Mutton/Goat Curry is a classic Pakistani/Indian dish made with succulent pieces of mutton simmered in a a rich tomato based curry with a fragrant blend of spices. I happen to have perfected this curry and make it routinely for large family dinners.
How to Make the Best Mutton Curry
- Use Bone-In Mutton: I typically order shoulder mix at my butcher's; it has enough fat to meat ratio. The fat renders during the cooking process and makes the meat incredibly juicy and melt-in-your-mouth tender.
- Add Yogurt for Richness: Incorporate yogurt into the curry to tenderize the meat.
- Cook Until Super Tender: The mutton should be so tender after cooking that you can literally disintegrate the meat between your fingers.
Difference between Mutton and Goat
Mutton is the meat of a mature adult sheep between 2-3 years. However, in South Asia, Mutton is often referred to as the meat of a Goat which is actually incorrect. In terms of flavor, however, many people find mutton and goat to be slightly more gamey than lamb meat (young sheep less than a year old) due to tougher muscles. For this recipe, you can use mutton, goat or lamb.
How to remove the gamey taste in Mutton
I find that the gamey taste comes from a lack of spices. I have made this recipe countless times and never once found it to be gamey. Make sure that you do a proper "bhunai" of the meat with the spices before allowing the meat to slow cook.
Why Mutton Curry Is So Special
Mutton curry is luxurious. It's a popular dish served in Pakistani/Indian/Bengali weddings. It’s the kind of dish that requires you to throw a feast and invite your friends and family. Having said that, any Pakistani would tell you that you need no special occasion to make Mutton Curry. Growing up, I'd have mutton and goat at least once a week mostly at home. It looks complicated but is actually one of the easiest slow cooker recipes you can make.
What makes this curry stand out
- Bold Flavors: The combination of spices creates a rich taste.
- Tender Meat: Bone-in mutton pieces simmered until they’re juicy and flavorful.
- Customizable: You can make the curry thick to serve with naan or a you can keep it a bit more loose to serve it over Basmati rice.
Slow Cooker vs Instant Pot Mutton Curry
Slow-cooking Mutton Curry takes up to 2.5 hours depending on the cut of mutton and how big the pieces are. This method is perfect if have the time because while it takes long to cook, it is quite fuss-free. But when pressed for time, the Instant Pot is incredible. All you have to do is cook on sauté mode till step 5 in the recipe card, then pressure cook on high for 15-25 minutes depending on how big your pieces are. Note that you will need to properly finish the curry by "bhooning" at the end on sauté mode till the oil releases.
Cooking Methods for the Perfect Mutton/Goat Curry
Traditional Stove-Top Method
Slow-cooking on the stove is the traditional way to prepare mutton curry if you have the time.
- Sear mutton or goat pieces in hot oil with onion until lightly browned.
- Add spices and aromatics, sautéing until fragrant along with yogurt and tomatoes.
- Add water and simmer on low heat for 1.5 to 2 hours until the meat is super tender. It may cook a bit faster or take more time so keep an eye out.
Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
I have to admit I love the Instant Pot method and rely on this a lot more these days.
- Use the “Sauté” setting to sear the mutton with onions and spices.
- Add tomatoes and pressure cook on high for 15-25 minutes, depending on how big the pieces are.
- After releasing pressure, turn back to Sauté mode and add yogurt. In the Instant Pot, always add yogurt after pressure cooking because there is a high likelihood it will curdle if added in the beginning.
- Finish the curry like normal by doing bhunai till the oil releases.
Mutton Karahi | Restaurant Style Karahi Gosht- Slow Cooked
Ingredients
- ¾ cup oil
- 1 red onion chopped
- 2.5 lbs lamb or mutton on the bone cut in pieces
- 2 tablespoon ginger and garlic paste
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli this one has mild heat but lends a rich color
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder this one is hot so adjust according to taste
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ cup yogurt
- 5-6 tomatoes chopped
- 2 cups water
- 2 green chillies slit lengthwise
- handful cilantro leaves for garnish
- ginger "julienne" (sliced thinly) for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, add oil and fry onion until translucent.
