Hello, reader. We’ve found ourselves in very strange and (hopefully) unusual times, haven’t we? I hope you are staying in, and taking this time to slow down and maybe talk to your plants a little longer every morning, and cook a little more elaborately than you would normally, and generally try to make something good out of this shitty situation.
I’ve been cooking like my life depends on it, and while my life doesn’t actually depend on it, my sanity sure does. It has been comforting to have an online community to turn to, and share with, and it has made me marvel at how connected we are even in our isolation.
I came here to tell you about a part of my life that I haven’t really written about before, which is my husband, Sajjad, fellow comrade in the kitchen, and maker of the best mutton curry in the world. Sure, I may be a little biased, but I’m going to leave the recipe below so that you can decide for yourself.
Sajjad and I got married last December in Kannur, my hometown, surrounded by family and our closest friends. I was 100% prepared for the chaos and the madness, but I wasn’t prepared for how lovely it feels to have everyone you hold dear around you, to celebrate you and your partner.
We met in Bangalore, and he is what one might call a tech nerd. Sorry, Sajjad, but it’s true. He makes maps and writes code and has the best podcast playlist of anyone I know. When I married him, I inherited several musty old maps that he’s been hoarding for years, an Indian flag that is as tall as me — that will surely come in handy for the revolution — and a couch that looks exactly like the one I already own.
But, I have also inherited a life-time supply of truly spectacular coffee, a bookshelf that is somehow, magically, full of all the books that I’ve wanted to read over the years, and this recipe for mutton curry.
I’m sure I have the chronology wrong, but in the way that our brains rearrange events to form a cohesive narrative, my memory of the moment I decided I was going to marry him was when he one day, very casually said to me, “Nigel Slater has a new book out, shall we get it?“
A boy after my own heart.
Sajjad’s Recipe for Mutton Curry
(Adapted from a family recipe)
Ingredients:
1/2 kilo mutton, curry cut with bones
3 medium-sized onions, thinly sliced
3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
4-5 green chillies
1/2 inch piece of ginger
6 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp red chilli powder
2 tbsp coriander powder
2 tbsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Small handful coriander leaves, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Lime for serving
Salt
For the marinade
1/4 cup curd
Pepper
Salt
Method
Marinate the mutton in the curd, salt and pepper. Set aside for 30-40 minutes. This helps to tenderise the meat.
Next, make a coarse paste with the garlic, ginger and green chilli in a mortar and pestle or a grinder.
In a medium-sized pressure cooker, heat the oil. Sauté the onions with a little salt, stirring constantly, until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Do this on a medium flame.
Add the coarsely ground paste and continue sautéing until the aromatics stop smelling raw.
To this, add the tomatoes, and keep stirring until the tomatoes are cooked, about 5-6 minutes.
Next, add the chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric and coriander powder. Add a little water to make sure the powders don’t burn. Mix well and let the powders cook for a minute.
Meanwhile, rinse the mutton to remove the marinade, and add this to the pressure cooker.
Add salt, and let the fat from the mutton render, about 5 minutes.
To this, add 4-5 cups (or enough to cover the mutton) of hot water, mix well and pressure cook on medium low for 35-40 minutes.
When the pressure has naturally released, open the cooker and reduce the gravy to your preferred thickness. Add the coriander.
Check for seasoning and add a generous pinch of black pepper.
Finally, add a squeeze of lime, and serve hot.
Delicious served with ghee rice, malabar parrota or Sajjad’s favourite, a ghee roast dosa.