Monday 16 January 2017

Mutton Varuval


Whenever I go to the Indian restaurant for my banana leaf fix, I will always zoom in for the dry mutton curry. I simply cannot resist. Fried chicken, fried fish, chicken curry, fish head curry - please step aside. I want mutton, mutton, mutton!


Mutton is something that I rarely cook. In fact, in my lifetime, I only cooked it twice here and here. Now that Jaya Grocer is so near my office, it is very convenient for me to buy mutton. And that's what I did the other day.


I searched high and low for my cookbook - Banana Leaf Temptations by Chef Devagi Sanmugam. I couldn't find it. Bah! 

Then I remembered the mini cookbook, Homestyle Indian Cooking, also by Chef Devagi. That's where I found this recipe - Dry Fried Mutton (Kari Varuval).

I doubled the recipe, sort of, because I had approximately 1 kg of mutton. If I am going to cook mutton curry, I might as well go for it and cook more. After all, curry freezes very well.


Once the mutton was in the pot, I let it simmer and went about my other endless chores. How long did it take to cook, errr.... I did not keep track but I am sure it was more than an hour.

When I had a taste, it wasn't outstanding, tasting like the regular curries that I usually cook. But I knew that the curry had to sit overnight to work it's magic. So I dished the whole lot into a corningware and kept it in the fridge.


The next day, I reheated the curry and wow, what a difference. Now it tasted like a proper mutton curry. So, if you cook this curry or any other curry, let it sit overnight for the flavors to develop before tucking in.

Mutton Varuval
Receipe source : Adapted from Homestyle Indian Cooking (page 59)

Ingredients :
- 1kg mutton cubes
- 1 cinamon stick
- 10 cardamoms
- 8 cloves
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 big onions, sliced
- 1 packet meat curry powder (25g)
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp coriander powder
- 500ml water
- salt to taste

Spice paste (blended) :
- 2 big onions, sliced
- 1 thumb sized ginger
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4 sprigs curry leaves
- 8 dried chillies, soaked to soften

Method :
1. Heat oil and fry cinamon, cardamoms, cloves, black peppercorns and fennel until aromatic.
2. Add onions and saute until onions become golden brown.
3. Stir in the blended spice paste, curry powder, garam masala and coriander powder (do this over low heat to prevent burning).
4. Add mutton and stir to coat the meat with the spice paste.
5. Add water and simmer covered.
6. When mutton is almost tender, remove lid and continue to simmer until gravy is thick and almost dry.
7. Season with salt to taste.

41 comments:

  1. rajin betul PH masak2. looks yummy

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  2. I loves mutton, prefer mutton to beef...

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    Replies
    1. Me like both, dunno which one to choose...

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  3. Mutton varuval is a must order for me too whenever I go for BLR! Must try this recipe when I have time.. after cny :P

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  4. i also always go for mutton instead of chicken. mutton tastes best when cook with curry which will enhance the taste of the mutton. will your mutton curry last you a month?

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    Replies
    1. What I have in the freezer right now is good for 6 individual servings. Curries can be frozen for up to 3 months.

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  5. Hi PH,
    Wah sedap tu mutton varuval..sy pun pernah msk varuval ni tp versi ayam.
    Nnt boleh cuba mutton plak

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  6. Wow! After beef curry, I could see you feasting on mutton curry. I prefer mutton more than beef curries as the meat tend to taste better in spicy curries.

    Last night I went to Starling and my wife said she would be doing her grocery there too! Looks like I would bump into you soon. I would start staring at every lady that looks like you. Aha!

    I ate at Rakuzen and the food was very good with reasonable price for big portions. Date your partner there ok.

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    Replies
    1. hah..hah..if I see you and your wife, I will say hello.

      OK, I will drag him to Rakuzen hee..hee..

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  7. Next time I have mutton I am going to try it๐Ÿ˜€

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  8. I like mutton too especially curry version! My colleague's wife cook pretty good dry mutton curry and always looking forward to this dish whenever he invites us for his Deepavali open house :P

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    Replies
    1. I want to cook more Indian dishes because I enjoy curries very much.

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  9. Mutton is something I only occasionally eat - cos most of the time I find it a bit too gamy and chewy - but if anyone can change my mind, you might! :D

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    Replies
    1. Oh, thank you hee..hee... If cooked with loads of spices, the gaminess is much toned down. It requires longer simmering to become tender.

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  10. Another winning dish๐Ÿ˜˜๐Ÿ˜˜๐Ÿ˜˜. Will pin it.

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  11. I don't eat mutton, PH. Kalau orang kata daging kambing ke apa ke, terus I terbayang-bayang seekor kambing berjanggut halus sedang asyik mengunyah. Hilang terus selera makan. Entahlah tak tahu gaya gitu tau!

    But, yes you're right. Curry ni kalau simpan overnight, oh my....licin pinggan dibuatnya tau. Sedap lain macam!

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    Replies
    1. Alamak, MD. Now I can't get the image of the kambing out of my head. LOL!

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  12. I love muyton but I dont cook them at home.

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  13. Mutton is lamb isn’t it? My favourite meat. Another recipe I seriously want to try. Sounds easy and delicious. At home, we love Indian food :)

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    Replies
    1. Yes, when the lamb gets old, it's mutton hah..hah... If you love Indian food, you will love this curry.

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    2. Thanks sweetie, I learned something today.:)

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  14. My girl's like you, a great fan of mutton.

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  15. WOW Phong Hong, this mutton varuval looks really very delicious! Wish that I can come over to your house now :D

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    Replies
    1. Ann, come, come. Still got some more in the freezer. LOL!

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  16. I dont like mutton. I cant stand with the smell. Tapi kalo bakar, i makan juga, tapi tk banyaklah

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    Replies
    1. Oh, ye ke? The smell is quite strong but cooked in curry, quite nice lah.

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  17. My hubby's favourite. I like it too. But now can only eat moderately.

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    Replies
    1. True, true. I also date not eat too often.

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  18. Isn't it wonderful when you can make a restaurant worthy dish at home? This looks like a winner!!

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  19. Mutton salah satu benda yg boleh kata i jarang beli PH. Tak taulah kenapa. Padahal ni feveret my hubby.

    Maybe next time boleh trylah...
    Ohhh....sos bbq pun belum terusik haha....

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    Replies
    1. Hainom, kalau Pak Jilap suka, kena masaklah....

      Sos BBQ tu dah expired ke? hah..hah...

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