A Recipe from the Era of Bajirao – Malvani Mutton Curry
A Maharashtrian delicacy, this Malvani Mutton Curry uses basic Indian spices to create a melange of flavours in a Mutton Curry. Pair it with my Instant Naans for a delicious meal.
I have been on a look-out for an easy mutton curry recipe for quite some time now. Now, the reason being, both me and S are not much fond of chicken, but we have been told to follow a high protein diet. So, we have to take at least two portions of mutton/ meat every week, apart from fish and non-animal protein sources. After exhausting all my known recipes by the end of last week, I had to resort to the internet for some newer ones. And, popped the Sanjeev Kapoor portal! It literally flooded me with so many childhood memories when I would sit in front of the TV with my nani or maternal grandmother to watch his show, Khana Khazana. Back then, I think it used to be aired on Zee TV. Later, I saw that he has come up with his own food channel, which I think is great.
Anyways, back to my story. Among all the mutton recipe, this one caught my fancy particularly. Already armoured with most of the ingredients, I decided to give it a try. And, it surely blew me up. I took a huge risk by making a huge batch of it in the very first attempt, but now, I can’t be happier. Of course, I have some of my own tweaks to the original recipe, which I hope Mr. Kapoor won’t mind!! Here’s my version of Maharashtrian Mutton Curry, Malvani Mutton. I have listed down my tweaks at the end of the post for your reference!
On the first night, we had it with Chapattis/Rotis. After keeping it for a day and allowing it to soak in its beauty, we had it with simple par-boiled Rice and Salad. This can be great party food and can be served with Lachha Paranthas or Naans.
My Tweaks To This Malvani Mutton Curry Recipe:
- The original recipe didn’t mention the kind of Oil used. Since I am a bit partial to Mustard Oil, I thought it would compliment the taste of the meat beautifully. You may choose Refined Sunflower or Rice Bran Oil.
- The original recipe used 3/4 cup of grated Dried Coconut (Khopra). Since I didn’t have any in my pantry, I substituted that with Almonds and Cashew. I presumed that it would give a body to the gravy and make it rich at the same time.
- In Sanjeev Kapoor’s recipe of Malvani Mutton Curry, he used 3 Tbsp. of Coriander Seeds, which I replaced with Coriander Powder.
- The recipe called for 4 Black Cardamoms, but I used 1 instead.
- And, he used 12 dried Red Chilies, which I thought was way too much for our palate. So, I adjusted it accordingly.
- He used Ginger paste and Garlic paste, 1.5 Tbsp of each. But I adjusted the quantity as per my taste.
A Maharashtrian delicacy, this Malvani Mutton Curry uses basic Indian spices to create a melange of flavours in a Mutton Curry. Pair it with my Instant Naans for a delicious meal.
- 750 gms. of Mutton – cut in cubes – on the bone
- 3 Tbsp. Mustard Oil
- 3 Onions – medium – finely chopped
- 3/4 tsp. Cumin Seeds or Jeera
- 3/4 tsp. Carraway Seeds or Shahi Jeera
- 1 tsp. Coriander Powder
- 7-8 Peppercorns
- 6 Cloves
- 6 Green Cardamoms
- 1 Black Cardamom
- 1.2 tsp. Poppy Seeds or Khus khus/Posto
- 7-8 Almonds
- 4-5 Cashew
- 2 Dried Red Chilies
- 1 tsp. Turmeric Powder
- An inch of Ginger
- 6-7 cloves of Garlic
- Salt to Taste
- 2 cups of Water
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Dry roast Cumin Seeds or Jeera, Carraway Seeds or Shahi Jeera, Coriander Powder, Peppercorns, Cloves, Green Cardamoms, Black cardamoms, Poppy Seeds, and Dried Red Chilies. Once they start getting brown and leaving a roasted spice aroma, take them off the heat and let them cool for a minute or two. Grind them nicely into a fine spice mix. Keep this in a separate container.
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Now, in the same grinding jar, put the Cashew, Almonds, Ginger and Garlic, and make it into a smooth paste. If required, add some water to aid the grinding. Keep it aside.
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Now, take a Pressure Cooker and heat some Mustard Oil in it. Add the Onions and saute them till they turn translucent. Cook on Medium-High heat throughout the whole time.
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Then add the mutton pieces and fry them till they turn brown on each sides.
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Once, they turn brown, add the dry roasted spice mix into it. Give it a nice stir to ensure that the spice has been rubbed on every piece of the meat.
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Now, add the Nuts-Ginger-Garlic paste in it and give everything a nice stir. You may reduce the heat to Medium-Low so as to prevent the Almond-Cashew paste from sticking at the bottom of the pan. Stir everything nicely, especially from the bottom to prevent the spice or masala from sticking at the bottom of the pressure cooker.
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Now, add the Water and Salt before covering the lid. Bump up the Heat to High and let it whistle 8-10 times. After that, turn off the heat and let it cool on its own. When the pressure is released completely, open the lid to check if the mutton pieces are done to the perfection. Ideally, it should get tender but still remain on the bone, without falling off!
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You can adjust the gravy as per your liking. For me, it was a bit too much, so I reduced it by boiling it for 10 minutes more.
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Serve hot.
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