family. Thanks to my maternal grandfather's (Nanaji) love for meat, I too developed a taste for it early on. My mother introduced this recipe a couple of years ago and it has become a staple in our family dinners and for every other festival throughout the year. The key to this curry is time. It takes about 35 - 45 minutes to make the base but trust me, it is worth it. I would suggest cooking the meat in a pressure cooker because it can be a little tough and time consuming to simmer it in a wok. A crock pot would work just fine.

I made this mutton curry yesterday for my girls and I am glad they loved it. I hope you guys do too!

Ingredients:

3 lbs mutton chunks cut into bite sized pieces with bone in (I used leg of a goat, you can use lamb as well but it is a little oily so you would have to use less oil in the curry base)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 spoon clarified butter (ghee)
Crinkle spices :

1 whole black cardamom
4 - 6 green cardamoms
1 inch stick of cinnamon
1 bay leaf
4 - 5 whole black peppercorns
2 dried red chilies (you can replace these with a teaspoon of paprika powder for the heat and color)


1 1/2 spoon finely chopped garlic
1 1/2 spoon finely chopped ginger
1 large green chilly, finely chopped
3 large white onions, finely chopped
3 medium sized tomatoes, finely chopped
1 spoon turmeric
1 spoon garam masala
1 spoon dried coriander powder
1 spoon dried red chili powder
1 spoon mutton masala powder (you can replace this with a chicken masala powder as well)
Salt to taste
1/2 cup of water

Garnish:

Ground black pepper
Pinch of garam masala
Fresh coriander

Method:

1. Clean and drain the mutton chunks. Transfer into a large bowl and let it sit at room temperature. 
2. In a large wok, heat oil on medium heat. Add the crinkle spices. 
3. You should be able to hear a "crinkling" sound, almost like popping. This is when you know the spices have started to flavour the oil. Add the chopped onions and cook till golden brown. 
4. In a small fry pan, add the ghee, ginger, garlic and green chilly. Cook these till they're slightly soft. Add these into the already browning onions. 
5. Cook for a few minutes, till the onions change their color to a light brown. 
6. Add tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. 
7. Now add your remaining spices (turmeric, garam masala, coriander powder and red chili powder and salt). 
8. At this point, tweak the heat down to a simmer and keep stirring once every 7 minutes. You need to get a consistency where the oil leaves the masala base. This will take anywhere between 3- 45 minutes so stay patient. Add water if you think it is drying. Make sure that the curry base does not stick to the pan. 
9. Once the oil leaves the masala, transfer this to a pressure cooker on simmer. 
10. Add you mutton chunks, mix well and put the 1/2 cup of water. 
11. Let the mutton cook for 6 whistles on the pressure cooker. If you are using a crock pot, let the mutton simmer for 3-4 hours. 
12. After six whistles, turn the heat off and let the steam get out on its own. Leave the cooker on the stove for 2 hours. 
13. Before serving, heat the mutton and use a ladle to mix the gravy and make sure the mutton is cooked but not falling off the bone. 
14. Garnish with black pepper, garam masala and fresh coriander. I served this with naan and mint yogurt. You could use rice and even tandoori rotis!