Indian Mutton curry recipe

Ingredients

• 2 lbs (1 kg) mutton or lamb, cubed
• 9 cups (2¼ liters) water
• 2 in (5 cm) fresh ginger, sliced
• 10 green finger-length chilies, deseeded
• 10 shallots, peeled
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 4 large onions, peeled and sliced
• 6 cardamom pods, bruised
• 20 raw cashew nuts, ground
• 5 star anise pods
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 6 tablespoons meat curry powder
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup (250 ml) plain yogurt
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon ground white pepper
• 2 tablespoons tamarind pulp mashed with 4 tablespoons warm water, squeezed and strained for juice
• 4-6 green finger-length chilies, halved lengthwise and deseeded
• 6 small tomatoes, quartered

1. Cover the mutton with 8 cups (2 liters) water in a pot. Grind the ginger, chilies, shallots and garlic in a mortar or blender, adding 1cup (250 ml) of water to keep the blades turning. Add the ground mixture to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the meat is tender, about 1½ hours for mutton and 1 hour for lamb.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet and stir-fry the onions for 3 minutes. Add the cardamom pods, candlenuts or cashewnuts, star anise, cinnamon, curry powder and curry leaves and stir-fry for 5 minutes until fragrant. Remove from the heat and add the fried mixture to the pot with the mutton.
3. Add the potatoes, yogurt, salt, pepper and tamarind juice, and continue to simmer until the meat is soft and cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes. Add the green chilies and tomatoes if using and stir. Serve immediately with freshly cooked white rice.