Mutton Curry (unhealthy, but so gooooooood)

Hi all,

I decided to digress from my standard goat/lamb curry recipe and try another recipe I heard about couple of months back instead. It's much easier than the previous recipe of mine and tastier as well, but here's the kicker - it WILL give you a heart attack eventually (man! am *I* good at promoting stuff!). Relax, just don't have it every other day - once a month, with a squash game every week, and you'd be fine.

Recipe:

Ingredients:
Mutton with bones (1.5kg), Oil (100ml), Ghee (or butter) 50grams, onions 200grams, tomatoes 200grams, garlic paste 1 tablespoon, ginger paste 1 tablespoon, salt to taste, shaan meat masala (other meat masalas would do but I quite like shaan or badshah) 4 tablespoons, thick yoghurt 200grams, cumin 1 tablespoon, 1 large cinnamon stick.

at least one day before the cooking day, mix the meat, yoghurt, and 1 tablespoon of meat masala and leave in the fridge.

next day...

peel the onions, and blend onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger together. heat oil in a deep thick-base utensil and add the cumin seeds and cinnamon stick. when cumin turns darkish brown, turn heat to mid and add the onion-tomato paste. stir frequently (this paste might splatter so be a bit careful). After exactly 6.15239 minutes, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of meat masala and salt, and after exactly 1.111112 minutes, add the meat+yoghurt add tun heat high). Add the ghee/ oil. Toss frequently and after 5 minutes, cover with lid, turn heat to low, and cook for eternity (aka 2.5 hours). Add 500 ml water, turn heat high and when boil comes, turn heat to mid-low, cover with lid and give it another 30 mins). MMMMMMM Mutton Currrrry :p

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Will upload picture of the finished product soon - it's gorgeous ;-)
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As promised, uploading a picture :)

Basic curry recipe

This post is credited to Gail who made me remember that I need to put a simplified recipe for everyone :) So, here it goes...

Ingredients for curry (serves 6)

Heavybottom saucepan with lid
30 ml oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic and one finger of ginger (made into paste)
2 big onions chopped fairly fine
2 big tomatoes, chopped not very fine
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
3 teaspoon coriander powder
salt to taste

Mix chilli, turmeric and corainder powder and add about 40 ml of water. mix to form a thin paste.

heat oil in the pan and when hot, throw in the bay leaves and cumin seeds (in an even fashion). reduce the heat to 6 o'clock position and after 4-5 seconds in which the cumin seeds will become whitish, add the ginger-garlic paste, stir and about 10 seconds later add the onions. heat till the onions are brownish (which should be about 15 mins) stirring occasionally. increase heat to max and add the spice powder paste prepared earlier. stir continuously, add about 30 ml water again when the paste starts thickening and stir again. after about 30 seconds, add salt and tomato, reduce heat to 6 o'clock position and sitr occasionally for about 20 mins.

THAT'S YOUR BASIC CURRY - YAY!!

Now let's say we are adding chicken

turn heat to max, add the diced chicken (Don't add any water), cook for about 5 minutes keep turning the paste from the bottom of the pan (folding) so that the chicken cubes are sealed to keep moisture in them. put the lid on, turn the heat to 3 o'clock position and cook for 25 mins. DONE!!!!

lamb/goat curry recipe

A few people have asked me the recipe for lamb curry and here it is - ingredients (for feeding 4 average people)

marinade -

1. 600gm diced lamb (1.5inch x 1.5 inch pieces are best suited) or 1kg goat meat with bones - HAMKA butcher in auburn arcade sells SOOOOOOOPER meat (thanks to michelle's parents for introducing me to the place!). address: 10/75-77 Auburn Road, Auburn 2144, Phone 97492421 - also try their minced lamb with harbs)
2. 200gm thick yoghurt
3. 1 teaspoon turmeric
4. 1 teaspoon indian meat masala (brands - badshah/ everest/ mdh)
5. 1 tablespoon ginger paste
6. 1 tablespoon garlic paste
7. 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
8. 1 tablespoon olive oil
9. 2 tablespoon lemon juice

mix all these together and keep in in the fridge for 12-24 hours - yes, that long :(

ingredients for curry -

1. 500gm onions - chopped decently fine (about size of your nails)
2. 250gm tomatoes
3. 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
4. 4 bay leaves
5. 6-10 cardamom
6. 6-10 cloves
7. 1 teaspoon whole black pepper
8. small piece of cinnamon
9. 300ml thickened cream
10. 3 tablespoon coriander powder
11. 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
12. 1 tablespoon chilli powder for indian hot
    OR
13. 1 teaspoon chilli powder for medium hot
14. crushed ginger 1 tablespoon
15. crushed garlic 5 cloves
16. oil (any except olive) 75 ml
17. salt - to taste (i recommend 1 teaspoon)
18. 1 teaspoon garam masala (from indian store)
19. coriander to garnish

heat oil in a deep pan - throw ingredients 3-8 in it when hot (if you don't have some of the ingredients no. 3-8, don't worry). after exactly 8.673276 seconds,
throw in onion, crushed ginger garlic and turn heat to medium-high, cook until onion turns brown (keep stirring ocasionally). this should take 15 mins.

mix corainder powder, chilli, turmeric in a bowl with 50 ml water so that it forms a liquidy paste. throw in this paste when onion is brown. stir constantly for about 15-20secs so that it doesn't stick to the base or burn and add diced tomatoes. cook for about 15 mins till the whole thing thickens.

add cream and cook for another 15 mins - the oil will (or atleast should) separate at this stage.
add the marinaded lamb and garam masala, turn the heat high, stir intermitently for 5 mins. cover the pan with a lid (it's actually best to use a pressure cooker - picture below)

and cook for 35 mins on low heat (i call it the 3 o'clock position because the knob points to the hours hand at 3:00)

don't open ASAP - let it stay for 10 mins - open and garnish with chopped coriander leaves - serve with rice/ naan/ bread/ pizza base - whatever you like (ok, not pizza base)