Matka Gosht -- Mutton in an Earthen Pot

Mutton for me always meant a lot of work starting from overnight marination to a never ending task of frying the meat on medium flame till oil starts separating from the spices. The procedure no doubt makes the dish truly delicious but it leaves the maker really exhausted. With the kind of short cut dishes that I have been cooking these days without any compromise on taste, I had to have a short cut for a delicious mutton curry as well. The recipe  is similar to the popular Kashmiri Makhni Gosht but with my personal additions. While I cooked the mutton in the pressure cooker, I transferred the curry to an earthen pot to reduce and to infuse earthy flavors and that indeed did the trick for s super yummy mutton gravy. 

Ingredients 

500 gms mutton 

1 large onion chopped 

1 tbsp ginger julienned plus extra for garnish 

1/2 cup yogurt whipped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp shahjeera

3 green cardamoms, 3 cloves, 1" piece cinnamon, 8-10 black peppercorns 

1 tsp fennel seeds 

6-7 whole kashmiri red chilli roasted and crushed 

1 tsp kashmiri chilly powder (to make it spicy you can use spicy chilli powder)

2 tsp meat tenderizer or 2 tbsp grated raw papaya

1/2 tsp turmeric powder 

1 tsp good quality garam masala powder 

1 tsp ginger powder 

Salt to taste

1-2 tbsp butter

Oil as required 

Fresh coriander for garnish 

Direction 

Wash and clean the meat. Smear the meat with salt, chilli powder, meat tenderizer or grated papaya and mix well. Cover and keep aside for at least 2-3 hours. I did this early in the morning even before my morning tea so that my meat is ready to be cooked by mid morning. 

Heat oil in a pressure cooker and splutter the cumin seeds and shahjeera. I used the pressure cooker only for cooking while I did the frying in a pan as I find it difficult to do the same in my cooker. Add the fennel seeds and the whole garam masala. Now add the onions and fry till golden followed by the ginger juliennes. Add the crushed kashmiri chillies, ginger powder, turmeric powder and whipped yogurt. Fry till oil starts appearing as droplets on top. 

Now add the mutton along with any juices from the marinade and fry on a high heat till the meat changes colour. Now transfer the contents of the pan (if using) to a pressure cooker (if not already using) and add 1/2 cup of water and pressure cook till done. 

Let the pressure release on its own and then transfer the meat along with the gravy to an earthen pot and put the pot on a low flame. We now need to reduce the gravy as per our requirement and infuse some earthy flavors. You can already see a lot of oil and fat floating on top which indicates that the meat is well cooked. Now add the garam masala powder and butter and cover and cook on a low flame till the gravy reaches your desired consistency. Check for seasoning and serve hot garnished with fresh coriander leaves. If you do not have earthen pot, you can reduce the water added to 1/4 cup and then reduce the gravy as required in the cooker itself. You can also put inside a piece of burnt charcoal in an aluminium foil bowl to infuse smoky flavors.