← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 800 g mutton (goat or lamb) on the bone, in 5 cm pieces
• 5 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp Ghee
• 2 Bay leaves
• 4 green cardamom pods, lightly cracked
• 1 Black cardamom pods
• 4 Cloves
• 1 5 cm cinnamon stick
• 4 Onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp Ginger, grated
• 1 tbsp Garlic, grated
• 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp Chilli powder
• 1½ tbsp Ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp Ground turmeric
• 150 g Plain yogurt, whisked
• 1½ tsp Salt
• 300 ml hot water
• ½ tsp Garam masala
• 2 Green chilli, slit
• 2 cm piece ginger, for garnish, cut into thin matchsticks
• 2 tbsp Coriander (cilantro), chopped

Method

1. Heat the oil and ghee in a heavy, wide pan over medium heat. Fry the bay leaves, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon for 30 seconds.
2. Add the onions and fry for 15–18 min, stirring often, until a deep, even brown. Add the ginger and garlic and stir for 2 min.
3. Add the mutton and salt and fry over medium-high heat for 10 min, until the meat loses its pink colour and starts to brown.
4. Lower the heat, stir in the chilli powders, coriander, cumin and turmeric with a splash of water and fry for 2 min. Add the yogurt a spoonful at a time, stirring constantly so it doesn’t split.
5. Keep roasting (this is the bhuna) for 10 min, scraping the base and adding a splash of water whenever it sticks, until the masala darkens and oil separates.
6. Pour in the hot water, cover and simmer on low for 50–60 min, stirring every 10 min, until the meat is tender and nearly falling off the bone.
7. Uncover and cook over medium heat for 5–8 min, stirring, until the sauce is thick and coats the meat. Stir in the garam masala and finish with green chillies, ginger and coriander. Serve with naan or parathas.

Tips

• A pressure cooker cuts the simmer to about 25 min (5–6 whistles), but don’t rush the browning.
• Use oil instead of ghee and coconut yogurt to make it dairy-free.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Archana's Kitchen BBC Good Food The Delicious Crescent