Mutton chaap is a rich Mughlai / Awadhi dish and is usually served along with biryani or roomali roti. Its very easy to make and is absolutely delicious.
Ingredients (Serves 5 – 6)
1. Mutton – 1 kg (Use tender mutton chops/goat ribs for this recipe. You can try it with regular bone-in mutton pieces also, but mutton chops are preferred)
2. Oil – 1/4 cup + 2 – 3 tbsp (Use vegetable oil, ghee or extra light olive oil)
3. Onion – 1 medium-large, peeled and roughly chopped
Ginger – 1.5 inch, roughly chopped
Kashmiri chilly powder – 1.5 tsp
4. Cashews – 15
White poppy seeds – 2 tbsp
Whole black pepper corns or white pepper corns – 1 tsp
Cloves – 8
Cinnamon – 1 inch
5. Yoghurt – 3/4 cup
6. Salt – To taste
7. Kewra water – 1/2 tsp
8. Ghee – 1.5 tsp
Graam masala powder – 1/8 tsp (optional, recipe below)
Method
1. Pound the flesh part of the mutton chops carefully with a meat mallet or the back of your spoon. This step is to ensure faster and even cooking of meat and it will help the meat absorb all the flavors and spices.
2. Grind ingredients numbered 4 to a fine powder in the small jar of a mixie or in a mortar and pestle.
3. Coarsely grind onion, ginger and chilly powder in a food processor or large jar of a mixie. Immediately add yoghurt, salt and ground cashew mixture. Grind to a coarse mixture. Taste-check for salt. Marinate mutton pieces with this onion mixture for at least 2 – 3 hrs or overnight in the refrigerator. Half hour before you are ready to cook, take it out and keep outside at room temperature.
4. Pour 1/4 cup + 2 – 3 tbsp oil in a large heavy-bottomed kadai. Place the marinated mutton pieces in the kadai. Cook at medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Mix well. Bring down the heat to medium-low or low. Cook covered for about 45 minutes – 1 hour until the mutton pieces are completely done and oil separates on top. Stir 2 – 3 times in between to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the kadai. Once the mutton pieces are done, add 1 tsp kewra water,1.5 tsp ghee, 1/8 tsp garam masala powder and switch off. Mix well. Cover with a lid and set aside for 15 minutes. Serve with naan/ roti/ biriyani / pulao etc.
Tip
* Kewra water and ghee adds a very nice aroma to this dish. If you don’t have kewra water, you can try replacing it with 1/4 tsp rose water.
Garam masala powder recipe
- Cumin seeds – 1 tbsp
- Black pepper – 1.5 tsp
- Cloves – 1/4 tsp
- Black cardamom – 1
- Cinnamon – 1/4 inch
Grind the above ingredients to a fine powder. You need only about 1/8 tsp for this recipe. Store the remaining in an air-tight container to use later.
Recipe Courtesy – Zahera Ummat
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