- Next, add the meat and fry until no longer pink, about 6-8 minutes.
- Add in ginger garlic paste and mix well.
- Next, add in the ground spices including salt and mix for 4-5 minutes.
- Mix in the yogurt well and add the chopped tomatoes and mix.
- Pour in water and cook covered on low-medium heat for 2 hrs.
- At this point, the meat should be super tender and the oil should have separated. Add in the green chilli and julienned ginger and give it one last bhunai for a few minutes on medium heat.
- Garnish with more fresh julienned ginger and cilantro.
- Serve hot with fresh tandoori naan.
Raye
Can I do this in aslow cooker? If so, how long? thank you
Rookie With A Cookie
Hi Raye, for an instant pot version, you can follow this recipe I posted on my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7zwH1Jyn0E/
Tom
Made this because the steps were so simple and it absolutely banged.
Well worth the time
Rookie With A Cookie
Thank you Tom! Always a delight reading success stories 🙂
Bridges
Just love your recipe. Thank you.
Alright, but I have a few variations and will cook on an open fire. The idea of an open fire is to combine, mix different types of wood eg. Wattle, Gumtree, Mango and Guava woods. The mixture of wood flavors the food very well. Even a sugar bean curry comes out special on the mixed wood open fire.
Master Chef
It is very flavorless. Not enough spices. where are the cloves, cinnamon sticks, garam masala, and cardamom??
Fooddoc
It’s HER recipe and it’s superb. Try it!
Sania
Hi i have never tried any of ur recipes but i will try this one. I have a question it’s just me and my husband so 2.5 pounds of meat is to much for my household if I change the meat to around 1 pound what measurements would i have to change in the recipe to maintain the taste. Please reply soon thanks 🙂.
Reem Alabed
Hello 😊
To rescale the ingredients for 1 lb of meat instead of 2.5 lbs, you need to adjust each ingredient proportionally. Since you are reducing the amount of meat to 40% of the original (1 lb is 40% of 2.5 lbs), you should do the same with the other ingredients.
Here are the rescaled measurements adjusted for 1 Ib of meat:
1. Oil: 5 tablespoons
2. Red Onion: About 2/5 of a large onion or a small onion
3. Lamb or Mutton: 1 lb
4. Ginger and Garlic Paste: 212 teaspoons
5. Coriander Powder: 0.8 teaspoon
6. Cumin Powder: 0.6 teaspoon
7. Red Chilli Powder: 0.6 teaspoon
8. Salt: 0.5 teaspoon
9. Yogurt: 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
10. Tomatoes: 1.6 to 2 tomatoes
11. Water: 3½ cup + 2 tablespoons
12. Green Chillies: 1 small chili or less than a whole one
13. Cilantro Leaves: Small handful
14. Ginger "Julienne": Adjust as desired
This rescaling should provide a well-balanced flavor and consistency ❤️
Francis Dsouza
Hi Madam Rookie.
Your mutton karahi recipe looks very yummy and delicious. I will prepare it soon.
How much is 2.5 lbs mutton to kilo?.
Please let me know.
Thanks
Please also post a nice rich spicy thick gravy mutton masala restaurant style recipe.
Thanks again.
Regards,
Francis Dsouza.
Neeela
This is a really great mutton karahi recipe. I used goat meat and it turned out sooo good. We Ate it with roti. Highly recommend. The best part is that you don’t need any garam masala or whole spices, which tend to over power the food. Will definitely make again.
Rookie With A Cookie
Yes! I try my best to keep my dishes as simple as possible so you don't have to scramble for too many spices. So happy to hear this.
Francis
Hi.
Please let me know how much is 2.5 lbs of mutton in Indian measure.
Thanks.
Sara
2.5lb is just over a kg. 2.2lb are a kg. Hope that helps .
