Mutton Curry Recipe | Best homemade Mutton Curry

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Mutton Curry is a popular non-vegetarian dish in India and its neighbouring countries. If you like Indian subcontinent style food and like non-vegetarian food we are sure you must have tried it in quite a lot of places. Mutton curry recipe is moderately difficult but can quite easily become a star of your house party. In India mutton is referred to goat meat and not sheep meat like it is in many western countries.

Mutton Curry is often confused with Lamb Curry and Rogan Josh which are two separate dishes. This is sometimes due to the nature of meat used in preparation and mostly due to difference in preparation style.

The difference between Lamb curry and Mutton curry has faded over the years and now many refer them as same dishes. As mentioned earlier, in India goat meat is referred to as Mutton and hence the name of the curry.

In this article we will cover Mutton curry which is mostly popular in asian countries. Since Lamb is readily available in western countries, Lamb curry is mostly popular in western countries. Usually lamb curry and mutton curry are prepared in exactly the same way with the only difference being in the meat used for cooking.

Since in western countries most people like less spicy food hence most restaurants in these countries scale down spices in curry dishes. Lamb curry therefore is comparatively less spicy in these countries. The asian version of lamb curry is comparatively more spicy and hot due to local population taste and preferences.

While going for hot and spicy food it is best to choose a suitable side to compliment its hotness. Therefore the best sides for a hot and spicy food are sweets, yogurt and Raita.

Raitas are popular side dishes that go along well with spicy dishes like Mutton Curry, Lamb Curry etc purely because it balances out its hotness. Remember, if things go crazy with spicy food always have yogurt to cool it down.

Mutton Curry

Mutton curry is a popular non-vegetarian dish which is very similar to Lamb curry. It is mainly the meat used in making these dishes that is the key differentiator. Both these dishes are very similar in all aspects except that Lamb curry is mostly popular in western countries and therefore is less spicy. This is purely a regional difference based on taste of people from these areas.

Mutton curry is made using goat meat which is considered to be more healthy though the health benefits are marginal as compared to Lamb curry which uses Lamb meat. Mutton curry is a spicy dish and is traditionally yogurt, Raita and sweets are served with this dish. Mostly Cucumber Raita, Boondi Raita, Pineapple Raita are best combos with this dish. Mutton curry recipe is moderately difficult due to the use of many different types of spices in its preparation. Not all spices are mandatory but having more spices is always better fir curry dishes.

Let us have a look at the key ingredients required for making Mutton curry.

Ingredients for Mutton Curry

Here is the list of all key ingredients that you need to make Mutton curry. Most of these ingredients should be easily available in nearby grocery or local supermarket. If you are living outside, many of these spices are now-a-days readily available in major supermarkets.

Spices

Almost all the spices listed for the dish are commonly available. If you are living outside India and struggling to get hold of few exception spices like Cinnamon Stick, Bay leaves, Kasoori methi you may skip a few of these or use alternatives. For example instead of Cinnamon Stick if you can get hold of Cinnamon powder it would be a great alternative.

In case of any issues grabbing whole spices you can always go for crushed or fine powder options available in the market. Ideally whole spices are as great for aesthetics and presentation purpose as they are for taste. In case you cannot find whole spices then we recommend to go for powdered version as it will give you great taste. In case you can get hold of Mutton curry powder you don’t need to worry much about all the spices mentioned in this recipe.

You may face some trouble finding Garam Masala but now-a-days due to its extensive use in asian curries it should be available in most superstores. Garam Masala is a mixture of other spices which are mixed in different proportions for great taste.

To make this dish we are using MDH Meat Masala for great Indian Mutton curry taste. You should use similar meat masala which will cover any missing spices and give you great authentic flavour.

Mutton

Goat meat is called as Mutton in India and neighbouring asian countries. Goat meat is slightly healthy than Lamb and is popular in this region of the world. In most western countries Mutton is also referred to sheep meat but in asian countries it is referred to goat meat.

In India there are many local shops where you can get fresh mutton which is a key ingredient for this recipe. If you are living outside India, you may have to find out where you can find goat meat. Mutton is comparatively less tender than Lamb meat and may take a bit more time in cooking. If you are buying Mutton from local shops, ensure it is from a clean and hygienic place. Also, it should be fresh cut and from a young goat else it will be a lot chewy.

