Mutton curry recipe | Mutton gravy recipe (Mutton masala)

Mutton curry recipe – Lamb curry or mutton masala gravy. Delicious, soft tender chunks of lamb meat in Indian style spiced onion tomato gravy. Have you ever wondered how the mutton gravy served in restaurants is so soft, succulent and tender?. This post will help you make one such dish with very basic ingredients and simple steps.

I had numerous requests from readers for a good mutton curry recipe. Since ramadan is around the corner thought of sharing this along with the collection of Iftar recipes.

This is a generic Indian mutton recipe and not any regional one but you can add up your basic flavorings or masala to match your regional cuisine or to suit your taste buds. I have included the tips wherever possible.

If you are a beginner or has failed to make a good mutton curry before, then I highly suggest to follow the recipe as it is without making any changes.

For the convenience of readers, I am showing this with just 300 grams of meat, you can also double or triple the recipe.

Preparation for mutton gravy

1. Wash mutton well under running water. Drain completely. Marinate it with yogurt, ginger garlic paste, salt, turmeric and chili powder. Refrigerate and keep for at least 2 hours to overnight. Overnight is best. This is the key to tenderize the meat.

If you do not have so much time to rest it, then you will need to use 1 tbsp of raw papaya paste or ready made meat tenderizer. Set aside for about 1 hour.

2. Just before you prepare other ingredients, keep the meat out of the refrigerator. It helps it to come down to room temperature before we cook.

3. Chop onions very finely or process them finely. Slit a green chilli. Deseed and puree the tomato. Wash the curry leaves and set aside.

If you prefer to use coconut, roast 2 to 3 tbsps of grated coconut on a low flame. When it turns aromatic turn off the stove. Cool this. Blend this to a fine paste with very little water.

How to make mutton curry

4. Heat a heavy bottom pot or pressure cooker with oil. Temper with cinnamon and green cardamom. You can also use cumin if you like.

5. Add the onions and green chilies. You can also skip chili if you do not have.

6. Saute evenly until golden.

7. Reduce the flame completely, as low as possible. You will need to cook on low heat until you add water at a further step. Add the marinated lamb/ mutton.

8. Saute for about 5 to 6 mins.

9. Cover and cook for another 10 mins. Keep stirring occasionally.

10. You will see mutton begins to release moisture.

11. Sprinkle the masala powder and red chili powder if needed. Saute again for 2 to 3 mins. I used Everest meat masala. This curry gets the flavor from the masala used. SO make a good choice.

12. Add curry leaves. Continue to saute for another 2 mins. If you do not have, just skip them.

Making mutton masala gravy

13. You will see that oil begins to separate.

14. Time to add in tomato puree. I have used very small quantity of puree. You can use more or less to suit your taste. You can also add fresh yogurt or curd instead of tomato. Do not use sour curd.

15. Saute for another 5 to 6 mins. The raw smell of tomatoes should go away.

16. Pour water. Give a good stir. Cook covered on a medium flame for 2 whistles. For mutton with bones you will need to cook for 3 to 4 whistles. If cooking in a pot, cook until tender. Keep adding water as needed.

17. When the pressure goes off, open the lid. Stir well. Simmer again for a while if the gravy is thin or runny. You can also add blended desiccated coconut at this stage. Cook further for few more minutes.
Add coriander leaves for garnishing.

Serve mutton masala gravy with rice, chapati, naan, roti or paratha.

How to make the best mutton curry?

1. Firstly to make a delicious mutton curry, the choice of meat is very important. Choose fresh and tender cuts as this helps to get soft & succulent mutton after cooking.

2. Usually bone-in mutton yields a delicious gravy when it is slow cooked. The flavors from the bones transfer to the gravy making it thick and tasty.

3. Make sure you pieces of same size as this helps to cook evenly.

4. Always marinate the mutton before cooking. Marinating helps to tenderize the meat.

5. Do not add acidic ingredients like lemon or tomatoes to the pan before sauteing the mutton for a while. Most times both these acidic ingredients tend to make the meat tough when added before sauteing. So add tomatoes after sauteing the mutton.

How to tenderize or marinate mutton for curry?

Yogurt or curd is a natural meat tenderizer and works great. Make sure you marinate with yogurt along with some spice powders.

Which is the best part of mutton for curry?

It is a personal choice. The cuts attached to the bones yield a delicious gravy. Thigh is the best part of mutton for curry. You can also include liver which enhances the flavor.

Serving suggestions

You can serve this lamb curry with plain rice or
Naan
Paratha
Jeera rice

More Mutton recipes
Mutton kabab recipe
Easy mutton korma
Mutton biryani
Mutton fry
Keema recipe