TANGY N HOT MUTTON CURRY

Today is my brother's birthday and he is extremely fond of Mutton....curry or dry. He shares his birthday with a great man of all time Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. It is a prescribed holiday in West Bengal. Hence we always had a grand spread on this day. I do miss him on this day. Since I cannot be with him on this day, I prepared this dish for him on my last visit to Kolkata this winter. I t was such a pleasure to see him happy. There is nothing more satisfying in seeing your loved ones enjoying what you cook. So far his birthday is concerned, the mamma's boy's mom and an extremely adorable wifey is there to take care of. So I am at peace. 

Many a tangy-sweet memories are peeping in. We fought like two warring nations...two diagonally opposite characters...me too quiet and he a naughty chatter box. Buttt....whenever anyone uttered anything against him....his ever protective sister was always standing before him...he was the one who cried inconsolably on the next day of my marriage, when I was leaving my parent's home to embrace a new life. A happy go lucky character, he is too fond of cricket and crazy about formula 1 races. 

Today is also the marriage anniversary of T's sister, wish them both happiness forever! My son & the man enjoys mutton, also parents; so why not? This Mutton Curry I cooked just the traditional Bengali way without the potatoes though. Bengali Chicken or Mutton Curry usually have potatoes in them. We usually like to make it red and hot, hence use dry red chillies instead of green chillies. Even tomatoes were not used traditionally. Read somewhere tomatoes were not used in Bengali cooking, may be a century back and termed as 'bileti begun', meaning Foreign Eggplants.

INGREDIENTS :

Mutton : 1kg

Onion : 4 [big]

Tomato : 2 standard sized 

Garlic Paste : 2tbsp

Ginger Paste : 2tsp

Coriander Powder : 1tsp

Dry Red Chilli Paste : 1tbsp

Bengali Garam Masala : 1/2tsp [ a powder made from of dry roasted cinnamon, green cardamom and cloves] [use 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp green cardamom, 2 pinch of cloves powders]

Lemon Juice : 1/2 small tea cup

Salt : As required

Turmeric : 1tbsp

Bayleaf : 1

Oil[mustard] : 4 tbsp + 2tbsp for marination

METHOD :

Wash the mutton thoroughly. Get the juice from the 2 lemons. Make paste from garlic, ginger and red chillies separately. Marinate the mutton with 2 tbsp oil, lemon juice, and 1/2 tsp of ginger, garlic, red chilli paste, turmeric and salt. Keep marinated for at least 3-4 hours in an air tight container in a refrigerator. Take out an hour before cooking.

Wash, peel and slice the onions. Heat the oil in a wok. Temper with bayleaf and add the sliced onions. Fry at low heat until brown. Add the rest of the ginger, garlic and red chilli pastes and fry till the oil separates. 

Now add the salt, turmeric and the coriander powder and sauté for a minute. Add the marinated mutton with all the marinade. Mix well and cover. Turn the heat to minimum. You have to uncover and stir every 3-4 minutes. Do this till all the water dries up which may take about 45 minutes. 

Wash, cut & add the tomato, cover cook at minimal heat! Once the water dries up, add 2 coffee mugs of warm water. Stir and cover again. After 10 minutes, open and add the garam masala powder, give a stir. Boil for another 2 minutes and switch off.

Remember the whole dish is to be prepared in slow fire. Be careful about the amount of oil you use, because there will be lot of mutton fat oozing out and mix with the gravy. Although this island's mutton variety does have no fat!

Enjoy with plain rice, sweet pilaf, vegetable pilaf or your choice of breads!