30-minute Restaurant Style Mutton Curry

Mutton a.k.a Chevon is nothing but Goat meat. Though not too popular in the US yet, it is widely consumed in Asia, Africa, South/Central America and is considered a delicacy in a few European cuisines. The cuisines best known for their use of goat meat include Indian, Middle Eastern, North African, Pakistani, Mexican, Italian and Caribbean. Despite being generally classified as red-meat, goat is actually leaner and contains less cholesterol and fat that both lamb, beef and fewer calories than beef or chicken, therefore it typically requires low-heat, slow cooking to preserve tenderness and moisture.

Our family indulges in mutton dishes on special occasions and this past weekend we enjoyed this Mutton curry to celebrate the culmination of the first term of my husband's MBA program. If you ask me to name just one dish that would be my favorite I would be lost for 'the' choice since numerous dishes would cloud my mind but my husband would always vote for his mother's Mutton Curry as his all-time favorite dish. My mother-in-law is indeed popular among family circles for her meat preparations and this is one of her signature dishes. The last time I visited India to attend my sister-in-law's wedding, I had the privilege not only to eat this several times but also in assisting her in cooking this scrumptious dish.

The best part about this recipe is that its easy to make. While the meat is being pressure-cooked along with ginger, garlic and onions the spices are dry-roasted along side which makes the cooking process quick. The roasted spices are then added to the cooked meat and simmered to get the right consistency and finally garnished with some seasoning, sauteed shallots and curry leaves.

The smiles of contentment that my husband and daughter emanates after eating this curry inspires me to make this again and again. My daughter enjoys this dish but in order to help her handle the spice I complement it with a good portion of Raita to tone down the heat.  

Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 kg /2.2 Lb - Mutton
1 Tsp - Whole Peppercorns
3 Cup - Red Onions, chopped
3 - Green chilly, slit lengthwise
2 Sprigs - Curry Leaf
1 1/2 Tablespoon - Ginger, grated
1 1/2 Tablespoon - Garlic, grated
1 Tablespoon - White Vinegar
1- Tomato, diced
1 - Potato, diced
1/2 Tsp - Turmeric powder
Dry Roast Spices
5 Tsp - Red Kashmiri chili powder
4 Tsp - Coriander powder
1/4 Tsp - Fennel powder
1/2 Tsp - Cumin powder
1 Tsp  - Garam Masala
1 1/2 Tsp - Pepper powder
Tadka/Seasoning
3 - Shallot, finely sliced
2 Sprigs - Curry Leaf
1/8 Tsp - Roasted Fenugreek powder(Uluva podi)

Salt to Taste
Coconut oil

Direction

• In a pressure cooker and heat coconut oil and add the black peppercorns and saute for a few seconds
• Add green chilly, curry leaves, red onion, turmeric powder, ginger and garlic and saute until the onion turn golden brown
• Add tomatoes, potatoes, mutton, vinegar and salt. 
• Cover the pressure cooker and cook until 6 whistles on medium low.
• While the mutton is cooking, take a small cast iron skillet and add all the ingredients under the 'Dry Roast Spices' and saute until the spices give out an aroma but be careful not to burn it
• Once the pressure in the cooker dies down, open the lid and add the roasted spices to the cooked mutton 
• Add water to bring the curry to desired consistency and season with salt if necessary. Bring the curry to a boil
• Meanwhile for the tadka/seasoning, take a skillet and add some coconut oil, shallots and curry leaves and saute until the shallots and golden brown. Add fenugreek (uluva) powder and saute it for a few seconds
• Add this to the mutton curry and give it a stir.

Notes and Tips

• You can substitute mutton with lamb
• Using homemade 'garam masala' really improves the taste
• Coconut oil improves the flavor of this dish
• Enjoy with Rice or Roti and Raita