Non-Vegetarian recipes

Mutton Kuzhambu

Posted by Kayal Karthikeyan on

Mutton Kuzhambu is a South-Indian curry made with mutton, fresh ground spices and shallots. This is an easy and traditional kuzhambu recipe. I was not sure whether I could cook non-vegetarian dishes during my initial cooking days. Lots of sodhapals (failures) happened. But as I made it like around 4 to 5 times, found my own way of cooking this. This kuzhambu is adapted from my grandmother’s recipe. It does not have any ginger or garlic, but trust me, the flavor will be out of the world and without any raw smell.

On Sundays, at my mother’s place I have mutton kuzhambu and idli for breakfast. I used to enjoy just 2 or 3 idli with 5 or 6 ladles of kuzhambu. Less idli, more kuzhambu is the way of eating I prefer. My mother-in-law makes a different version of mutton kuzhambu. That tastes slightly different. I will post it seperately. Nowadays, I prepare mutton kuzhambu for lunch, followed by idli with mutton kuzhambu for dinner.

In the US we tried very hard to find a perfect butcher shop, as me and my husband are really fond of mutton. In India, the quality of mutton is really good and often my mother used to tell me that if the meat is tender, cook time is really less. I have had lots of delicious recipes at my mother’s place and my mother-in-law’s place. After some guidance from friends we finally found a good shop in the US. I had to try a lot of versions to figure out the mutton to water proportion. Once we are sure with the proportion, it is really easy to cook mutton. I advice you to do the same as it will be a breeze to cook mutton one you are familiar with the proportion.

This kuzhambu brings in so many fond memories with my family. I hope you would give this a try and relish this delicious kuzhambu with your family.

Idli with Mutton Kuzhambu

Ingredients

  • Mutton – 500 gms
  • Nallennai / Sesame oil / Gingelly oil – 5 tbsp
  • Small onion / Shallots – 15
  • Tomato – 1
  • Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Fresh coconut milk – 1/4 cup
  • Salt – To taste

To roast and grind to a fine paste (Masala paste)

  • Dry Red chillies – 10 (Refer notes)
  • Coriander seeds – 1.5 tbsp
  • Whole Jeera – 1.5 tbsp
  • Whole Pepper – 1/2 tsp

Procedure

  • Clean and wash the mutton pieces well.
  • Roast all the ingredients in the roast and grind section with 1 tsp nallennai in medium flame. Do not burn the ingredients, as it will result in a burnt flavored kuzhambu. Cool them in a plate. Grind it to a very fine paste using less water.
  • Chop the small onions and tomato.
  • Add nallennai to a pressure cooker.
  • Once the oil heats up, add the small onions and mix well till translucent.
  • Next, add in the tomato and cook till its mushy.
  • Add in the mutton pieces, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp turmeric powder.
  • Cook in medium flame for 5 mins or till the juice oozes out of the mutton.
  • Add in the ground masala paste and mix well. Cook for 5 mins in medium flame and stir.
  • Add in 1 cup water and close the cooker. Add more if you want the curry to be watery and also depending on the cook time of your mutton.
  • Cook in medium flame for 5 to 6 whistles and simmer for 10 mins.
  • Open the cooker once the pressures settles down on its own. Check whether the mutton is cooked. If not, add 1/2 cup water and close the cooker again and let it cook for another 8 to 10 mins.
  • After opening the cooker, add in coconut milk and simmer for 10 mins or till oil floats on the top.
  • Serve hot. This kuzhambu pairs well with idli, dosa, chapathi, steamed rice, pulao and parotta.

Notes

  • Tender pieces of meat gives the best curry. While buying mutton check for shoulder pieces. My mother always says it suits well for curry. Tender pieces consume very less cooking time.
  • Adding salt in parts adds to taste of the dish. I usually add salt in bits starting from sauteing onion till the end. I do not prefer adding salt in the very end alone.
  • Sauteing all the ingredients in each step, ensures that there isn’t any raw smell from the meat or masala.
  • If using gundu vathal (dry red chilli variety), reduce the quantity, as they are really spicy.
  • While extracting coconut milk, add warm water and then extract so that we get more milk from the coconut.
  • If the curry turns out very spicy, add more coconut milk to balance the spice level.

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