Meals · Rajasthan

Laal Maas

Rajasthan's fiery red mutton curry, cooked in ghee with a paste of Mathania chillies, yogurt and garlic, and finished with a puff of charcoal smoke.

Prep 25 min · Cook 100 min · Total 125 min + 1 hr marinade · Serves 4

Ingredients

Marinade

• 800 g Mutton, bone-in curry cut
• 1 cup Thick yogurt
• 20 Mathania dried red chillies
• 15 cloves Garlic
• 2 tbsp Coriander powder
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Salt

Curry

• 5 tbsp Ghee
• 2 Bay leaves
• 2 Black cardamom
• 4 Green cardamom
• 6 Cloves
• 1 inch Cinnamon stick
• 2 Onions, thinly sliced
• ½ tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped

Smoking (dhungar)

• 1 Small piece of charcoal
• 1 tsp Ghee

Method

1. Make the chilli paste. Stem and shake the seeds out of the chillies and soak in 1 cup hot water for 30 minutes. Grind with the garlic and a little soaking water to a smooth red paste.
2. Marinate. Mix the mutton with the yogurt, half the chilli paste, coriander powder, turmeric and salt. Cover and leave 1 hour, or overnight in the fridge.
3. Fry the onions. Heat the ghee in a heavy pot, add the whole spices and let them sizzle, then fry the onions until deep golden brown.
4. Cook the paste. Add the remaining chilli paste and fry on low, stirring, until the ghee turns red and separates.
5. Slow-cook the mutton. Add the mutton and its marinade and cook on medium for 10 minutes, stirring. Add 1 1/2 cups hot water and the remaining salt, cover and simmer on low until the meat falls from the bone and the gravy is thick, stirring every 15 minutes. Or pressure-cook for 6 whistles.
6. Smoke and serve. Heat the charcoal over a flame until red hot. Set it in a small steel bowl on top of the curry, pour over the ghee and cover the pot tightly for 5 minutes. Remove the bowl, scatter coriander and serve with bajra roti or rice.

Tips

Mathania chillies are prized for deep red colour with heat that builds slowly; the ghee should float red on top when it's ready. Rest it an hour before serving.