Goat Curry - Mutton Curry

Simple, yet delicious, Goat Curry or Mutton Curry is also easy to put together. This is my go-to recipe when I want to cook a simple, wholesome non-vegetarian meal for my family. The basic recipe for this dish is my Mother's so I know it is good as I grew up eating it. Mom would cook meat curry with goat meat (also called mutton in India). Goat Curry or Mutton Curry is delicious served with plain rice, a salad and Raita. If you thicken the gravy, it tastes just as good with hot, freshly made Chapatis.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: Serve 4-5 people

Ingredients:

• 1 kg goat leg, cut into suitable bite-sized chunks
• 4 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
• 2 large onions sliced thin
• 2 large tomatoes diced
• 2 tbsps garlic paste
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 2 tsps coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 2 tsps garam masala powder
• Salt to taste
• Chopped coriander to garnish

Preparation:

• Heat the cooking oil in a heavy bottomed pan, on medium heat.
• When hot, add the onions. Sauté till the onions begin to turn a pale golden brown in color. Now remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Turn off heat.
• Grind the onions into a smooth paste (adding very little to no water) in a food processor. Once done, remove into a separate container.
• Now grind the tomatoes, garlic and ginger pastes together, in the food processor, into a smooth paste. Remove into a separate container and keep aside for later use.
• Heat the oil left over from frying the onions, again and add the onion paste. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
• Now add the tomato paste and all the powered spices, including the garam masala. Mix well.
• Sauté the resulting masala (onion-tomato-spice mixture) unitl the oil begins to separate from it. This can take up to 10 minutes to happen.
• Now add the goat/ mutton pieces to the masala, season with salt to taste and stir to fully coat the goat/ mutton pieces with the masala. Sauté till the goat/ mutton is browned well.
• Add 1/2 a cup of hot water to the pan, stir to mix well, simmer the heat and cover the pan. Cook till the goat/ mutton is tender. You will need to keep checking on the goat/ mutton as it cooks and adding more water if all the water dries up. Stir often to prevent burning. The dish should have a fairly thick gravy when done.
• When the meat is cooked, garnish with chopped coriander and serve with hot Chapatis(Indian flatbread), Naans (tandoor-baked Indian flatbread) or plain boiled rice.

Tip: Use a pressure cooker to cook Goat Curry or Mutton Curry and it will be done in half the time it takes to cook in an open pot!