Mom style typical Oriya mutton curry

Ingredients: 

~ 1 kg tendor mutton cut in 1” pcs

~ 3 medium sized potato peeled and cut into halves

~ 3 tbsp Mustard Oil for cooking (can use sunflower/canola oil instead)

~ 3 medium sized onions

~ 8 -10 cloves of garlic minced

~ 1” ginger minced

~ 1 bay leaf

~ ½” cinnamon stick

~ 3 cloves

~ 1 tsp cinnamon powder

~ 1 tsp Garam Masala or meat masala

~ ½ tsp sugar

~ Salt to taste

~ ¼ tsp Haldi (turmeric)

~ ½ tsp red-chilli powder (or as desired)

~ 1 small tomato pureed or diced

~ 1 dry red chili

 Method: 

~ Marinate the mutton with 1 tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp salt and keep aside

~ Make a smooth paste of onion, ginger and garlic

~ Heat up a Kadhai or any heavy bottom Pan, preferably a non-stick pan which would marginally reduce the amount of oil used.

~ Add 2-3 tbsp of cooking oil

~ Add a dry red chilly, cinnamon stick, cloves and bay-leaf

~ Add sugar to it ( as it gives colour to the gravy)

~ Add the onion paste and cook it till translucent (abt 5-7 mins)

~ Add ginger-garlic paste and cook it well

~ Add turmeric, garam masala, red chili powder and salt

~ When the above paste starts to leave oil, add the tomato puree and roast well

~ Add the marinated mutton at this point and stir well so tht the masala blends in with the mutton.

~ Add cinnamon powder to the mutton.

~ Cook the mutton on medium heat with occasionally stirring till oil starts to separate and you can smell the aroma.

~ Add in the tomatoes (alternatively u can sauté the tomato in oil separately and add at the end).

~ Transfer the above mixture to a pressure cooker and add water till it covers the mutton. ( the amount of water depends on the thickness of the gravy preferred).

~ Cook it till the cooker blows a whistle, then lower the flame to low and let it cook for 15-20 mins or till the mutton is cooked.

~ Open the cooker only when the pressure settles down and check for tenderness of the mutton, consistency of the gravy and salt.

~ Alternatively, you can take the pressure out after one whistle, remove the potatoes from the mutton, since the potatoes cook faster and re-pressure the mutton for 15-20 mins on low flame.

~ Garnish it with cilantro if desired and serve hot with steamed rice.