Achari Mutton

Photo Courtesy: Dr. Debarshi Chatterji

Lazy Sunday afternoon, Debarshi and I are sitting on the couch watching TV. We have just had a late brunch and the next meal will be an early dinner. Debarshi loves to cook on weekends so normally I don’t worry about it. 

The commercial break starts and we start discussing about our dinner options. I ask Debarshi if he has something in mind for dinner and pray in my heart, “Please suggest something”. He keeps quiet for a while then very lazily says “Mutton?” I am a bit relieved thinking to myself, ‘Ok Mutton is his area of expertise, he knows how long to marinade and cook’ but then he completes his sentence, “Honey, can you cook Mutton today? May be try some new recipe?”

Now, I have prepared Mutton only a few times, nevertheless I take on the challenge. I must confess, I was a little excited at getting the opportunity. I immediately take out the frozen mutton and dip it in cold water to thaw. Fun fact: it is always better to use cold water to thaw meat than hot as cold water keeps the taste intact. As per my calculations by the time I find a recipe the mutton will be thawed and ready to cook.

Next I take out my laptop and put my thinking cap on! Hmmm... what should I cook? Now Debarshi knows some awesome recipes like Kosha Mangsho and Karahi Gosht etc. but finding a new recipe is going to be difficult for me especially because I want to cook with my pantry ingredients. There are lots of Mughal recipes online with nuts and heavy cream but I want to try something new, and then, I found it!

As you know, Indian cuisine is divided into many different categories, mainly on the region from which the dish originates. Today’s dish is from the Awadhi cuisine (Mughal inspired cuisine) of Lucknow. It is prepared mostly during weddings with succulent pieces of meat dipped in a thick gravy and are paired with hot Tandoori Rotis or Naans straight from the Tandoor (clay oven). I may have had it numerous times but never thought of preparing it, till now.

The recipe I found was Achari Mutton, which means pickled mutton. For those who have never had any Achars (Indian pickles) before, let me tell you, they taste very different from the American pickles. Indian pickles are prepared with lots of spices in them like Onion Seeds, Fenugreek Seeds, Fennel Seeds which we will be using for preparing this dish as well. This means that you will have to shop in the Indian store for a couple of spices which you may not have in your pantry. After using the spices store them in dry air-tight containers so that they can be used later for preparing other Indian dishes like Kalongi (Vegetables stuffed with spices).

Before cooking this dish I think it will be better for you to know the taste of Achars. The local Indian stores usually have a good variety of ready-made Achars available. I would suggest you to go there and select anything which appeals to you. This will help you to have an idea of the taste of Achari mutton. Achars are usually paired with Indian comfort food, like Bhat – Dal (rice and lentils), Khichuri (rice with vegetables gumbo) or Parathas (fried flat breads). You can pretty much pair them with any Indian dish to add some spice and flavors.

Although the list of spices may look overwhelming, the preparation is not too tough. The spices are first dry roasted and then grinded before mixing with the other ingredients. Word of caution, do not use yogurt as it will change the flavor. Indian pickles are usually spicy and tangy but you can tone down the spice level as per your taste. The original recipe says to prepare this with Goat meat but you can use lamb or even chicken to prepare this. I would recommend cooking in a deep wok with mustard oil. Do not pressure cook it as the flavor will differ greatly. Remember, the cooking technique is very important while preparing food because it determines not only the taste but the texture as well.

When I served this new dish before Debarshi, he was quite impressed and not only because he loves mutton but also because this dish is very different in taste than the other curries we prepare. I will share the Tandoori Roti and Naan recipes soon because they are a must with this dish.

“No one is born a great cook; one learns by doing”.

Ingredients: 

• Cilantro – ½ Cup, Chopped 
• Fenugreek Seeds – ¼ teaspoon 
• Fennel Seeds - 1 teaspoon 
• Cumin Seeds - ½ teaspoon 
• Goat Meat/ Chicken – 1.5 to 2 pounds, washed and cut into 1 inch cubes 
• Turmeric Powder - 1 teaspoon 
• Red Chilies – 3, whole 
• Red Chilli Powder – ¼ teaspoon 
• Tomatoes – 4, Medium, chopped 
• Cloves – 5 
• Onion Seeds- 1 teaspoon 
• Mustard Oil - 7 tablespoon 
• Ginger - 2 tablespoon, chopped 
• Onions – 4, Medium, chopped 
• Salt – about ½ teaspoon 
• Garlic - 1 tablespoon, chopped 
• Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon 

Directions:

• Roast the whole spices (Fenugreek Seeds, Fennel Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Red Chilies, Cloves, Onion Seeds and Mustard Seeds) 
• Cool the spices a bit then grind them coarsely. 
• Heat the wok on high heat, pour the Mustard Oil in it, when the oil begins to smoke, reduce the heat to medium low so that it cools off. This is done to remove the pungent taste and smell of the Mustard Oil 
• Stir fry the Onions till they are brown in color. 
• Mix in the chopped Ginger- Garlic and fry well 
• Now mix in the coarsely grounded Masala powder. 
• Keep it stirring for about half a minute so that the masala mixes well with the Onions. 
• Increase the heat to medium high and add the mutton pieces. 
• Fry the mutton till it is reddish brown in color. 
• Add the Tomatoes, Turmeric powder, Red Chilli powder and Salt and mix well. 
• Reduce the heat to medium low and keep frying this till you can see the oil leaving the masala, stirring it occasionally. 
• Once the masala is cooked, add about 2 ½ cups of water, increase the heat to high, bring it to a boil and cover. 
• Reduce the heat to low, cover and let the mutton cook. Keep stirring it every 10 minutes. 
• It will take about 30-45 minutes to cook. Taste to check the Salt 
• Garnish with Cilantro. 
• Serve with Naan or Tandoori Rotis. 

Tip:

• If you are not able to find Mustard Oil or find the ‘Heating The Oil to Smoking Point’ step too hard, you can always use Canola Oil. You can also use half Mustard Oil and half Canola Oil. This way also you don’t have to heat it to the smoking point. Remember Mustard Oil has a pungent smell and if not heated properly it will retain its smell and taste. Do not forget to cool the oil before adding Onions in it. 

Recommended Reading:

• Tandoori Roti
• Indian Salad
• Mutton Gravy
• Awadhi Mutton Biryani
• Easy Homemade Naan
• Excited to use new spices? Know more about Methi (Fenugreek)
• Jeera Rice (Rice flavored with Cumin Seeds)
• Mutton Rezala (Bengali recipe: Tender Meat in Cashew Poppy Seed sauce)
• Mughlai Mutton Stew
• Top 10 Spices to keep in your kitchen
• Goat Dhansak (Mutton with Red Lentils)
• Kosha Mangsho (Bengali dish: Slow cooked aromatic Mutton gravy)
• Goat Stew with White Wine
• Papa’s Kosha Mangsho (Grandpa’s Special Goat Curry)
• Keema Matar (Minced Goat meat/ Beef with dried Peas)
• Hariyali Ghosht - Herbed Goat Curry
• Kashmiri Rogan Josh (Slow cooked mutton in red curry)