Ghee

You can find this ingredient as Clarified butter in most stores. Outside India you can get different brands of Clarified butter. Usually the packaged Clarified butter contains some amount of Vegetable oil to keep it fluent in low temperature. Pure Ghee is more granular and not fluent especially in low temperature. If you can get hold of pure Ghee the flavour and Aroma is just awesome and is best for cooking. In case you are out of luck and do not have Clarified butter, you can use some pure butter instead.

Preparation For Mutton Curry

Before you can start making Mutton curry there are few preparation steps that you should do.

To make this dish we used diced goat shoulder (boneless) but you can choose to have it with bone as per your preference. Most people prefer with bone and bigger pieces as compared to small/medium boneless mutton. Having bigger pieces may require a little more cook time so if you are cooking for the first time prefer small/medium diced mutton.

To make the dish first you should thoroughly wash Mutton pieces and drain water. For better taste buy fresh cut mutton from the market and ensure to clean it properly. Wash it a couple of times and drain access water.

Now let us chop onions and tomatoes. You need good quantity of chopped onion and tomatoes to make thicker gravy. Adding tomatoes just adds to the flavour and helps in making richer gravy.

To make mutton curry masala you need good amount of ginger and garlic to go along with onions for best flavour. It is the key to a great, tasty and awesome mutton curry.

Now, finely chop green chillies, garlic cloves and grate ginger. In some variations of mutton curry recipe people prefer to dice ginger as it gives the peppery and somewhat sweet ginger flavour while eating. Usually with grated ginger you won’t find this experience.

In many hilly regions of northern India this is the preferred way of cooking this dish. Ginger is one of the key ingredients in mutton curry and also while cooking other meat dishes.

Use 1 small/medium potato to make thick gravy. Again, in some variations of this dish people prefer to use corn-starch to make thick curry. Based on our personal experience this may spoil the great taste of this dish. If you are using potato, it will mash up by the time dish is ready.

Do not add too much potato else it will ruin your curry experience. If you prefer to use potato then wash, peal and dice it into small pieces. Now you are all set to cook the dish, so let us move to next section of how to make mutton curry.

How To Make Mutton Curry

To cook great authentic Indian mutton curry you should invest some time in buying good quality of spices. Also, it is better to have some whole spices do a great taste.

While there are many readymade mutton curry spices and sauces in the market, fresh spices take your curry experience to a whole new level. Try it and you will know the difference.

Now-days there are many mutton curry spices and sauces available in the market but there are only few companies who we can say invest time and effort in bringing the right taste to their consumers. M.D.H Spices is one such company we can vouch for that brings authentic flavour to its consumers.

There are a couple of more companies who invest and have great line of spices but M.D.H is one of our favourites. Good spices are key to your curry experience and therefore choose the best for great experience.

To cook this dish we have used few whole spices and M.D.H meat masala along with few whole spices. Since we now understand the role of great spices in making this dish let’s start cooking.

First we will prepare mutton curry masala curry. To make mutton curry first switch on the gas flame and take Vegetable oil in a deep pan.

Once the oil is hot, add whole red chillies, black cardamom, whole black pepper, bay leaves, cloves and cinnamon sticks to it.

Let them saute for 30 sec and add a pinch of Asafoetida (Hing, as per taste) to it. Now, add chopped onions to it and saute them until onions turn golden brown in colour. If the onions are not cooked properly it will make your mutton curry sweeter rather than spicy.

Once the onions are sauted properly, add chopped green chillies, garlic cloves and grated or diced ginger to it. Take care that you have used good amount of garlic and ginger and that they are in equal proportion. Saute them again for few minutes.

Now add chopped tomatoes and cook it until they become soft and meshed. If required add 1/4 cup of water to cook and cover it with a lid to speed up the process. If you are going to add potatoes, now is the right time to add them to make mutton curry masala.

Tomatoes should be soft by now so it is time to add all the spices and salt to the gravy mixture and cook it for another two minutes.

Add 2 – 3 cups of water and let it cook for 5 minutes. Stir in between if required else let it cook. As the gravy will cook, you will now start getting the aroma of spices and appreciate the smell of fresh spices. If the spices are not good and fresh you will not get the brilliant smell of spices and the taste will be mediocre as well.

The gravy masala should now be ready. Now it is time to add diced mutton pieces to the gravy.

Add Kasoori methi on top of it and stir the gravy with a spatula. Let the mutton curry cook for 5 minutes and add 2-3 cups water to it.

