This very popular Anglo dish takes us back to the pre-Independence days of the ‘British Raj’. This was a mutton curry that was served in the premium coaches of long distance trains and keeping in mind the delicate palates of the British, this dish was made not too spicy and was blended with yoghurt or coconut milk to offset the spiciness. There are multiple ways of making it, but I chose the one with yoghurt (and the easiest one) since I like that the best.
My husband has never tried this and seeing the way he polished off his dinner last night made me so happy. This dish takes a lot of effort but I promise you the results are just so worth it! You may want to keep this for a special Sunday lunch, but since most of us are currently working from home, it's good to attempt dishes that may require a tad bit more attention to the detail.
Disclaimer!!
You must keep the meat marinating for the entire day, so either leave it overnight or do it first thing in the morning.
Ingredients:
500 gms mutton (goat) cut into medium pieces with bones. Wash extremely well (especially in times like this clean, clean and clean the meat!!!!)
3 potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into quarters
Salt to taste
2 onions sliced finely
2 dry red chilies
2 bay leaves
4-5 peppercorns
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp garam masala powder (or freshly ground cloves, cinnamon and cardamom)
200 gms yoghurt
2-3 pieces of ginger
4 cloves of garlic
2 tsp ginger/garlic paste
150 gms tomato purée
Oil, to cook
Recipe for Railway Mutton Curry:
Step 1: Mix the yoghurt, turmeric, red chili powder, 1 tsp ginger/garlic paste, salt to taste in a bowl and whisk. Add the mutton to this and let it marinate well.
Step 2: Roast the dry ingredients in a pan- peppercorn, dry red chillies, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and ground garam masala.
Step 3: Grind the roasted spice mixture along with the pieces ginger garlic cloves. Add water if required. Keep this mixture aside for later on.
Step 4: Add a little oil to a pressure cooker and add the bay leaves, add in the sliced onions, a tsp of ginger/garlic and the tomato purée. Once the tomato and onion mixture is cooked well, lightly fry the potatoes until they begin to turn slightly brown.
Step 5: Add in 1 tbsp of whisked yoghurt (I used majority of the yoghurt in the marinade itself). Make sure it does not split, so turn the flame low, if required.
Step 6: Add the marinated mutton pieces to the pressure cooker and cook for about 5 minutes with an open lid.
Step 7: Add in the ground spice mixture and sufficient water to the pressure cooker, close the lid, seal it tightly and cook for 4-5 whistles on medium heat.
Step 8: Turn off the heat and let the pressure release before you open the cooker. Keep cooking (you can add more water) till you get the desired softness of the mutton pieces.
Plate up!!
Garnish with some coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice or rotis.
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