Mutton Korma

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins| Yield: 4-5 Serving

INGREDIENTS
650 gms Mutton/Lamd
1 large Onion
1½ cup Yogurt
1 tbsp Ginger Paste
10-12 Whole Black Peppers
3 Cardamom
4-5 Cloves
1" Cinnamon Stick
1 Dried Red Chilli
1 Tej Patta
2 tbsp Oil
2 tbsp Ghee
Salt to taste
1½ tsp Sugar
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Clean and wash the mutton pieces.
2. Make a paste of the onion.
3. In a bowl, take the mutton, onion paste, yogurt and the ginger paste. Mix well and marinate for about 20-30 mins.
4. Heat a pressure cooker* and add the oil and the ghee.
   
5. Add the red chilli, tej patta, cardamoms (make sure to split it beforehand), whole black peppers, and the cinamon stick (after breaking it to smaller pieces).
6. Once their colour changes and flavour starts to emit, take out the mutton piece from the marinade and add it to the cooker.
7. Now cook the mutton on medium heat till the pieces are dry and is very lightly fried.**
8. Now add the rest of the marinade, sugar and salt according to taste.
   
9. Cook till the gravy comes to a boil, add about ½ cup of water.
10. Pressure cook for about 15 mins or until done.*
11. Remove the cover of the cooker once cool, check the seasoning and adjust the salt and sugar according to your taste. If you wish to have even lesser amount of gravy, dry it up on high flame before adjusting the seasoning..

NOTES
*If you do not have a pressure cooker, follow the procedure in a normal heavy-bottomed pan. Cover and cook for about 30 mins instead or till the meat is soft.
**Please note that during this step, one should not fry the muttons too much. If the pieces become too brown or the masalas starts to stick at the bottom, then you'll not get the true colour of korma when finally done. You'll get a reddish coloured gravy, though the korma should be whitish once done.

Lamb Stew

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins| Yield: 3-4 Servings

INGREDIENTS
500 gms Lamb/Mutton
2 Medium Carrot
4 Small Potatoes*
1 Large Onion
¼ cup Corn**
1 tbsp Butter
½ tsp Pepper Powder
Salt to taste.

DIRECTIONS

1. Clean and wash the lamb pieces.
2. Peal and cut the potatoes into 4 pieces each.
   
3. Peal and cut the carrots into ½ inch thick circular discs.
4. Dice the onion into big pieces as well.
5. Heat a pressure cooker***, add the butter.
6. As the butter melts, add the potatoes, carrots and the onions.
7. Saute' for about 3-4 mins.
8. Add the lamb pieces, salt and the pepper. Stir well.
9. Add about 4 cups of water. Cover the lid and pressure cook for 15-20 mins until the meat in nice and soft.
10. Check seasoning ans serve with warm bread or even with rice or noodles.

NOTES
*In case a large size potato is used, cut them into 1” cube and take about 12-16 pieces.
**Optional
***Cook in a normal pan if you don't have a pressure cooker. Cook on low heat for about 45 mins.

Mangsher Jhol

[Bengali Mutton Curry]


Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins | Yield: 3-4 servings

INGREDIENTS
500 gms of Mutton/Lamb
4 medium Potatoes
1 small Oinon
1 small Tomato
1 Cardamom
½” Cinamom Stick
2-3 Cloves
1 Tej Patta
½ tsp Garam Masala Powder
1 tsp Ginger Paste
½ tsp Garlic Paste
½ tsp Coriander Powder
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
¼ tsp Red Chille Powder*
1 Green Chillie*
3 tbps Oil
1 tbsp Ghee
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash and clean the mutton pieces and leave aside.
2. Finely slice the onion and the tomato.
3. In a pressure cooker**, heat the oil.
4. Fry the potatoes untill golden brown and leave them aside.
5. In the same oil add the tej patta, whole cardamom (make a slit beforehand), cinamon and the cloves.
6. Add the onions and fry till they are translucent.
7. Now add the ginger garlic paste and saute till they are fried a little.
8. Now add the powdered masalas and the tomato and a little salt so that the tomatoes soften quickly.
   
9. Stir till the tomatoes soften a little and then add a little water.
   
10. Cook till oil starts to separate from the masala.
    
11. Now add the mutton pieces and fry them along with the masala for about 4-5 minutes adding a little water if the masala tends to stick at the bottom of the cooker.
    
12. Add 3 cups of water, fried potatoes, green chillie, ghee, garam masala powder and salt according to taste.
    
13. Pressure cook for about 3-4 minutes on high flame and then for about 12-15 mins on low flame.
14. Remove from heat and serve with hot steaming rice.