Now let it cook for 10 mins on high flame and 40 – 50 mins on medium flame. You can cover the pan with a lid to speed up cooking process. The amount of time required to cook Mutton will depend if the mutton is freshly cut and from young goat. If it is freshly cut and from young goat it will cook easily and in less time else it will take more time and maybe a bit chewy.

Use a fork to check if the mutton is cooked properly. If the mutton is tearing easily it is cooked. Turn down the flame. If the mutton pieces are soft and juicy then your mutton curry is ready to eat.

Your are now ready to serve and enjoy tasty mutton curry.

Serving Ideas for Mutton Curry

Mutton curry is a spicy dish and it is best to serve it with Steamed Rice, Jeera Rice or Biryani. It is also an excellent combo with Plain Paratha, Lachha Paratha, Naan or Chapati. You should serve the dish hot along with some yogurt or sides such as Cucumber Raita, Pineapple Raita or Boondi Raita.

To make it more colourful chop some Coriander leaves and garnish the dish. For added flavour top it up with some Clarified butter and serve with Steamed rice (preferably Basmati Rice). If you do not have Clarified butter, then top it up with some unsalted butter. Many people also temper the dish instead of just adding Clarified butter.

For tempering perform the following steps – Take 1/2 tbsp Clarified Butter (Ghee) in a ladle and turn on the flame to medium. Put the ladle on fire and let the Clarified butter melt and become hot. Now add few Cumin seeds, 1 whole Red chilli and Red chilli powder. Be cautious as sometimes Clarified butter inside ladle may catch fire. Do not get scared with this as the flame with doze off as you add it to the curry.

The main reason of tempering the dish is to give it rich and spicy texture. If you do not have Clarified butter you can still temper the dish by using cooking oil or butter instead.

How to make Mutton Curry With Pressure Cooker – Slow cook

Many people may find that slow cooking Mutton curry gives better taste but Pressure cooker basically speeds up the cooking process. You may not always have ample amount of time to cook mutton and that is here where pressure cooker comes in to save the day.

To make Mutton Curry with pressure cooker all the steps to cook Mutton curry remain the same as before. Once you add Mutton to the gravy and top it up with Kasoori Methi and Coriander leaves you need to close the pressure cooker and let it take 1 – 2 whistles on high and 2 whistles in low or medium flame.

By using pressure cooker you can easily save up 20 mins of your time and don’t worry about the taste it is equally good.

The end product is spicy and juicy though we recommend leaving mutton in gravy for sometime. You can reheat mutton just before serving and it should be equally spicy. Number of whistles that you have to give depends on whether the mutton is freshly cut and from a young goat.

By now the mutton curry should start boiling and it is time to close the pressure cooker. Close the pressure cooker and let it take 1 – 2 whistles on high flame and 2 – 3 whistle on low flame.

Usually fresh mutton is tender and you may want to check in between if you need these many whistles. Also, number of whistles required to cook mutton curry would also vary between pressure cooker brands. So this where you may have to experiment a little with yours.

If the mutton is not freshly cut or is slightly aged then it may take a little bit more whistles than expected. If you pressure cook too much the meat will become very tender and may in-fact spoil the experience so carefully check your curry at this stage.

For us the above number of whistles worked to get the required texture and since we had cooked it a couple of times so we know this works for us while cooking mutton curry.

Mutton curry is a perfect winter dinner dish for large family gatherings and festivals. So, why not make it during Christmas or New year holidays or over long weekend.

Chef Recommends

• Use Corn starch to make thicker gravy. We prefer to use potato to retain flavour..
• You can use salted/unsalted butter instead of Clarified butter.
• To get best authentic flavour do not scale down on the spices. The more the better it tastes.
• We used M.D.H Meat Masala for best flavour. You can use any other Meat Masala available at the store.
• If you cook Mutton curry in a pressure cooker, it can cut down your cook time by 20 mins.
• Best way to prepare mutton curry is by slow cooking in a deep pan with lid
• Mutton curry requires good amount of onion, garlic and ginger as these are the main ingredients to make gravy.

Users Ask

Discover More Recipes

And that is not all folks! Shall we take this opportunity to invite you to discover more tasty and yummy recipes in our food wonderland.

• Check some tasty desserts in our Dessert section.
• Check out other cool non-vegetarian and egg dishes –
  • Lamb Curry Recipe
  • Chicken Curry Recipe
  • Egg & Cress Sandwich Recipe
  • Omelette Recipe
• Why not try few sides –
  • Cucumber Raita
  • Pineapple Raita
  • Kaddu Raita
  • Boondi Raita
  • Steamed Rice