Nihari mutton (goat) curry

Mutton curry is like a monthly delicacy at our home. We don't make mutton often because its red meat and even though its got good amounts of protein in it, its companion Mr. Cholesterol doesn't seem like a good person to bring along :p 

However keeping that side mutton has got sooo much flavor and it sooo tasty that we usually ignore the side effects, like come on, when something soo full of flavor and soo succulent is kept in front of you, do you really sit and think about its health benefits first? :p Anything in excess is bad, but moderate or controlled amounts of anything will not harm you. Same thing here, treating yourself to some tasty succulent melting off the bone mutton will be a delight for you from the same old daily course of white meat.

Mutton is not an easy thing to cook, undercook it and you will end up chewing on an good flavored  rubber sole :p I like my mutton to just fall off the bone as you eat it and the best thing for that would be to cook it in a pressure cooker. The steam and pressure not only cooks the mutton fast and keeps it really soft and succulent but it also traps all the flavor from the spices deep into the mutton pieces.

Normally we always buy the front leg of the mutton and mutton chops as they are the least fibrous of the lot, so are easy to cook and easy to eat as they are very soft and I feel have more flavor. Also I love to have the bone as the marrow adds more flavor to the mutton and the gravy. However for those wishing to have more meat, go for the hind legs but they are more fibrous so you'll have to cook them a little longer than what is mentioned on this particular blog post.

My mom makes amazing mutton curry, she learnt her recipe from my nani (granmother) who loves to feed me good rich food full of warmth and love at all times and is an excellent cook when it comes to making Indian curries . I will also be sharing my mom's mutton curry later on on this blog and will provide the link here. You must give that a try too as it is insanely delicious.

So because we always used  to make my mom's mutton dish at our home, so one fine day I decided that maybe we should try it out something new, and that is when this particular recipe was born. 

I had come across a similar recipe once when  I was watching TLC a few years back and I had remembered noting down the recipe somewhere. After a good search when I finally found the recipe it was sadly incomplete :/

So after a few tweaks here and there and some brainstorming I came up with this delicious recipe that will keep you craving for more. You will want to keep eating it even after you are full and the aroma will fill your whole house driving everyone nuts :p

So now enough of talk, its time you go try out this beautiful aromatic and succulent slow cooked (nihari) mutton curry.

Ingredients

1. Lamb leg pieces  500 grams
2. Ghee 2 tablespoons
3. Nihari masala 
4. Deep fried onions 1 cup (3 to 4 medium sized onions)
5. 2 medium sized tomatoes (pureed)
6. Salt to taste
7. Whole wheat flour (atta) 1 tsp
8. Garam Masala Powder 1 tsp

 Nihari Masala Ingredients

• 3 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp fennel seeds 
• 6 to 10 dry red chillies
• 1 tsp cloves
• 4 green cardamoms
• 2 black cardamoms
• 15 to 20 black peppercorns (whole)
• 1 tsp  poppy seeds
• 2 bay leaves 
• 1 blade mace (javitri)
• 2 tsp dry ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder 
• 2 one-inch cinnamon sticks
• 2 tbsp roasted chana dal powder. 

Steps

• To make deep fried onions add some oil in a kadhai / deep pan and add the sliced onions to it. Cook these onions on medium to low heat till they turn brownish in color. Keep aside.

• To make Nihari Masala, take all the Nihari Masala ingredients and dry roast them in a skillet / pan. Once they start to leave a nice aroma and become very lightly browned transfer the contents to a grinder. Grind these ingredients into a smooth powder. Keep aside

• Heat ghee in a deep pan, add mutton pieces and saute on high heat till well browned. 
• Add nihari masala and salt and continue to saute for two minutes.

• Add half the fried onions and all the tomato puree. Cook for another 5 mins. 
• Add 1 cup of water and mix it over to prevent the masala from burning. Cover and cook for about 10 to 15 mins stirring occasionally.

• Transfer all the contents from the kadhai to a pressure cooker.
• Mix whole wheat flour in half a cup of water well so that there are no lumps (this is make the gravy thick and sticky. However if you want a runny gravy then skip this step).
• Add the remaining fried onions to the mutton mixture. Add the wheat flour mixture and mix well.

• Close the lid of the cooker and cook for about 2 to 3 whistles on a high flame and 1 whistle on a low flame.
• Shut the flame and let the pressure escape from the cooker naturally. Once the pressure is out, remove the lid and add a tsp of garam masala powder to it. Mix well and cook for another 2 mins.
• Serve hot with rice or tandoori roti/naan.