Traditional Mutton Kura ~ Lamb Curry

Traditional Mutton Kura~Lamb Curry

Winter is in the air and when the air feels crispy we all have those wild, spicy and hot cravings to munch on hot stews, soups and of course something meaty-spicy if you are a carnivore. This traditional mutton recipe, I learned it from my mother. We have meat on Sundays and Wednesday, other days are strictly vegetarian meal only. So every Sunday is like waking up with beautiful aroma from my mom's kitchen where she would be cooking mutton or chicken or some fish. She makes this special wet garam masala paste and uses it in her every non veg dish. I grew up tasting and eating this dish and thought of sharing this with you all. The secret ingredient here is grated potato to get the thick gravy base for this mutton stew/curry.

I kept postponing to post this mutton recipe for a long time now. As I noticed that I have blogged very few non-vegetarian recipes so far, presenting yet another "My Mother's creation of Magic" hope you all will enjoy!

Traditional Style Mutton Curry ~ Lamb stew


Source : My Mother
Cuisine: Andhra, South Indian
Prep time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves: 4-5 people
Ingredients:
1 pound lamb/goat meat, cut into cubes or desired size
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, cubed
2 green chillies, cut lengthwise
1/2 tsp turmeric powder/haldi
2 tsp red chillies powder/cayenne pepper
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 large potato, grated
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
2 tbsps of lemon juice
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp cooking oil
salt as per taste
cilantro for garnish
roast (dry ingredients) and grind into smooth paste:
1" stick of cinnamon
2 cloves
½ tsp poppy seeds/khus khus
2 tsp grated coconut (fresh or dried)
2-3 big cloves of garlic/ 5-6 small indian garlic cloves
1 inch piece of ginger (optional)
2 dried red chillies
1 tsp of cumin seeds/jeera
1 tsp of coriander seeds/dhaniya
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 tomato, coarsely chopped
2-3 green chillies
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
salt
Method:

1. First clean the meat and cut as per your specifications, I cubed the pieces and left the meat on bone. Clean it twice under running tap water and marinate with red chilli powder, salt and lemon juice, wrap it and keep aside for 1 hr or overnight in the refrigerator.
   
2. Grind the wet masala paste. Meanwhile saute some onions and green chillies in 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a pressure cooker. Saute till the onions turn pink, then add the tomatoes and the prepared masala paste. Cook on high till the raw aroma is gone for about a min.
   
3. Add the mutton pieces, turmeric, mint, grated potato and salt. Mix well so that the mutton pieces are evenly coated with the gravy, add little water, cover the lid and put on the whistle. Pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.
4. Once the pressure is off, open the cooker and check if the meat is cooked through. If you feel the curry is too watery, then cook on high for about 10 mins till the excess water evaporates. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with biryani, pulav, plain rice or rotis/chapatis or Indian flat bread.

Note: adjust your spice level accordingly while using green chillies or chilli powder.

I know I am very lazy and keep forgetting to mention a kind gesture showered upon me by Shanthi of MyKitchenHobbies. Shanti presented me "The POWER OF SCHMOOZE AWARD" last month and I kept forgetting to include in my posts, Nevertheless late!!! Shanti, sorry for late addressing this but I am really very thankful that you thought of me for this award. Thanks ra!


" The POWER OF SCHMOOZE AWARD is the award for bloggers who effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don't limit their visits only to the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship. " and as per the tradition I would like to pass this award to:

Latha N & Lakshmi of "The Yum Blog"
Meeso of "My Humble Kitchen"
Vi of "East meets West Kitchen"
Cynthia of "Tastes like Home"
Richa of "As Dear as Salt"
Lisa of "Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen"

Update 10/18/07 at 12:37 pm
For all vegetarians, you can substitute meat with soya chunks, carrots, paneer, cauliflower, and potatoes. It will turn into an interesting veggie stew. Feed your imagination and take this spicy ride!

