NO OIL SUKHA MUTTON

Whenever I think of mutton I visualise of a bowl full of soft, succulent mutton pieces soaked in a gravy that is more of oil. Talking about yesteryears, in an average Bengali home mutton meant cooked in generous amount of oil. At times forgetting that mutton itself releases its own fat which is good enough for the whole dish to be cooked or may be a little amount of oil is required. Me, an authentic Bengali do the same, perhaps by default. These days I feel a kind of guilty using too much oil in cooking. Considering the health hazards, I am trying to cut down on the use of oil in any dish, particularly in meats.

Just few days back was talking to a g+ friend on food and cooking. She said at her home mutton is cooked in no oil. They marinate the mutton with spices for quite long hours and slow cook it. I quite liked the idea and thought of cooking mutton without oil. I forgot to ask what spice combination she uses and used my own combination of spices. I kept it sukha [dry], as I wished to serve  it with flat breads. You can always keep the gravy according to your requirement or preferences. So here goes the recipe which is quite simple.

INGREDIENTS :

Goat Meat : 500 gm

Plain Yogurt : 200 gm

Onion Paste : 3 tbsp

Garlic Paste : 3 tbsp

Ginger Paste : 1 tbsp

Coriander Powder : 1 tsp

Salt : As required

Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp

Red Chilli Powder : 1 tsp

Garam Masala Powder : 1 tsp

METHOD :

Clean and wash the mutton thoroughly. Add onion paste, ginger-garlic paste, salt and turmeric to it.

Beat the yogurt and pour onto the mutton. Mix the whole thing nicely. Keep refrigerated overnight  in an airtight container. Take out at least one hour before cooking.

Heat a wok properly on the gas top. Once heated, pour the marinated mutton along with all the marinade.

Stir for 3-4 minutes at high heat. Lower the heat to minimum and cover the wok.

Let it cook on its own. You can see the yogurt releasing water and the mutton its own fat. Stir occasionally. 

When the mutton is about 80% done, add the coriander powder and chilli powder. Stir and cover.

After 10-15 minutes add the garam masala powder and stir. Switch of after 3-4 minutes.

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with flat breads or flavoured rice varieties!!