Andhra Mutton Curry

Source: Once again, Ms. Punjabi's 50 Great Curries of India

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli pwdr
1/2 tsp cayenne pwdr
1/2 tsp turmeric pwdr
a few sprigs cilantro leaves, chopped
1 lb stewing lamb
1 1/2 large onions, chopped fine
4 green cardamoms
4 cloves
2 tomatoes, chopped fine
10-12 curry leaves
1/2 tsp caraway seeds (i skipped this because I didn't have it)

Whisk the yogurt, turmeric, ginger-garlic pastes, chilli and cayenne pwdrs and the cilantro leaves together to make a thick marinade. Coat the meat with this mixture, and marinate for 1-2 hours.

In a deep pan, add oil and when heated add the cardamoms and cloves. After 1 minute, add the chopped onion and let it brown for 5-7 minutes. When onions are browned, add the meat mixture. Let the meat cook on medium/ low heat for 15 minutes, until the marinade is absorbed. Make sure you are stirring continuously so that the marinade does not burn. I noticed that at the end of 15 mins, the water from the yogurt had evaporated and the gravy had taken on a slightly brownish color. Now, add the tomatoes and cook again for 5 mins till the water is absorbed. Add the curry leaves, caraway seeds and salt. Cook for 2 minutes.

At this point, I transferred the contents of the pan into a slow cooker, added 3 cups water, and let the meat cook for 2-3 hours. Alternatively, you can add 2-3 cups water to the pan on the stove and cook the meat covered on slow heat until it is tender.

This recipe was DELICIOUS and is a MUST TRY! I thought it would turn out too spicy, but the yogurt tempers the chilli powders. ENJOY!