Sunday, January 10, 2010

Bihari Mutton Curry Recipe... For Posterity

My cousins were coming over for lunch today. Mutton Curry and rice was the only plan I had. I learnt the mutton curry recipe from Ma (it being one of her special, special recipes) over the phone. And even after making it some 4 times, when I got up this morning I totally forgot what to do in the kitchen. I could have called Ma immediately, instead I hunted for an email I had sent to a friend that had the recipe.
I am putting it down here - for the sake of posterity. Here's Ma's quintessential Bihari mutton curry recipe, put down in words my way. Expect it to be random and easy - my mom always comes up with the world's most awesomest food WITHOUT spending too much time or sho-sha over it because there's always been better things to do outside the kitchen. It sort of runs in our blood ;)

Let's say you want to cook half a kg of mutton... Here's what you need-
4 potatoes cut into halves
250 g onions
Garam Masala - 2 tbspoons
Everest Meat Masala (optional)
Crushed ginger and garlic preferably fresh... The readymade ginger garlic paste spoils the taste.
Clove - 4-5 pieces
Pepper - 10-12 pieces
Tej patta
Dry red chilli - 5 pieces
Jeera - 1 teaspoon
Haldi powder
Red chilli powder
Salt
Marinate the mutton in a cup of curd, haldi, red chilli powder, and a bit of salt... For say 30 minutes.
Heat (a lot of) oil in a pressure cooker, add tej patta, ginger, garlic, and jeera. Saute onions a little bit, not so much that it turns golden brown. Add onions, cloves, pepper, red chilli, and some more haldi, some more salt. Bhujo it for about 2 minutes. Add the entire marinate to it, and pressure cook for 5 seetis on high flame and for about 5 mins on medium flame.
In another pan, deep fry the aalu and keep aside. After the mutton is half done, add garam masala and if u want it spicy, some readymade meat masala to the mixture. Add the deep fried aalu to it. Mix well and let the mixture cook on high flame until it starts to stick a little bit to the bottom of the cooker. When that happens, add water according to the amount of gravy you want in the mutton curry. Pressure cook the entire mixture again for about 2 seetis.. One on high flame n one on medium. Dummies' tip.. Open the cooker, check if it's done completely. Both aalu and mutton. If not, pressure cook again for another seeti.
Then taste some, pat yourself on the back, and eat the world's most awesomest bihari mutton curry and chawal with kachumbar salad - onion, tomato, hari mirch, namak and nimbu :D
Disclaimer - Did I tell you I can't write recipes like Tarla Dalal?

No comments: