Mutton Teen Pyaza, my spin on the illustrious Mutton Do Pyaza. The latter is a star meat based curry dish in the Indian cuisine, rich, spicy and of course celebratory. The mutton teen pyaza is of course the same but uses onions three ways instead of two. If you ask me, does it make a whole lot of difference, I would say yes, cause the sauce or the gravy has a different texture, something which is definitely more preferred in my house.
This mutton curry is slow cooked and there is no way you can do it in an instant pot or pressure cooker if you want to bring in the authentic taste and flavor. The Mutton Teen Pyaza needs a lot of TLC and a considerable amount of time in hand. However, the first step to cooking a good mutton curry is the mutton itself. I generally get shoulder meat for this curry. And this is one curry where a little bit more meat than bones is preferred. The meat becomes fall-off-the-bone tender and moist and this particular dish is a huge favorite in my house with breads like pooris or paranthas.
Now when I say I use teen pyaza or using onion three ways, I mean, I use an onion paste, finely chopped onion and then lastly, deep fried onion slices. The recipe uses simple ingredients but the taste comes from the technique and of course as I said, the quality of the meat.
I am not a big red meat eater but a mutton curry in the Bengali culture has an epic significance and anything remotely celebratory requires a mutton curry of some sort. So, I cook mutton often and this recipe is my personal favorite for parties or any other special occasions. I also have an easy mutton curry, the regular fare that is cooked on Sundays at home with big hunks of potatoes in the blog.
Lastly, another ingredient which requires special mention in this whole story is the quality of fat being used, I mean the mustard oil and the ghee being used. A good mutton curry starts with a good mustard oil and is finished off with a good ghee. My ghee is either homemade or one from my trusted Bangladeshi store. And it’s the Bengali “gawa” ghee. That in conjunction with the freshly ground Bengali Garam Masala is the key to a heavenly mutton curry.
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Mutton Teen Pyaza – Mutton Curry
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Mutton Teen Pyaza is an exotic spin on the classic Indian Mutton Curry or Goat Curry Mutton Do Pyaza, even more delicious!
Ingredients
Mutton – 1 Kg
Ground onion – ½ cup (Onion ground in a food processor)
Finely chopped Onion – ½ cup
Thinly Sliced Onion – 1 big
Ginger – 1 ½ inch, finely chopped
Garlic – 5 medium cloves, finely chopped
Turmeric Powder – 3 tsp
Red Chili Powder – 11/2 tsp
Cumin Powder – 2 tsp
Coriander Powder – 2 tsp
Whole Red Kashmiri Chilies – 6-8
Plain Yogurt – 2 tbsp
Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp
Salt – To taste
Sugar – To taste
Green Cardamom – 5
Cinnamon stick – 2 inch
Bay Leaf – 2-3
Black cardamom – 1
Mustard Oil – ¼ cup + 2tsp+ 1 tbsp
Ghee – ¼ cup +2 tbsp
Cilantro – 2 tbsp finely chopped
Instructions
Soak the Kashmiri whole chilies in hot water for 20 -30 mins and then make a fine paste.
Add 2 tsp of mustard oil, 1 tsp of turmeric and the lemon juice in the meat and mix everything well. Let it stand for 20 mins.
In a pan add the mustard oil and let it get heated, add bay leaves and 1 inch cinnamon.
As it gets fragrant, add the finely chopped onion. Sauté till the onion gets translucent.
Now add the ground onion and keep sautéing. This takes a good 7-8 mins.
Now add the mutton and stir to mix. Keep stirring and cooking till the raw red color disappears.
Add 2 tsp of salt, the yogurt and mix it in and keep cooking.
In a bowl, add the chili paste, cumin powder turmeric powder, coriander powder, chili powder, 1 tbsp of mustard oil and stir to make an emulsion. Add the emulsion to the meat and mix it in.
At this stage there will be enough liquid in the meat to keep cooking in its own spices. Cover it with a lid, turn the heat to a low-medium and keep cooking.
Keep removing the lid and giving it a stir every 7-8 mins. Now depending on the quality of meat, it will take anywhere between 20-30 mins for the meat to cook and become tender.
Take out a piece of meat from the sauce and test it to see if it’s the right texture. If it looks cooked, check the seasoning and adjust. I add a ½ tsp of sugar too at this stage. Now give a final stir and remove from heat.
Heat the ¼ cup ghee in a separate pan. Add the finely sliced onion and fry till it becomes red and crisp. This takes easily 5-6 mins. Remove from ghee and keep in a paper towel.
In a mortar and pestle, make a fine powder of the cardamoms and a 1 inch of cinnamon stick,
Add 2 tbsp of ghee to the meat curry and the freshly ground masala. Give a stir and add the fried onions on top.
Add the cilantro and mix in. The mutton teen pyaza is ready to serve.
I also fry a few green chiles in the same ghee in which I fry the onions and add it to the sauce but this is my tweak and is completely optional.
Yes, you have to be mindful of the texture of the meat and keep checking. If you cook longer, the meat will disintegrate and the result will not be the same.
Yes, you could definitely cook but the slow braising actually brings out the taste. However, if you are in a hurry, I would suggest cooking the curry first on stove till the onions get cooked. This would take about 20 mins and then transfer the meat to the pressure cooker and cook for 5-6 whistles depending on the tenderness of the meat.
Yes, you could reduce the number of chilies. However, I use Kashmiri chilies here which really adds to the color more than the heat.
Yes, the same recipe would work.
No, you don’t need to marinate the mutton. Just add turmeric, a little lemon juice and two tbsp of mustard oil, mix everything and let the meat stand for 20 mins before cooking.