I can’t seem to forget those Sunday lunches prepared by mom. A steaming pile of basmati rice slathered in curry flavored with fresh ground spices & drippings of meat. Tender, boneless pieces of mutton which you pull apart with fingers & potatoes cooked to the point of crumbling but still retaining their shape till you serve them in the plate. Simple, homey & satisfying – plain soul food for us. A tradition which conjures up numerous childhood memories.
Dad was sent off to the butcher early in the morning with elaborate instructions on the cut of meat he needs to get from there.And mom occupied herself in peeling garlic pods & ginger, seeding the chillies, soaking & grinding the whole spices to prepare her magical curry concoctions.The enticing aroma of freshly ground spices coupled with the patience with which she simmered the meat on low heat were the secret behind the delicious curries she made, I think. While she cooked, we used to wait for hours for the moment when the meats have passed the tooth pick test!
It’s difficult to find goat meat or mutton as we call it in Vegas but whenever I do, I have this undying wish to recreate mom’s recipes.I found a suitable stewing variety at a nearby shop couple of weeks back and a meat & potato meal was definitely on my mind. So Sunday lunch was prepared – just like at mom’s. You can add taro root, yams, turnips or beets to this recipe with excellent results. It’s just that I end up making it with potatoes each time else P will not eat it.I recommend using as fresh ingredients for the spice paste as you can find & loads of patience while the meat cooks – it can take a couple of hours.
I m also sharing some pictures from Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area where we went for a morning hike this weekend. Located about 20 miles from the Las Vegas airport, the recreational area boasts of a 13 mile scenic drive, picnic spots & hiking options.
The location of the park gives an excellent chance to appreciate the desert beauty, towering red cliffs and short hikes or trails if you are not in a mood for far off, long road trips from Vegas.
Deserts boast of a beauty of their own kind. The dry wilderness, bright sunshine, fleshy succulents & arid landscapes are a scenic experience of a unique kind. We loved this fun, little getaway!
Preparation Time :- 30 minutes
Cooking time – About 2 hours (Depends on cut, type & size of the meat)
Ingredients (Serves 3-4)
- 1 lb stewing mutton/lamb/beef , cubed
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled & quatered (You can use any potatoes of choice)
- 2 nos indian bay leaves (tejpatta)
- 1 ” cinnamon stick
- 2 medium red onions, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
- 1/2 tsp jaggery (or brown sugar to taste)
- 1/4 cup mustard oil (substitute with canola/vegetable/sunflower/grape seed oil )
- salt to taste
- 1.5 cups water
- Chopped cilantro for garnish
For the spice paste:-
- 10-12 whole dry red chillies (I use kashmiri mirch)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1/4 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
- 2 tsp coriander seeds (dhania)
- 6 whole green cardamom pods (hari elaichi)
- 4 cloves (laung)
- 8 black peppercorns (kali mirch)
- 5 plump garlic cloves
- 2 ” fresh piece of ginger
- Water for soaking the spices (about 1/4 cup)
Notes:-
- Kashmiri mirch lends a rich, deep scarlet color to the gravy without the heat & they are easily available in indian stores. You can de-seed the chillies to reduce heat further.The actual heat in the dish comes from the use of red chilli powder & black peppercorns. However, you can also adjust the amount to tolerance.
Method:-
Soak the chillies, cumin , fennel & coriander seeds, cardamom pods, cloves & peppercorns in 1/4 cup water for about 15 minutes to soften. Drain & tip into a blender. Reserve the soaking liquid. Grind the soaked spices along with garlic & ginger to a smooth paste. Use the soaking liquid if required while grinding.
Marinate the cubed mutton in half of the spice paste for 15 minutes. While the mutton is marinating, heat up the oil in a heavy bottomed pot with lid on high heat till you see ripples on the surface. At this point reduce the heat to medium & wait for 2 minutes. Temper the oil with tejpatta & cinnamon stick. Wait for 15 seconds till you smell the aroma. Next, add the chopped onions to the pot & cook on medium heat with stirring till they turn golden brown.About 8-10 minutes.
