Sindi Mutton Curry

- Serves 4

Made with a truck-load of caramelised onions, fresh ripe tomatoes, and a few staple spices, my mama’s Simple Sindi mutton curry hits the spot every single time and might be the reason I can never go vegetarian.

P.S. Pardon the use of dry red wine in there 😉- not traditional at all but simply a habit when making meat based stews. Try it - you can thank me later :)

Ingredients for Sindi Mutton Curry

3-4 fat cloves garlic
1-inch ginger, peeled
2 green bird’s eye chilies, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil or ghee
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
300g red onions, finely chopped
1-2 bay leaves
1 inch cinnamon stick
1-2 black cardamoms
3-4 green cardamoms, pounded in a mortar and pestle
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder, optional
1.5 teaspoons salt
250g tomatoes, chopped
1kg goat (mutton) leg and shoulder, cut into chunks
3/4 teaspoon garam masala powder
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves

Recipe

Place garlic, ginger and green chilies in a mortar, and pound using a pestle, until crushed.
Heat oil in a heavy base saucepan. Drop in cumin seeds - let them splutter. Add chopped onions and sauté until lightly golden. Add bay leaves, cinnamon, black cardamom, and green cardamom, followed by ginger-garlic-chili paste. Cook for a few more minutes until golden brown.
Next, coriander powder, turmeric powder, chili powder, and salt followed by tomatoes - cook for 3-4 minutes until spices start releasing their oils.
Add mutton and cook for 7-8 minutes until meat is no longer pink. Add just enough water (or red wine) to cover the meat (about 1 cup or so should suffice). Bring to the boil, cover, and reduce heat to low - cook for 2-3 hours until meat falls off the bone, adding more liquid in between if necessary.
Finally add garam masala, and chopped fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice or rotis.