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Shahi Mutton (Lamb) Kofta Curry

Shahi mutton kofta curry

The word 'Shahi' means rich in flavor and taste cooked with rich ingredients. I usually have Shahi Murgh Kofta curry at restaurants, I remember in Agra I had this with whole chicken tandoori , Agra ka Shahi Biryani and Lasooni Naan's. I still relish the supreb taste and my mouth still waters by the thought of it, wish I could take pictures at that time (May 2001). We were touring Northern India.

Small update about that tour is here. First we went to Jammu to visit 'Vaishno Devi Temple' from there we went to Dehradun, Mussoorie, Haridwar for Ganga Darshan, in Rishikesh we visited Ram Jhoola and Laxman Jhoola where we can find beautiful sceneries from Tehri -Garhwal region. Then we came to Delhi and our last destination was Agra to visit Taj Mahal. That was a whole "Tirthyatra' kinda of thing but once in Delhi we started eating non-veg. Agra's dinner was unforgettable for its Shahi taste and flavor, I am sure some of you have tasted it, mind-blowing! Thus the thirst for this recipe started by trying different variations but this was one successful attempt and the verdict is all yours, when you try this and tell me.

Well you can try the same kofta curry with ground chicken instead of ground lamb meat (kheema). If you are using Mutton, try to deep fry on medium high so that its cooked all through. Chicken cooks easily than lamb meat. Also a quick tip is marinate the keema overnight and refrigerate it, so that all the flavors blend well. This recipe calls for a good preparation before hand so be cautious if you are having guests, you dont want them to keep waiting "+_+"

Source: My Own
Cuisine: North Indian adapted from Mughalai Khana
Preparation time:15 mins
Marination time: 2-3 hrs/overnight
Cooking time: 30 mins
Serves: 6-7 people
Ingredients:
1 pound ground lamb meat (optional ground chicken).
1 handful(15-20) of cashewnuts, blanched and grind to paste.
2 big tomatoes, blanched and puree (freshly prepared).
1 big onion, minced (put it in a food processor).
2 green chillies, cut lenghtwise (you can reduce as per your spice level).
1tsp red chilli powder(cayenne or as per your taste).
a pinch of turmeric powder
1 tbsp of garam masala powder (spice mix)
1 tsp of Kasuri methi, crushed (dried fenugreek leaves)
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tsp jeera seeds (cumin)
4-5 cloves
2 inch cinnamon stick
2-3 bay leaves
1 tbsp of oil
1 cup of water
salt to taste
chopped cilantro for garnish
Oil of deep frying the koftas
for marinating:
1 tsp red chilli powder (cayenne)
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp ground pepper
1 tsp of lime/lemon juice
1tsp salt

ingredients for the curry sauce

Method:

For meatballs:

1. First marinate the kheema(ground lamb) with chilli powder, turmeric powder, ground pepper, salt and lemon juice. Cover with plastic wrap and keep it in refrigerator. You can do it the night before also. Don't worry about the salt, as its will get adjusted with the curry.
2. Take the marinated meat, grab handful of meat and shape them into any size and shape you desire and deep fry the meat balls and keep aside

oval shaped meat balls sitting on the plate

For curry:

1. Soak the cashewnuts in warm water for about an hour and grind to smooth paste.
2. Slit the tomatoes with knife, do not cut them deep, just small cut and put it in hot water and blanch for about 5-6 mins, cool, peel the skin off the tomatoes and puree them.
3. In a large sauce pan heat oil and add jeera(cumin) to it, fry for a min then add bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon stick and fry for a min.
4. Add minced onions and sauté till they are translucent. Then add slit green chillies, tomato puree and sauté it for a min.
5. Add the ginger paste and garlic paste, stir and add chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala powder, salt and sauté. Let it cook thoroughly and till the raw aroma is overtaken by pleasant aroma for about 15-20 mins.
6. Check the taste of the gravy, if the onions are thoroughly cooked add the cashewnut paste mix well and add crushed kasuri methi. Stir in the meat balls and garnish with chopped mint/ cilantro/ parsley.
7. Shahi mutton kofta curry is ready, serve hot with rice, biryani, naans or rotis or Indian flat bread.

Mutton kofta curry served with hot paratha

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