NOTES
*You may increase the quantities of these as per your taste.
**If you do not have a pressure cooker, then follow the procedure using a pan instead. You'll need to cover and cook the mutton in the pan for about 25-30 mins or untill the mutton pieces are well cooked and soft.

Kasha Mangsho

Bengali Mutton Curry

This is a slight variation of the regular Kasha Mangsho. Normally, the typical bengali preparation would be a little sweet, but I prefer to make it without sugar. If you wish, you can add about ½ tsp sugar in the heated oil before adding anything else. Let the sugar melt and turn reddish in color. Then continue cooking as per the recipe below.

Difficulty: Medium | Prep Time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 1 Hr | Yield: 3-4 servings

INGREDIENTS
600 gms Medium Mutton/Lamb Pieces
1 Lagrge Onion Paste
1 tsp Garlic Paste
1 tsp Ginger Paste
1 Cup Curd
1½ tsp Dhania (Coriander) Powder
½ tsp Jeera (Cumin) Powder
½ Haldi (Turmeric( Powder
1 tsp Chillie Powder
3-4 Green Chillies
½ tsp Garam Masala Powder
4 tbsp Oil*
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Clean and wash the mutton pieces. In a bowl mix mutton with the curd and the garam masala powder and marinade for half an hour.
2. In the meanwhile make the pastes of onion, ginger and garlic separately.
   
3. In a pressure cooker or a large pan heat the oil.
   
4. Add the onion paste and fry till it turns dark in colour.
5. Now add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 1-2 mins more.
   
6. Add a little water and stir. Then add the powdered masala, fry and mix it well.
7. When dry add a little water once more and fry the masala again. The frying of masala should be done 2-3 times adding a little water each time so that the masala cooks well and becomes a smooth paste.
8. Now add the marinated mutton pieces, green chillies and salt to taste.
9. Cook the mutton with the masala on high flame till oil separates and the preparation is fully dry.
10. Now add 2-3 cups of water and pressure cook first on high heat for 8-10 mins and then for another 15 mins on low. If you are cooking in a pan, cover the lid and cook on low heat for about an hour or more till the mutton pieces are tender.
11. Once cool, remove the lid of the pressure and check if the meat is tender, if not you may have to cook for a little while more.
12. Once cooked you might find a lot of oil floating on the top of your mutton curry, depending on the amount if fat in the mutton used. Take out the excess oil from the top before serving.

NOTES
*Typically kasha mangsho may be cooked in mustard oil, but again, I prefer to cook it in normal vegetable oil.

Vindaloo

Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 3 hrs Cook Time: 45 mins Yield: 2-3 servings

INGREDIENTS
350 gms Mutton / Lamb cut into medium pieces
1-2 Big size Potatoes cut into halves
1 tsp Ginger Paste
1 tsp Garlic Paste
1 tsp Chillie Powder *
½ cup Vinegar
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala Powder**
4 tbsp Mustard Oil ***
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Marinate the mutton with ginger garlic paste, red chillie powder, and the vinegar for 2-3 hrs.


2. In a pan add the garam masala powder and the cumin powder. Dry roast them till it starts becoming darker in colour. Remove from heat immediately otherwise it'll get burnt. Leave this aside.

3. Heat oil in a pressure cooker**** and fry the potatoes till golden brown. Take them out and leave them aside.
4. Take out the mutton pieces from the marination and add them to the oil. Fry till oil starts to leave the sides. Now add the marinade into the cooker along with the potatoes. Continue to stir occasionally till the marinade dries up.

5. Add approximately 2 cups of water and salt to taste.
6. Cover the cooker's lid and pressure cook on high flame for 5 mins and then on low for 10 mins.
7. Open the pressure cooker once the pressure is out and then check to ensure that the mutton has been cooked properly. If required add a little water and cook for some more time till the mutton is well cooked.
8. Please note that after the mutton is cooked you should not have too much gravy. If you do, dry it up a little till oil starts to leave its sides.
9. This preparation should be a little sourish, hence you need to check the taste at this point and add a tsp or two vinegar if required or according to your taste.
   
10. Now add the roasted masala to the cooked mutton and mix it well.
    

11. Serve hot with steamed rice or roti.

NOTES
*Vary the quantity of the chillie powder as per your taste.
**Garam Masala includes equal proportion of cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon grinded together.
***If the mutton has a lot of fat in it, you may use less oil.
**** Instead of a pressure cooker one may use a big pan. Only for cooking the mutton you'll need more time and a little bit more of water.