Mutton Kuzhambhu – Tender pieces of hand picked goat cooked with freshly grounded dry spices and smooth coconut paste in authentic Grand Ma style. Perfect to tickle your taste buds. Tastes great with hot rice and the meat just melts in your mouth!
Hope you had a great weekend. Mine was wonderful cooking a plethora of dishes like this traditional Mutton Gravy, authentic Kerala Puttu, Kadala Curry, Chettinad Mushroom Biryani, my signature oven roasted chicken and a subtly flavored cardamom Lemonade. Now, you would have got a picture of how the last couple of days were. But then, what would be the real satisfaction for a person who loves food and cooking? Nothing could give me more happiness than cooking for my loved ones. Needless to mention about the support that I get from these two real men – SJ and SAN. This traditional mutton gravy was not on the menu. We had friends in burgh who loves Mutton and fond of dishes prepared with mutton. Hands down, I turned to SJ for his help. And you know what, he shared this delicious authentic traditional recipe of his family, passed down along these years to his grandma.
Have you ever wondered that the best chefs are everywhere, sometime in our home too, as our grand ma’s and Maa’s. I agree wholeheartedly with SJ that Grand Ma, she is a great cook.. naah… great chef… after tasting this delicious curry. When everything else is globalized and advanced presently, cooking in an authentic traditional way has never lost its charm. I knew by heart, this curry will be the crowd attraction and stands alone among others. SJ always visits the shop in person and selects meat/chicken/lamb for the preparation of dishes. He instructs the butcher to cut the meat in his required way. He instructs the cutting ways according to the type of dish which we are going to prepare. Every time, when we visit the shop, I would be afraid that he would pick a fight with the shop people. But then, it never happened so far and wish it should not in future too.
SJ instructions: Meat should be fresh and not frozen. The first and foremost thumb rule for a delicious tasty curry.
We got our meat from the strip district shop – saleem. We just love the shop for its fresh meat. Then we prepared the masalas for the curry and once they are done, we prepared gravy. It was served with hot rice and do I need to say more, that a 10 ten-year-old kiddo raised her brows when she had it and was in all praises about the curry.
SJ instructions: Ensure not to over roast the ingredients for masalas. Don’t burn them as they would spoil the curry.
Don’t add the masalas before the mutton turns in color (before it turns white)
Don’t over cook onions. Use only shallots for the better taste.
To check the mutton, take a piece from the curry in a plate. With the back of a spoon, try to cut them. If it cuts down easily, then the mutton is cooked. Not sure as for how it is checked but then he follows this way from his grandma.
The photographs might not do justice to the taste of the curry. We were in a hurry and I managed to click few pictures before the boys emptied the vessel.
Now over to the recipe.
Ingredients:
The ingredients are meant for ½ kg Mutton. Double it up for 1 Kg.
- 3 tablespoon Cooking Oil
Masala 1:
- ¼ teaspoon Oil
- 3 teaspoon Coriander Seeds
- 1.5 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 8 Dry Red Chilies
- Handful of Curry Leaves
Masala 2:
- ¼ teaspoon Oil
- 4 Cashew
- 1.5 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
- 3 teaspoon Grated Coconut
- 1 tablespoon Water
For Gravy:
- 30 Shallots
- 1 big size Tomato
- 2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ cup Water
Method:
Preparation of Masala 1:
- Heat kadai over medium flame. Add oil. Once the oil is hot, add coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and curry leaves. Saute them for a minute until the aroma comes from it.
- Now, add the dried red chilies and saute for few seconds. Remove from the flame. Allow it to cool down completely.
- Grind it to a fine powder using a mixer.
Preparation of Masala 2:
- In another kadai, add oil and heat over medium flame. Once the oil is hot, add cashew, fennel seeds, and grated coconut. Saute them for a minute.
- Remove from the flame and allow it to cool down. Once it is cooled completely, grind them to a fine paste using a tablespoon of water in a mixer.
Preparation of Gravy:
- Wash mutton with water and drain the excess water from it. Clean it thoroughly and keep it aside.
- In a pressure cooker, add oil and heat over medium flame.
- Once the oil is hot, add shallots; Cook until the shallots turn translucent.
- Slide in the chopped tomatoes and cook until they become mushy.
- Now, add mutton pieces and cook until they change color, becomes white.
- Add the masala one – dry masala powder to the mutton and give a stir to combine them well.
- Now, add masala 2 – fine coconut paste to the mutton and combine them well.
- Add water and the required amount of salt; Close the lid and pressure cook mutton for 10 whistles. Allow the pressure to release and open the lid. Check whether the mutton is cooked or not.
- If not, pressure cook for another 2 whistles. Open the lid once the pressure releases and serve it with plain hot rice.
If you try the recipe, do let me know how they tasted in comments. If you like space, do like and follow my profile at here –
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Yours Truly
Karthi
