Mutton Kuruma/ Mutton Stew

"Food is our common ground, a universal experience"

-James Beard

                                 I sincerely hope I could spend more time at blogging. But the thing is I get distracted by lots of other stuff which I enjoy doing from time to time.. The latest errand is making clothes for my baby girl. I used to stitch clothes for myself before and enjoyed it thoroughly. Now that I have a girl, my latest infatuation is making frocks for her.

                           And when I am caught up with designing the little dresses, I find that time just flies away without any regard for my bewildered self. I just get carried away by the designing, cutting, stitching and gawking at the finished product. Even in my dreams, I see my little girl fluttering in her beautiful summer dress in the enchanting breeze. Now, you get a hint of the measure of madness I actually am in! I myself think me nuts sometimes.. Frankly! So, the cooking, picturing, editing and all such stuff could wait for the time being. But still, I feel guilty about the blog , that I thought I would post a recipe which I drafted long  back.

                         Mutton Kuruma was one of the dishes I began making with mutton in my early days of experimenting. It was a total mess for the first few times I attempted it. But later I began to find balance in the amount of spices and texture of the curry and now it is one of Mr.KB's favourites (and mine too :)) I make it the same way my mom in law used to make but I omit adding yogurt for reasons of my own.

                      Being a child, I used to hate mutton. I was weary of its meaty taste and its fatty texture. But I guess your taste buds develop over time. Over the years I have found love in mutton preparations, if not as much as my better half. I guess the wall of hatred towards mutton began to collapse slowly after the marriage. The husband of the mutton hating girl was a great fan of the same. And during my early days of marriage, I used to watch in wonder as Mr.KB ate mutton with such pure indulgence and unadulterated mirth. I guess that was when I began to see mutton in a whole new perspective.

      This is the recipe of Mutton Kuruma, the North Kerala way..It is usually made with out adding turmeric powder and hence has a whitish to pale colour. It goes well with Aappam, vellappam, pathiri,ghee rice etc.

Things you need:

1/2 kg Indian mutton with bones, washed n drained
2 medium onions, diced
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground garlic
1 green chilli ground along with ginger and garlic
1 large tomato, diced
A piece of cinnamon stick(patta)
6 cloves (gramboo)
4 cardamom pods(elakka)
1 or 2 bay leaves.(patta ila)
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp fennel seeds(perum jeerakam)
1 tbsp lemon juice (instead of yogurt)
2 cups of thick coconut milk.
1 cup water
Coriander leaves, chopped,for garnishing
Salt to taste.
2 tbsp coconut oil

Preparation:

• Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add fennel seeds. When aroma comes out add cinnamon,cloves, cardamom and bay leaves. Saute in medium heat until aroma comes out. Then add the onion and saute until translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and green chilli. Stir well to avoid it sticking to the bottom of pan. Now add the diced tomatoes and cook until mushy.Add coriander and black pepper powders. Stir well to combine.
• Now add the mutton pieces. Stir well. Add the water and bring to boil. Add adequate salt and put the lid and weight on the pressure cooker. Cook on high until the whistle is blown. Now reduce the heat to minimum and let the mutton cook for about half an hour until well cooked and soft.
• Remove from heat and open the lid when ready.
• Add coconut milk and garam masala powder. Mix well.Put the cooker on heat again without the lid and remove from heat when the mixture just begin to boil.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice, chappatis or Aappam.