Lamb Curry

Mutton Ishtew

Adapted from Indian food.about.com

This delicious South Indian stew is delicately flavored with a mix of spices and coconut milk. It tastes great with rice, Dosas, Idlis or Appams.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg mutton/ lamb/ goat meat cut into small pieces (bones included if any)
• 25 curry leaves
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
• 2 large onions chopped fine
• 2 green chillies slit lengthwise
• 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 10 black peppercorns
• 1" stick of cinnamon
• 8 cloves
• Seeds from 5 green cardamom
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 10 baby potatoes
• 1 1/2 cup coconut milk
• Salt to taste
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

 

Preparation:

• Put the meat, vinegar, 15 curry leaves, freshly ground black pepper and 1 cup of water into a deep pan and set up to cook on a medium flame. Cook till meat is half done. Keep aside for later use.
• Heat a flat pan on a medium flame and gently roast the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black peppercorns and fennel seeds on it till they begin to turn darker and release their aroma. Allow to cool and then grind into a coarse powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder.
• Heat the cooking oil in another deep pan, on a medium flame and add the chopped onions, green chillies, chopped garlic and remaining curry leaves to it. Cook till the onions are soft.
• Add the powdered ground spices to this and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the meat now and cook till browned.
• Add the baby potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the previously cooked meat and stock to this and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the coconut milk to this and cook till the meat is done.
• Add salt to taste and the juice of 1/2 a lemon and turn off fire. Mix well.
• Serve with hot rice, Idlis, Dosas or Appams.

If you are going to use a coffee grinder for your spices, be sure to have a 2nd one, since the flavours don't go well with coffee!