Next, reduce the heat to low & add the chopped tomatoes along with the spice paste, red chilli powder & cook the mixture for about 8 minutes, stirring continuously till you see oil separating on sides of the pot. At this point,again turn the heat to medium & add the marinated mutton & salt. Saute for 10-12 minutes till the mutton pieces are slightly browned. You will see water from mutton separating at this point but that’s okay.
Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low & let the lamb cook in its own juices till about 90% cooked. For the quality of mutton I used, it took approximately 40 minutes to reach that stage. You can use your slow cooker or a pressure cooker also for cooking the mutton. I prefer to cook it lid on.
Add the potatoes & jaggery next along with 1.5 cups of water. Check the salt. Cook covered on low for another 20-25 minutes till the mutton is tender & potatoes are soft but not mushy.
Switch off the heat & let the curry sit covered for at least 20 minutes or till ready to serve. Garnish with chopped cilantro & serve warm with salad,plain or jeera rice.
Enjoy & Thanks for stopping by.
Sounds so wonderful, Tanvi! I love the big, bold yet homey and comforting flavors and textures of this dish:)
What a comforting, delicious meal. Especially after a long, beautiful hike!
Oh, and your shots are gorgeous – as always!
Oh how I love mutton – this looks like a fantastic dish!
And what gorgeous photographs, stunning!
A good home cooked curry and rice is always the best. Love the bright red color of the curry here.
What I need is a big spoon to scoop out your mutton curry into my plate. your photos are really appealing and beautiful. You can deliver your Indian food photos to the most drooling food and really caught my eyes!
This is a simpler recipe to quite some I know and use for Aloo Gosht – how delightful to have everything ready! I love the dish as comfort food and am SO looking forwards to your version
!
This is absolutely mouthwatering! Going to give it a try this week!
A scrumptious curry! Really mouthwatering, even at 7 in the morning.
Gorgeous landscapes!
Cheers,
Rosa
Looks wonderful Tanvi- I don’t cook with mutton often but this reciep sure looks appetising. And the photos of the Red Canyon look awesome. Looks like you guys had a great hike
Simply scrumptious, Tanvi! Your writeup brings back memories of my mom prepping chicken curry with potatoes, mutton was not as regular. I feel like digging into this right now ha.
Cant take my eyes from that yummy and droolworthy aloo gosht..
your write up and pics reminds of the mutton curry my mom would make every sunday. every sunday there would be a different version of a mutton or chicken curry besides the regular sambar or rasam. potatoes would always be added to the curry whatever type it was – coconut based or yogurt based or just masala based.
Curry looks delicious,..brought back memories,,of Sunday meal…
Lovely post Tanvi!!! The presentation of the curry is stunning.
Mutton curry is one of my absolutely favorite dishes! I have grown up on my grandma’s mutton curry and that recipe has been passed on to three generations. What a lovely feeling to recreate something associated with one’s childhood.
Lovely post!
One of my favorites! Some days I’m lazy and won’t use whole spices from scratch but the difference it makes is incredible. I need to catch up with you – hope all is well xo
looks amazing hand me some naan
and what a pretty place to hike
If you haven’t already, try finding goat at Mexican meat markets and grocery stores. They nearly always have it. And there should be carnicerias in Vegas.
Thanks Karen. I will surely check out!
What a delicious looking curry!! The pics are so very tempting.
wow…what a colourful and spicy curry..nice combo. Dear tried ur chettinad chicken y’day.Was fabulous and perfect. thankss a lot for the yummy recipe.
This curry looks delcious, I can’t wait to try it out!
Your curry dish is ALWAYS stunning. It’s so impossible for me to take good curry photo and your photos are always appetizing and making our tummy so hungry. Love your scenic photos too!
