Mutton Makhni
And we have reached the end of the year 2020, even though it might have not been as great as we anticipated it to be, we have made it Alive! Alhamdulilah (Praise is to God) for all the blessings we still have. My heart goes out to all those who have faced calamities during this pandemic. Let us begin this new year by being grateful for all that we have.
Okay, coming to the recipe of the day, it is mutton makhni, something similar to butter chicken but way easier! This recipe was an inspiration from my bhabhi (sister-in-law)'s mom. One day, when she happened to stay with us she prepared something that looked like butter chicken but without the chicken, instead, the meat was mutton. I was surprised and wondered why I never thought of this idea before. When I asked her, what the name of the dish was, she said there was no specific name. Recently, I decided to re-create the dish, from what I understood by tasting it. And to my surprise, I nailed it!
The gravy is a thick concoction of every Indian basic curry flavors, which comprises of onion, ginger-garlic, green chilies, tomatoes, turmeric powder, chili powder, and garam masala. The sauteed and pressure cooked meat is then fished out from the prepared gravy. The gravy is ground to a fine paste which goes through a mesh strainer to give you a butter-like sauce, which is why I named the dish - Mutton Makhni. The gravy is velvety smooth and the mutton (lamb meat) is so tender that I felt no other name would have matched better!
Such a royal and rich gravy that you can't get enough! Try this recipe the next time you have a party and I am sure you are bound to please your crowd! And best part is that, this gravy is super easy to prepare unlike the classic butter chicken, which involves another step of frying the chicken.
Ingredients :
- 500 gms mutton
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 1/2 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 2 - 3 green chillies, slit (depending on spice level, I prefer less chillies as this dish isn't on the spicy side)
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 2 tsp Kashmiri Red chilli powder
- 1 tsp Garam masala powder
- 8-10 cashews
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli powder
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tbsp Tomato ketchup
- 1/4 tsp Garam masala
- 1/4 tsp dried Fenugreek leaves
- 2 tbsp cream
Instructions :
- In a pressure cooler, add in a tbsp of oil and Sautee your onions until translucent.
- Now add in your ginger-garlic paste and green chillies. Saute for around 30 seconds.
- Next add in your chopped tomatoes and cahsews, Sautee.
- Add your spice powders - Turmeric powder, Kashmiri Red Chilli powder, and Garam masala. Sautee for a minute on simmer.
- Add in your cleaned mutton pieces and add salt as required. (around a tsp and 1/4)
- Pour 1/2 cup water or until the mutton pieces are almost covered in water.
- After around 5-7 whistles (depending on the maturity of the meat), switch off and allow the pressure to release on its own.
- Once the pressure has released and you open the lid, fish out your mutton pieces and set aside.
- After allowing your curry to cool a bit, add the contents to a mixer grinder and grind to paste.
- Now into a steel skillet or casserole add in a tbsp of butter, and add in a tsp of Kashmiri Red Chilli powder for that extra deep color on the lowest heat setting.
- Immediately strain the ground paste using a steel strainer into the skillet or casserole and mix well.
- Pour in your milk to make your gravy thin but without losing its richness.
- Finish off with your garam masala and dried Fenugreek leaves.
- Add in your tomato ketchup or sugar for balancing. Check and adjust seasoning as required.
- Garnish with cream and Coriander leaves.
- Enjoy with ghee rice, chappathi or any rotis of your choice! 😋