The recipe has flavours more familiar to Trivandrum and its environs as I developed it along with my husband, who belonged to the city. This goes well with Kerala Porotta — I have spelt it as it is pronounced in Kerala — and a basic green salad of onions and green chillies. The drink I would suggest is Kerala buttermilk. Of course, a typical local would suggest beer.

Ingredients

(To serve two persons)

Mutton 500 g, cubed
Onions 2 or 20 shallots, thinly sliced
Green chillies 2, cut on a slant
Ginger 1 inch piece
Garlic 3 cloves
Turmeric powder 1 tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tbsp
Coriander powder 2 tbsp
Pepper powder 1 tbsp
Meat masala 1 tsp
Garam masala 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves a few sprigs
Coconut slices 1/2 cup
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Coconut oil 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method

Cook the cleaned mutton cubes with salt, pepper powder and meat masala with about 1/2 cup water in the pressure cooker. Switch off the gas after two whistles and let it rest.

Heat the oil in a shallow thick-bottomed pan and add the mustard seeds. When it stops sputtering, add a few of the curry leaves, onions and green chillies. Fry till the onions become translucent. Crush the ginger and garlic in a pestle and add to the pan. Saute till the raw smell of the ginger-garlic paste recedes.

Reduce the flame and add the chilli powder and coriander powder and fry for a few seconds. Add the steamed mutton. Add turmeric and garam masala. Cook the mutton till the water dries up, stirring it frequently to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Heat some oil in a small frying pan and fry the coconut slices and the rest of the curry leaves. Add to the thickened mutton curry and continue to fry till all the water evaporates. By now each mutton piece should be well coated with the masala.

Serve hot with porotta, rice or soft bread.