Mutton Curry

  This curry is one of my favourites,I pretty often prepare it at home.I found this recipe in the book Rick Stein's India.This book is really worth a read, you easily get infected with his enthusiasm and passion for Indian food,or what he calls his 'search for the perfect curry'.The book has so many beautiful pictures, not just the usual ones found in books with perfect props and lighting.But very realistic ones too,which perfectly capture the vivid essence and atmosphere of India,the markets with their bountiful produce,the busy roads and people with their earthly,simple expressions.I'm a big fan of his cooking and as I recalled my favourite Chefs I was surprised to find that the list had a lot of men and hardly a few women.Ironically the word Chef in English doesn't even have a female version. I love the German language when it comes to these things,it has no ambiguities,Chefkoch-Chefköchin(Male Chef - Female Chef).I'm not trying to be a feminist ,that's probably one of the most clichéd and misunderstood topics these days :) But surprisingly the recent list of top 10 Chefs around the world,which even had our own Vikhas Khanna on the list doesn't have any women on it.I'd definitely agree that times have changed and men don't look at cooking anymore as only a women's job.It's nice to see most of them pitch in and cook a meal or two sometimes or help around the house.But still I guess in most homes,the major part of the cooking or most of it is still done by women ,irrespective of whether she's a home maker or a working women.I feel that it sometimes takes the joy out of cooking when it becomes a responsibility.I'd call it one of the most thankless jobs around,making sure that there's proper food on the table 3 times a day and everyone is well fed,is a huge responsibility ,but it's not very often recognised or appreciated.What's more funny is that women would still go on doing it contently and happily everyday ,cause that's the way we are wired :)Wonder how often Sanjeev Kapoor and Vikhas Khanna cook at home :P.So off to the recipe,I've slightly tweaked it to suit my quick everyday cooking style,the original recipe calls for overnight marination and about 3 hours of slow cooking  !!

Serves - 4 -6

You'll Need:

To Marinate:

Ginger and Garlic Grated - 1 tsp each.

Mutton - 400 g

Curd - 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

salt a little

Tomato - 1 big one or 2 med ones

Cashew nuts -  1 tbsp

-

Cardamom  - 2

Cloves - 3

Cinnamom - 1 big piece

Bayleaf - 1

Onions - 1 large( finely chopped)

Coriander powder - 3/4 tbsp

Chilli Powder - 1/2 tbsp

Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp

Ginger garlic paste(coarse ) - 2 tsp

Coconut milk - 3 - 4 tbsp(optional)

Oil - 2 tbsp

salt as needed

Method:
-Marinate the Mutton with the yogurt,turmeric powder and ginger garlic for at least 1 hours,you can also marinate it overnight in the refrigerator.
-In a small vessel add the roughly chopped tomatoes and the cashew nuts and add half a cup of water or more.Let the mixture cook for 5 - 7 minutes.Let it cook and grind to a fine paste.
-To a pressure cooker on medium heat add the oil and when it heats up add the cardamom,cloves and cinnamon and saute it for a few seconds.
-Then add the onion and fry it on a low flame with a pinch of salt for 5 - 10 minutes until they are well browned.Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute,Add the powder and saute for a minute.
-Then add the mutton pieces and some salt and saute for 5 minutes until they are browned.You can add a little water if it gets too dry.
-Add the tomato and cashew puree and saute for a minute,add the bay leaves and add salt it needed.Add about 1/2 - 3/4th cup of water and mix well.
-Now close the pressure cooker and cook until it whistles once on medium flame and for 10 - 20 minutes on low flame(until it's well cooked and soft).The cooking time will be lesser if you have marinated it overnight.
-Take the pressure cooker off the stove and let it cool for a bit.Remove the lid and add the coconut milk and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Done !

Thanks for stopping by ! Happy Cooking !