Mutton Karahi

Ingredients

• 800 g bone-in mutton, cut into small curry pieces and washed
• 6 tbsp cooking oil or ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1½ tsp salt, or to taste
• 1½ tsp red chilli powder
• 500 g ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 120 g plain full-fat yogurt, whisked smooth
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds, coarsely crushed
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly crushed
• 5 green chillies, slit lengthwise
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, cut into thin matchsticks, divided
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 3 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• 250 ml hot water, kept aside for topping up as needed

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in the karahi over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 20 seconds.
2. Add the mutton and ginger-garlic paste. Fry, stirring often, until the meat turns from pink to pale brown and the raw smell of the garlic is gone.
3. Stir in the salt and red chilli powder, then add the chopped tomatoes. Cook on medium heat, pressing the tomatoes with your spoon, until they break down into a thick, jammy sauce.
4. Lower the heat and add the whisked yogurt in two batches, stirring well each time so it does not split. Add the crushed coriander seeds, black pepper and half of the ginger matchsticks.
5. Cover and cook on low heat. Check every 15 minutes and add a splash of hot water if the pan looks dry. The mutton is ready when a piece can be pulled apart easily with a spoon.
6. Uncover, raise the heat to high and stir constantly to cook off any extra liquid. Cook until the masala clings to the meat and oil separates and pools at the edges.
7. Add the green chillies, garam masala and the remaining ginger. Stir for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and scatter the fresh coriander on top. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Tips

• Buy mutton with some bone and a little fat. The bone and fat give the gravy its body and flavour.
• Fry the meat properly before adding tomatoes. Rushing this step gives a pale, flat-tasting karahi.
• Add hot water, not cold, when topping up. Cold water can toughen the meat and slow the cooking.
• A pressure cooker can shorten the tenderising stage. Cook the meat with the tomatoes and yogurt for about 25 minutes under pressure, then finish uncovered in the karahi.