← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 750 g bone-in mutton or lamb shoulder, cut into 4 cm pieces
• 150 g thick plain yogurt, whisked
• 1½ tbsp garlic paste
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp Salt
• 12 dried Kashmiri chillies, stems removed, soaked in hot water for 20 min
• 4 tbsp Ghee
• 2 black cardamom pods
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 4 Cloves
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 1 Bay leaves
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 3 Onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp Ground coriander
• 1½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp Ground turmeric
• 500 ml hot water
• ½ tsp Garam masala
• 2 tbsp Coriander (cilantro), chopped, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Mix the mutton with the yogurt, garlic and ginger pastes and salt. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
2. Drain the soaked chillies, keeping a few spoons of their water, and blend them into a smooth red paste.
3. Heat the ghee in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the whole spices and cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 30 seconds, then add the onions and fry for 12–15 min, stirring, until deep golden brown.
4. Stir in the coriander, cumin and turmeric for 1 minute, then add the chilli paste and fry for 3–4 min until the ghee turns red and starts to separate.
5. Add the mutton with all its marinade. Turn the heat up and stir-fry for 8–10 min until the meat is sealed and the yogurt has cooked down.
6. Pour in the hot water, cover and simmer on low heat for 1 hour, stirring now and then, until the meat is very tender. Top up with a splash of water if it catches.
7. Uncover, sprinkle in the garam masala and simmer for a few more minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy. Scatter with coriander and serve with bajra roti or rice.

Tips

• For the traditional smoky finish, place a small steel bowl on the curry, add a red-hot piece of charcoal, drizzle it with ghee and cover the pot for 5 minutes.
• Kashmiri chillies give colour more than heat; for real Rajasthani fire, swap a few for hotter dried chillies such as mathania or bydagi.

Sources

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

Archana's Kitchen Yummy Tummy Aarthi