This yummy mutton curry/ kari kuzhambu always reminds me of Diwali day breakfast (celebrated as ‘festival of lights’ in India). My mom always made this mutton curry to go along with crispy hot dosas (Indian rice pancakes). The mutton curry can be served with steamed white rice or as a side dish for dosas or idlis.
It is a very simple recipe. I like the mutton to be very tender and soft to eat. Hence, I always pressure cook my mutton pieces for at least 8 whistles. The mutton in this recipe is pressure cooked with onions, ginger-garlic paste, salt, turmeric powder, and water.
The Best Mutton Soup
When you open the cooker after all the pressure has been released, you will find a tasty mutton soup/ stock. Just take out a cup of soup, add a little bit of pepper-cumin powder, stir, and drink it while it is hot! I don’t have words describe how much I love this mutton soup! It is just my favorite. Here is a picture of my mutton soup!
Back to making mutton curry/ kari kuzhambu! Now you need a coconut mixture as base for your curry. Dry roast some fennel and poppy seeds together and add them to coconut flakes. Grind them to a smooth mixture by adding chili powder, coriander powder, and water. The ground coconut mixture needs to be very smooth and it is added to the pressure cooked mutton (and its soup). As a final step (after the curry has completely cooked), you temper fennel seeds and curry leaves in hot oil and add it to the curry.
Dry roasting spices and grinding them with coconut for making curries is a very common method used in South-Indian cooking and you will notice that I follow the same for most of my curry recipes. Tempering is also another important step in Indian-style cooking. It is process done either at the beginning or end of the cooking a dish. Tempering is basically roasting your spices is hot oil to release and retain the aroma of the spices. The process of tempering was beautifully explained in the following article: The Crackling Spices Of Indian Tempering. I was very intrigued that there was an article written about Indian-style of tempering the spices!
Try this recipe in your kitchen and let me know how it turned out.
Happy cooking!
Mutton Curry- Indian style
Ingredients
Pressure cook
- 2-3 cups water
- 1 lb mutton
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste Please refer notes to learn how to make ginger-garlic paste
- salt as required
Dry roast
- 1 tsp Fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp Poppy seeds
Ground coconut paste
- Add the dry roasted ingredients to the coconut flakes
- 1 cup grated coconut or coconut flakes
- 1 tsp chili powder or as required
- 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder or as required
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- water as required
Tempering
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 sprig fresh curry leaves
Instructions
Pressure cook the mutton
- Clean and wash the mutton pieces
- Add the mutton pieces, finely chopped onions, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, salt, and water to a pressure cooker
- Pressure cook for at least 6-8 whistles. I like my mutton pieces to be tender
- Wait for the pressure to be released completely.
Dry roast
- Dry roast 1 tsp fennel and 1/2 tsp poppy seeds in a small pan on medium-high heat for 20-30 seconds. Keep stirring continuously.
- Once they turn slightly brown, remove from heat and let it cool down
Ground coconut mixture
- Add coconut flakes to a small mixer along with the dry roasted fennel and poppy seeds
- Grind them until they are quite coarse and then add chili powder and coriander powder. Grind them for a 20-30 seconds. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the mixer
- Now add 2-3 tbsp of water (or as required) and grind the coconut mixture to smooth paste (do not worry if the mixture is quite watery but, make sure its very smooth)
How to make the mutton curry
- Now heat a large pot (on medium-high heat) and add the pressure cooked mutton pieces along with the soup/stock
- Add the smooth coconut mixture to the onions and add 2 cups (or as required)of water. Mix everything thoroughly
- Add salt. Give it a stir and taste. Add more salt or chili powder if required
- Turn up the heat, bring the curry to a boil and turn down the heat to medium. Cover the pot partially and let it cook for at least 30 minutes
Tempering
- Heat a tbsp of oil in a small pan. Once the oil is hot, add 1 tsp fennel seeds and curry leaves to the oil. Let them splutter and brown. Add the fennel seeds and curry leaves to the mutton curry.
- Give the curry a good stir and turn off the heat
- Serve immediately with steamed white rice or crispy dosas or hot idlis!
Notes
Direction with pictures
Pressure cook the mutton
1.Clean and wash the mutton pieces
2. Add the mutton pieces, finely chopped onions, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, salt, and water to a pressure cooker
3. Pressure cook for at least 6-8 whistles. I like my mutton pieces to be tender
4. Wait for the pressure to be released completely.
Dry roast
1.Dry roast 1 tsp fennel and 1/2 tsp poppy seeds in a small pan on medium-high heat for 20-30 seconds. Keep stirring continuously
2. Once they turn slightly brown, remove from heat and let it cool down
Ground coconut mixture
1.Add coconut flakes to a small mixer along with the dry roasted fennel and poppy seeds
2. Grind them until they are quite coarse and then add chili powder and coriander powder. Grind them for a 20-30 seconds. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the mixer
3. Now add 2-3 tbsp of water (or as required) and grind the coconut mixture to smooth paste (do not worry if the mixture is quite watery but, make sure its very smooth)
How to make the mutton curry
1.Now heat a large pot (on medium-high heat) and add the pressure cooked mutton pieces along with the soup/stock
2. Add the smooth coconut mixture to the onions and add 2 cups (or as required)of water. Mix everything thoroughly
3. Add salt. Give it a stir and taste. Add more salt or chili powder or water if required
4. Turn up the heat, bring the curry to a boil and turn down the heat to medium. Cover the pot partially and let it cook for at least 30 minutes or more
Tempering
- Heat a tbsp of oil in a small pan. Once the oil is hot, add 1 tsp fennel seeds and curry leaves to the oil. Let them splutter and brown. Add the fennel seeds and curry leaves to the mutton curry.
2. Give the curry a good stir and turn off the heat
3. Serve immediately with steamed white rice or crispy dosas or hot idlis!
