Mutton curries don’t have to elaborate and you don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen to make a pot of curry. I love my mutton curries and make variations of it. I don’t quite know if this curry qualifies to be called a Chettinad style curry. Nevertheless, it does so to be called a pepper curry. Predominant with whole pepper and curry leaves, the freshly ground spice mix also has coriander, cumin and coconut. I didn’t make a paste of it. I dry ground it. Then I cooked the mutton with this mix and that was that. As always, I deseeded the Kashmiri chillies to keep the heat factor on the lower side. The heat of the pepper is enough here. Make some hot dosae and you’re golden for Sunday lunch.
Yield:
4 servings
Prep time:
15 mins (excluding marinating time)
Cooking time:
40 mins approximately
Ingredients:
Mutton – 1 kg on the bone
Garlic – 3 cloves chopped
Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Pepper powder – 2 tsp
(Mix ingredients with 1 tbsp water and marinate mutton in it overnight)
Spice mix / Masala:
Kashmiri chillies – 6 (deseeded 4 of them)
Whole black pepper – 2 tbsp
Coconut – 1/3 cup
Coriander seeds / dhaniya – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds / jeera – 1.5 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Fennel seeds / saunf – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Other ingredients:
Onions – 2 medium finely chopped
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Ghee/oil – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Sugar – 1 tsp
Method:
Dry roast all ingredients for the spice mix and blitz in your blender till you have a coarse mixture.
Now heat ghee/oil in a pressure cooker.
Toss the onions in there and saute till translucent.
Add the masala and a splash of water. Cook it out on medium heat for 10 mins.
Tip the mutton in, add salt and half a cup of water. Mix properly.
Close the cooker with the lid and cook on high flame till two whistles are let out.
Immediately lower the flame and cook for exactly 20 mins.
Once the 20 mins are done, turn the heat off and let the pressure drop on its own before you open the lid.
Put it back on the heat and add the sugar. Simmer for 2-3 mins and take it off the heat.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rice, roti or even better, dosae.
