Pudhina Mutton (Mutton with Mint)

Aaaahhh... Pudhina mutton... Just thinking of it makes me drool! I have to say that this is my all time favorite mutton dish. Amma has been making it for years. She made it on a whim the first time. I guess that was her mistake because every time we had mutton in the house, I'd ask her to make only pudhina mutton. It got to the point that she got tired of making it and would beg me to let her make something else. My poor mother!

Well, I finally got her to give me the recipe so I can stop bugging her for it all the time. It's really an easy method with a huge payoff in terms of flavor. I'd describe the taste as very "green." What I mean is that the predominant flavors are mint, coriander leaves, and green chillies. They give the masala a very fresh and vibrant flavor. It's also very different from the usual mutton fry recipe you might be used to making.

So, without any further ado, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

Mutton - 2 lbs, cleaned and cut into small pieces
Beaten curd - 1/2 cup
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Onions - 1, sliced finely
Lime juice - few drops
Salt to taste
Oil

For grinding into smooth paste:
Coconut - 1/2 cup of grated coconut (thengai thiruval)
Green chillies - to taste
Jeera seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
Black peppercorns (milagu) - 1 tsp
Mint leaves - 1 cup, packed
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup, packed
Garlic - 4 cloves
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Cook mutton until soft in pressure cooker with little turmeric powder and salt for 5-6 whistles (more or less depending on your mutton). Let pressure release. Keep the mutton cooking water left in the pressure cooker for the next step.

2. Heat oil in pan. Add masala paste and fry until raw smell goes away. Then, add water remaining in pressure cooker with mutton and curd. Let boil until the mixture thickens a bit.

3. Now, add the cooked mutton and let simmer for 10 minutes on low flame. Add more water if necessary and add more salt, if needed.

4. Separately, fry sliced onions in some oil until golden brown. Add this to simmering mutton.

5. Lastly, add garam masala powder as you are turning off the heat. Adding a few drops of lemon or lime juice will really enhance the flavor of this dish!

6. Serve this with any roti, pulav rice, or biryani.