Dish of Goat Korma
(click to enlarge)

"Mutton" / Goat Korma


India - Telangana   -   Khawan Doom
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 6 w/rice
****
3-3/4 hrs
Yes		 This dish is in the style of Hyderabad, so it is more closely related to the softly spiced Mughlai cuisines of northwest India than to those of the rest of southern India.
In India the word "mutton" commonly refers to goat, not to mature sheep. Goat is the main meat of India, but during the Raj, the British called it "mutton" to make it taste more British, and the name stuck. This has caused a lot of confusion in recipes.

1-1/4
-------
5
3/4
-------
1-1/2
1
12
-------
1
1/2
1/4
3/4
6
6
1
1/2
-------
1/2
ar
4
2/3
4
#
---
cl
in
---
#
#
oz
---
t
T
oz
oz


in
t
---
c

T
t
c
"Mutton" meat (1)  
-- Marinade
Garlic
Ginger root
------------
Onions
Potatoes (2)
"Pumpkin" (3)
-- Spicing
Caraway seed
Coriander seed
Chironji (4)
Coconut, dried (5)
Cloves
Cardamom pod
Cinnamon (6)
Chili powder
-------------
Yogurt
Oil (7)
Ghee (8)
Salt
Water
Prep   -   (1 hr exclusive of de-fat & de-bone Goat)
  1. Trim away excess fat and remove bones from MUTTON. Cut into pieces about 1-1/2 inches on a side or however it works out.
  2. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Slice GINGER very thin and chop fine. Mix and pound to paste in a mortar.
  3. Massage Garlic mix into Mutton and set aside until needed.
  4. Quarter ONIONS lengthwise and slice thin crosswise.
  5. Peel POTATOES and cut into pieces about 1 inch on a side.
  6. Deep fry Potatoes until a light blonde, or pan fry (see Note-7). Do this while doing other prep work. Drain and set aside.
  7. Peel "PUMPKIN" and cut into cubes about 1 inch on a side.
  8. Separately dry pan roast Caraway and Coriander until aromatic but darkened just a shade. Roast Chironji until light golden. Cool them well. Grind all Spicing items as fine as you can get them. Mix all.
Run     -   (2-3/4 hrs)
  1. Massage Spicings mix into the Mutton, then stir in yogurt.
  2. In a spacious coverable sauté pan (3 qt), heat Ghee over moderate flame and fry Onions stirring over declining heat until light blonde, taking care they don't stick to the pan.
  3. Stir Mutton mix into the pan with the Onions. Fry stirring until all liquid has evaporated and the oils starts to separate. Scrape the fond off the bottom as you go. If it won't scrape any more - then watch it. It should remain reddish. If it starts to trend towards chocolate go on to the next step immediately.
  4. Stir in 4 cups Water. Scrape up the fond and bring to a boil, cover tightly and simmer, stirring now and then, until goat is 2/3 done, about 1-1/3 hours.
  5. Stir in Potatoes, "Pumpkin" and Salt. Cover and simmer, stirring now and then, until goat is tender, about 30 minutes.
  6. Check consistency. Add boiling water if needed (the onions and roasted spices will thicken it greatly).
  7. Serve with plenty of steamed Jasmine rice (it's closer to the rice used in southern India than Basmati is). You could also serve with hot Roti (flat breads).
NOTES:

  1. Mutton:

      This can be Goat, Sheep, or even Lamb. I prefer Goat, and can get it cheaper than Mutton or Lamb. This is important, because all these are 1/3 bone, 1/3 fat and 1/3 meat, so your cost for meat will be three times the already high price marked.

  2. Potatoes:

      White Rose or similar work well for recipes of this sort. Avoid "Yukon Gold" type potatoes as they disintegrate into mush if cooked a little longer than the minimum. For details see our Potatoes page.

  3. Gourd:

      The pattern recipe calls for "pumpkin, ash gourd or squash". "Pumpkin" doesn't mean our Halloween type, but a cooking type winter squash like Kabocha or Acorn Squash. Gourds are less sweet, but hold their shape well in cooking. Ash Gourd (Winter Melon) is good, but the photo example was made with easily available Opo Squash (Bottle Gourd). For details see our Gourds and Squash pages.

  4. Chironji:

      [Charoli] This ingredient is much used in Telangana, but very difficult to find in North America. I use split raw cashews as a substitute. For details see our Charoli page.

  5. Coconut:

      The pattern recipe calls for "a 2 inch piece of dry coconut". I have estimated the intended weight and replaced it with dried grated coconut which is more available and much easier to deal with.

  6. Cinnamon:

      In India real Cinnamon is used rather than the Cassia Bark common in North America. Real cinnamon is a lot easier to grind, and can be found in the spice section of almost any market serving a Mexican community. For details see our Cinnamon / Cassia page.

  7. Ghee

      This is thoroughly clarified butter, available in jars in most markets serving Indian communities. Use only "butter ghee", the vegetable stuff often contains lots of deadly trans fats. Other choice would be Avocado Oil (buttery), Coconut Oil (used in the region) or Pure Olive Oil (not virgin).

  8. Oil:

      This is oil for deep frying the potatoes. If you don't have it handy you can fry the Potatoes in the oil that will be used to fry the Onions, more attention needed, but workable. Add a little more oil as needed.

  9. Changes:

      I have re-sequenced this recipe and changed some quantities, because I didn't like it made as in the pattern recipe (way too much sauce, not enough goat, and potatoes dissolved to mush). I also added a little Chili Powder to brighten it up (I live in Southern California where a stew without at least some chili is unthinkable). The amount I used is barely detectable. Easily available Reshampatti powder is appropriate for the region. The pattern recipe also included 1/4 t Saffron, but in a recipe with so much spicing I don't think the expensive Saffron contributes much, it's just traditional in the (formerly) Muslim Hyderabad cuisine.
  10. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch tt=to taste ar=as required
imm_goatkor1 150411 eacb102   -   www.clovegarden.com
©Andrew Grygus - agryg@clovegarden.com - Linking and non-commercial use permitted