Special Sunday Lunch - Simple Mutton Curry and Zaafraani Pulao

What’s your Sunday Lunch?

When we were kids, Sunday would be an important day. Going to church first with our parents and siblings with our best clothes and then our folks would go to the market to get the best meat or fish to cook for our Sunday Lunch. Pork was always the main item on the menu and we would have either a sorpotel or vindaloo or pork or beef roast.

Mutton being the most expensive meat was purchased on few occasions. I was not very fond of mutton as pork was always my favourite meat. However, it was very delectable as it had its own distinct taste and flavour. Biryani was and still is my favourite (mutton) but one of my favourite curries was one without any garam masalas and dry ground spices. I would always like the curry prepared by my mom which was with nicely browned onions, ginger garlic chilles and other wonderful herbs. This would bring out the flavours of the mutton rather than what the dry ground spices do, i.e. suppress the flavours and make it spicy masaledar and which I rarely indulge.

Sari has mastered the preparation of this dish and this preparation was again lip smacking and delicious. The last time I got some wonderful cuts of mutton with nalli (leg bone marrow) that had the creamy buttery marrow oozing out and the dish turned out fantastic. She also made a Saffron infused Pulao which was superb and went so well with the mutton gravy. Another yummilicious preparation.

Simple Mutton Curry

 Ingredients

1 kg mutton  medium size pcs (washed)

3 med tomatoes finely chopped

3 big onions finely chopped

2 inch pc of ginger finely chopped

7 to 8 big flakes of garlic  finely chopped

3 green chillies  slit in the center

1 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ bunch of  coriander leaves washed & finely chopped

¼ bunch of  mint leaves washed and finely chopped

¼ cup of oil

Salt to taste

Method

In a pressure pan add the washed meat with salt, 2 cups of water and cook till tender.

In a pan take oil and heat it on high flame, add chopped onions and fry  till it turns light golden brown.

Add the chopped tomatoes and fry till the oil comes to the surface.. add the chopped ginger and garlic fry well. 

Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, Stir well.

Add the boiled meat with water stir and let it cook on high flame till it boils vigorously.

Add green chillies, chopped coriander and  mint leaves, reduce the flame.

Cook on slow flame with closed lid for 20 minutes.

Adjust salt if required, Enjoy with Zaafrani Pulao…

Zaafrani  Pulao ( Saffron Rice)

Ingredients

4 cups of India Gate Basmati rice (wash it 3 to 4 times and soak it in water for 1 hour)

4 maggi cubes  (chicken or  vegetable) (there are 2 cubes in a box)

6 tbsp pure amul ghee

½ tsp saffron (zaafraan)

6 cups of boiled water

2 medium onions thinly sliced

Method

In a big handi take ghee, once the ghee is hot add the onion and fry till it’s lightly browned,

Add 6 cups of boiled water, add the cubes,rice and saffron. Let it boil for 5 minutes.

Mix it well, close the handi with foil.. close the lid tightly over the foil.

Let the rice cook on very very slow flame for 15 minutes. Put off the flame.

Open the lid, fluff the rice with a fork and close the lid and let it cook for  another 5 minutes in its own steam.

Voila zaafraani pulao is ready to be served with lip smacking mutton curry.

Enjoy…..Leave  in your comments if your family really enjoyed this yummy mutton curry and zaafrani  pulao