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This is my mother-in-laws signature mutton curry which she served with much love Sunday after Sunday. Sadly she passed away too early for me to enjoy her delicious cooking. Apart from our holiday trips, after marriage, I was fortunate to stay three months with her before joining my husband in Kuwait.

My husband has just not had enough of this mutton curry and the turnips that go with it! He relishes the curry especially the turnips. Whenever turnips are in season, he invariably picks them up and when they enter our home they must end up in this curry. No, they absolutely cannot be cooked in any other way! But the truth of the matter is that they are amazingly delicious in this mutton curry. For those who are not very fond of turnips, potatoes are included and make sure to cut them in a shape different from the turnips, either in wedges or halves if the turnips are in cubes, because once cooked it is difficult to differentiate between the potatoes and the turnips in the curry. My children rarely eat turnips so the usual question when serving will be “Mama are the long pieces potatoes”?

So do cook and enjoy this tasty lip smacking curry, the only dish I learnt from my mother-in-law!!

Ingredients

To cook meat

• 1 Kg.  Mutton/Lamb
• 2 medium onions
• 2 tomatoes
• 2” pcs. Cinnamon
• 4 to 5 cloves
• 3 to 4 cardamoms
• ¼ tsp. peppercorns
• 1 tsp. salt or to taste

Vegetables

• 1 or 2 turnips
• 1 or 2 potatoes
• 1 to 2 cups French beans
• 1 cup green peas

Grind to a paste

• One bunch coriander leaves
• 6 green chillies
• 1.5”pc. ginger
• 6 flakes garlic
• 1 small onion
• 1 tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• ½ tsp. mustard seeds
• ¼ tsp. pepper corns
• ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
• 1” pc cinnamon
• 4 cloves
• 4 cardamoms
• 4 to 5 flakes tamarind
• 4 tbsp. heaped coconut powder
• 2 to 3 tbsp. coconut oil or ghee

Method

1. Clean, cut and wash mutton.  Drain and set aside. 
2. Chop the onions and tomatoes. 
3. Heat oil in a wide vessel. 
4. Add the onion and saute.
5. Add the whole spices. 
6. When onions are light brown, add the tomatoes and fry till soft.
7. Add the meat and saute, cook till meat changes color.
8. Then add sufficient hot water to cook the meat and bring to a boil. 
9. Lower heat and cook for one hour, stirring once or twice in between. 
10. After one hour add 1 tsp. salt, and check if meat is cooked. 
11. If still to cook, add hot water if required and cook further 15 to 20 minutes till tender.
12. As the meat is cooking, clean and prepare the vegetables. 
13. Cube the turnip into 8 pieces each, the potato into four wedges each, the French beans break into 2 to 3 pieces.  Shell the green peas clean if using fresh. Set the vegetables aside.
14. Meanwhile grind the masala to a paste. 
15. When the meat is tender add to the meat with the masala water and check required consistency. 
16. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.
17. Add the  turnips and French beans and cook 10 minutes. 
18. When turnips and French beans are almost done, add the potatoes and green peas and cook further 10 minutes till potatoes are cooked. 
19. Check seasoning and take off heat when oil surfaces. 
20. Serve with steamed rice, pulao, sannas, panpole, appam, bread, etc.