Video guide to making Kerala-style Easter special mutton stew

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

750 gms mutton

2 tbsp of coconut oil

2 tsp of clarified butter

3 potatoes (chopped into medium-sized pieces)

1 carrot (chopped into medium-sized pieces)

3 onion (chopped into medium-sized pieces)

7 cardamom

1 bay leaf

2 inches of long cinnamon

8 cloves

1 tbsp ginger (chopped)

1 ½ tbsp garlic (chopped)

8 green chillies (slit through the middle – optional, you can just add 2 to 3)

Salt as required

½ tsp coriander powder

1 tsp pepper powder

1 tbsp of vinegar

1 cup of third press coconut milk

2 cups of second press coconut milk

1 cup of first press coconut milk

½ tsp garam masala

10 cashews

1 tbsp of coriander leaves

 

For tempering

2 tsp of clarified butter

½ tsp of peppercorns

2 shallots

2 sprigs of curry leaves

 

Method

Step: 1

Clean and cut the mutton into medium-sized pieces. (Best cut of meat for mutton stew is the shoulder and ribs.)

Step: 2

Heat one tablespoon of coconut oil and one teaspoon of clarified butter in a pressure cooker. Add the chopped potatoes, carrots, and sauté for a minute and then keep them aside.

Step: 3

Heat one tablespoon of coconut oil and one teaspoon of clarified butter. Toast whole spices such as cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf and stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant.

Step: 4

Add the chopped ginger and garlic and sauté for a few seconds. Add the slit green chillies and sauté further till the raw smell dissipates.

Step: 5

Add the chopped onion and sauté until it becomes translucent. Add some salt to make the sautéing faster. Then add coriander powder and stir for a few seconds.

Step: 6

Add the mutton pieces, pepper powder, and salt and mix well. Sauté them over a medium flame for about 4 to 5 minutes or until the water is released from the mutton pieces and it changes colour.

Step: 7

Mix one tablespoon of vinegar in 50 ml of water and add it to the meat. Now add the third press of coconut milk and mix it. Close with the lid and cook for about 4 whistles or till the mutton is almost 70 per cent cooked.

Step: 8

Meanwhile, take 10 cashews and grind them in a blender with 50 ml of coconut milk and set aside.

Step: 9

Open the cooker and add the sautéed potatoes and carrots. Also, add the second press of coconut milk and bring them to a boil. Cover and cook till the mutton is fully cooked. (Don’t cover with the pressure cooker lid at this stage.)

Step: 10

Add ½ teaspoon of garam masala and stir well.

Step: 11

Lower the flame, add the ground cashew mix and the first press of coconut milk, and mix well. Make sure not to boil the stew at this stage. Garnish with one tablespoon of coriander leaves and turn off the flame.

Step: 12

Finally, heat 2 teaspoons of clarified butter in a small pan, add ½ teaspoon of peppercorn, chopped shallots, and a few curry leaves and fry till the shallots turn brown. Pour the tempered spices over the stew. Mutton stew is ready to serve.

It is a perfect combination with appam, roti, and bread.

Notes:

Instead of fresh coconut milk, you can also use coconut milk powder.

 

Recipe courtesy: Sobha Varghese is a homemaker based in Mumbai, India. Sobha runs a popular YouTube blog called ‘Sobha's Kitchenette’ that focuses on authentic and traditional Kerala recipes.

What other recipes would you like featured? Tell us at food@gulfnews.com