Thanks for sharing this precious family curry, Tanvi. I’ve missed those weekends when my mom cooked up delicious Malaysian-style curries too. Absolutely a delight! I liked the fact that you used jaggery to enhance the sweetness. Will give this recipe a try!
Hi Tanvi,
Your photographs are so beautiful, I can almost taste this. Lovely curry recipe and especially served with white basmati rice. What a perfect meal!
Tanvi, this is exactly the kind of food I’m craving as we slip into winter here. Mutton is one of my favorite things that I so rarely, if ever, make. You’ve absolutely read my tummy’s mind.
Hey Tanvi, that looks delicious and your words took me back to the wonderful memories of my own childhood…Lovely pics of Red Rock…We love going their and hiking too, never get tired…BTW just wanted to ask where do you get fresh goat meat in Vegas? If you could share, that would be great.
Thanks,
Tandra
Hey Tandra,
I found mutton at Seafood City on Flamingo & Maryland.
Will def try this as I like the ingredients used.
Hi Tanvi, I’ve made my first mutton curry thanks to this recipe on your blog. I’m waiting for it to sit for 20 mins as you have indicated but I’ve been helping myself to bits of meat and potatoes till then. It has turned out absolutely delicious. I love that your recipes are foolproof and guarantee fabulous taste every time I’ve tried them.
Yaaay! Glad that you liked it! Thanks
Aloo Gosht….
Yum!! Now I am coming to ur house girl!!! You know my mom is not much of a cook but my dad.. He use to make this and still makes it whenever aloo gosht has to be made… Yours look perfect!!
It has been ages since I had mutton.. I have to correct this now!!
are you aware that this person has basically stolen your recipe and photographs: http://cathdailyrecipe.blogspot.com/2012/05/aloo-gosht-mutton-with-potatoes.html? there is no credit given to you for the recipe OR the picture. just thought you’d like to know.
Thanks so much Sofie. I will contact this person about this.
It looks so yum!! My husband loves mutton
ps: would be visiting Vegas in coming months — hopeful to meet
Although I do not eat meat, I just love the flavors here. I can see what it’s memory lingers for you
And gorgeous place to hike…love these photos!
Great recipe. Would you be happy to put up a link to it in my Food on Friday – Asian Food Series.
made this for lunch now… oh my God! I mean OH MY GOD!!! It’s super spicy (my mistake coz I didn’t seed the red chillies) and yumm yumm yumm!! can’t wait till hubby is home
thank you veeee much for sharing this recipe here.. i came across your blog via pinterest yesterday and i’am gonna try many more recipes from here
hugs
Neelu
Thanks for trying it out. Glad that you liked it.
I tried commenting earlier… don’t know whether it came through…
I just made this for lunch and oh my GOD!!! It is so yumm!!! I came across your blog yest via pinterest. I’am surely going to try more of your recipes, esp Aam Shrikand
So….how much red chilli powder tanvi?
Hi Klobo,
The recipe use dried chillies(kashmiri mirch) which are ground with the rest of the spices.
Thanks.. Tanvi
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Hi, First time here. I tried this recipe today and it was awesome. Following your blog.
“2 nos Indian bay leaves”
Not familiar. How does this differ from bay laurel leaves you buy at the supermarket?
(BTW found this site through link in Saveur. They made a great choice in recommending Sinfully Spicy. This is a very nice blog)
Hi there,
Tejpatta or Indian Bay leaves are different from the turkish bay laurels that are usually available in supermarkets. You can refer this article by a fellow blogger to understand the difference
http://www.indianfoodrocks.com/2012/02/to-bay-or-not-to-bay.html
If you don’t have access to indian stores which usually carry these, you can use the usual ones.
Thanks so much, I m glad you liked the blog.
Tanvi
Being sceptical by nature, I thought it was a huge mistake following this recipe word to word but thankfully I did. Sinfully delicious is the perfect word for it!the color of the dish. Aroma and taste have no comparison to any aloo gosht I have ever tasted! This is one recipe I’ll treasure forever! Thanks alot
Superb recioe thanks