Tender Indian Goat Curry Recipe (Mutton Curry)

5 from 26 votes

Tender Indian Goat Curry Recipe (Mutton Curry)

Indian Style goat curry is a delicious meat curry with juicy chunks of goat meat cooked with yogurt and spices. To make this north indian style goat curry recipe, you need no marination or any fancy ingredients. Slow Cooked & Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot Method Included.

Prep Time10

Cook Time2

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings:

Calories: 239kcal

Author: Tanvi Srivastava

Ingredients

2 lb(~950g) goat meat mutton/lamb/beef
1 cup plain yogurt whole/full fat
2 tablespoon coriander powder
½ tablespoon indian red chilli powder (hot) or cayenne (adjust to taste)
3 teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder or paprika (for color)
½ tablespoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoon salt

For The Curry Sauce

6 tablespoon cooking oil I use mustard oil, use cooking oil of choice
3 cup (~250g) sliced onion
6 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger
1.5 tablespoon ghee
2 teaspoon garam masala

Whole Spices

2 bay leaf
1 twig mace
2 black cardamom or use 4 green cardamom
1 inch cinnamon stick (cassia bark)
15 black peppercorns
6 cloves

Instructions

Preperation

Goat Meat - Make sure that the meat is thawed if you purchase it frozen. I let thaw overnight refrigerated. Or if you wash the meat after purchasing from store, make sure all the water has been drained and the meat is dry. Also make sure that the goat/ mutton meat is at room temperature before you begin to cook.
Measure out the whole and ground spices and gather all the ingredients. Prepare the onions by peeling them, halving and slicing. Dont chop the onions.
Pound the ginger and garlic using a mortar pestle if you are using homemade.
Place goat/mutton meat in a large bowl and add yogurt, salt and all the powdered spices except garam masala. Mix using hands to rub and coat the meat thoroughly. Let stand while you brown the onions etc.
Tip :- You dont have to, however if you wish, you can marinate the meat for a few hours. I dont feel there is any noticeable difference in taste especially if you are slow cooking.

Cook Goat Curry (Stove Top Method)

Place a heavy bottom dutch oven/ large pot on the low medium flame. It would be great if the pot is wide mouthed because that really helps in stirring and browning the meat.
Add the oil and let warm on medium heat. If using mustard oil, let warm it for a little longer (slightly smoky) to do away the raw smell.
Take the pot off the stove. Wait for few seconds and then add the whole spices. Spices will sizzle and swell in hot oil. Stir for a few seconds and return the pot to stove.
Immediately, add the sliced onions. Cook the onions to golden brown (but not black/dark brown else they get bitter). For this quantity of onions, it takes good 12-14 minutes on low medium flame.
Tip :- Take your time to brown/caramelize the onions and don't stir too much (else instead of browning they start steaming).
Next, add the ginger and garlic along with little of water. Stir for 10-15 seconds. You will smell a wonderful aroma.
Tip :- Ginger and garlic burn easily so little water(2-3 tablespoon) helps. The water will also help avoid meat from sticking to the pot.
Reduce the heat to low and then add the goat meat along with all the marinade. Give a good stir to coat the goat in browned onions. Keep a low medium flame, keep stirring frequently and let the meat warm up. In about 7-8 minutes, you will see bubbles of the water from yogurt being released.
Tip :- Don't add any water at this stage. Since we are using a large quantity of meat (2 lbs/950g), the juices from meat and the water from yogurt will be enough to cook the meat for the first hour. If you are cooking a smaller quantity, add ⅓ cup water before you cover the pot.
Cover the pot with a lid. For the next 2 to 3 hours, keep and eye and stir frequently to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of pot. After about 1 hour, you will need to add a splash of water (I usually add 1.5 cup hot water).
Note1 :- It all depends on how much water the meat releases, we want it to cook in its own juices for as long as possible for great flavor!
Tip :- Adding hot water makes sure that the temperature of the contents of the pot don't drop down too much.
Once the goat meat is quite tender, it will be much darker in color. If you want to make a soupy curry sauce, add another cup or so of water and simmer for additional 5-8 minutes. Switch off the stove.
Note2 - The time of cooking will also depend on the quality of meat and how large the goat pieces are. Please adjust accordingly .
Tip :- At this point, the meat is very tender so stir gently.
Immediately, finish the curry while it's still hot with garam masala, ghee, julienned ginger or herbs if you wish. You could add few green chilies too. The flavors will be absorbed.
Rest the curry for at least 20 minutes before serving.(Highly recommend resting).

Cooking Goat Curry in Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot

Steps of preparation and making masala base as noted above remain the same whether you are using pressure cooker or instant pot.
Stovetop pressure cooker
Add 1.5 to 2 cup water and close the pressure cooker lid, keep low medium flame and pressure cook for 8-9 whistles (about 35-40 minutes). Let pressure release naturally. Open the lid and check the meat if meat is tender else cook for 2-3 more whistles. If you add water to adjust the consistency, simmer (without putting on the lid and pressure valve) for additional 8-10 minutes on low flame after pressure cooking.
Electric Cooker or Instant Pot
For making masala base and sautéing goat meat with browned onion, use the saute mode on your IP. Once you add the water, close the lid, press the meat option and then pressure cook fro 12- 15 minutes(the time go up to 20 minutes depending on the size of meat pieces and how tender you like the meat)

Video

Notes

Room Temperature Meat- Dont cook cold, straight out of the refrigerator meat. I usually pull the meat out 45 minutes before cooking. Definitely dont cook it while still frozen.
Marination :- If you ask me, red meat doesnt really need any marination because it always cooks out so flavorful. However, if you wish you can marinate the goat meat for a few hours.
Slow cooked curries take a lot of time and patience. Allow them the time to slow cook, let the meat tenderize and absorb the flavors that you add.Pressure cooker or Instant pot do quicken things up.
Cooking Time - Adjust the cooking time in the recipe depending on how tender you like the meat. We don't prefer very soft cooked meat so the cooking times are noted accordingly. If you like super soft, meat falling off the bone meat, cook longer.
Onions - In any meat dish, how the onions are browned contributes a ton to the taste and color of the curry. Take your time to brown the onions.
Use curry powder + garam masala if you do not have all the powdered spices.
Use green cardamom pods if you do not have black cardamom. The two are not a substitute for each other. Green cardamom adds a sweetish lemony aroma versus the woody smoky aroma that black cardamom adds.
I use mustard oil which is my oil of choice whenever I am cooking north indian meat curries. Mustard oil has a sharp pungent taste and it is an acquired taste for many. Substitute with any neutral cooking oil you use at home.
You could use store bought ginger garlic paste as well.
Whole Yogurt - I always use whole yogurt for meat curries. We want the tang and the richness (from fat). Plain greek yogurt is fine to use. I use indian style dahi (available at south east asian grocers) when I have it in my refrigerator.

Nutrition