Gary K
Dear Madam Rookie, I liked your recipe, but I have a few suggestions, for your consideration ...
It will add a "je ne sais qua" - something special to your recipe.... and distinguish it from the others.
2.I found your cooking times of 2 or 3 hours, far too long and onerous. Nobody has that type of time in America (!). You might turn your readers off !
You either have to cut your mutton pieces smaller, or use a meat tenderizer or an Insta Pot,...... or Salt and season your mutton overnight.
In any case. you need to reduce your cooking time to no more than 45 mins to an hour, max. This is a humble suggestion.
I know in Bombay, some ismaili cooks cook the meat over a 12 hour period, but that is their business, unlike the american housewives who will be reading your delectable blog.
BTW, I am an indian man, >70 yrs old, and a dedicated cooking enthusiast. My wife cant cook for nuts,
Best wishes,
Rookie With A Cookie
Hey Gary, adding garam masala is a great addition. If you let it slow cook, the meat will develop great flavor. I will definitely share a quicker mutton curry recipe very soon.
Capt. Jayant Roy
Awesome recipe.
Came out as described and have already made it twice.
Only reduced the time by 15 mins as the meat had already cooked.
My wife and daughter loved it!!!
Rookie With A Cookie
I see you've been cooking up lots of deliciousness!:) So happy to have you try my recipes!
Ali
I am a very novice chef. I usually grill steaks, beef ribs, chicken on an egg shaped grill here in California. This is the first time I have cooked Goat Karahi on my egg shaped grill using coal. I have followed your recipe, with a slight modification (Followed everything for the first half: mixing all the spices, yogurt, tomato, and water on a stove for 30 mins, then slow cooked it for 2 hours at 200 to 250 degree Fahrenheit on Luisiana Egg shaped grill in a cast iron pan. I thought It came out pretty good in my view. Here is my wife's response after eating it: "I have never had such a tasty karahi in my life!"
Rookie With A Cookie
haha I would say your wife's response is better than "pretty good." Thank you for sharing your tip of cooking this in a grill. Love it! I'm sure it intensifies the flavor.
Sean
Hi
First can I say your chicken karahi recipe is the best karahi I have ever had ????
I tried the mutton recipe with boneless mutton and when I added the meat there was a lot of liquidd in the pan which was a cloudy brown colour should I of rinsed the mutton before I added to the pan? And does the recipe or method need amending for boneless mutton karahi?
Thanks
Rookie With A Cookie
Hi Sean, So glad you loved the Chicken Karahi recipe. I typically rinse most poultry and meat aside from minced to get rid of some of excess juices (i.e blood). However, official websites like the USDA do not recommend rinsing meat because meat is typically cleaned during processing, so you are fine. The cloudy is likely some of the blood which will get cooked off in the process. Not to worry.
Kristof
Hi,
Dish looks great and will try it later today if I find everything available in the shop. I have a question about the chili powder though. Is it the spicy kind which will make me run around crying? I saw in the video you use quiet some of it. Also, I have heard about kashmir red chilli powder, which should be far less spicy. Maybe it's this one you use...?
Since the Indian/Pakistani restaurant closed in the city, We never found a place where they offer good curries. We are learning to make it ourselves now lol. Not really succeeding if I may add. This one looks great though!
Rookie With A Cookie
This is Kashmiri red chili but you can use the same quantity of cayenne. The dish is not too spicy actually but if you want to be safe, I’d say cut down a 1/4 of the measurement I have shown. That should be about right for your first go 🙂 good luck!
Rookie With A Cookie
Hey Kristof! Just correcting my earlier comment. This is not Kashmiri red chili because you’re right, kashmiri chili is far less spicy and usually used for color. So use a spicy kind and you can cut it down by 1/4 tsp. Cayenne works too.
Alice
I was wondering if you have ever made it with goat? I have seen this meat used allot in restaurants. Would you have any suggestion about length of time to cook this meat in a kharahi?
Rookie With A Cookie
I make this with mutton or lamb depending on what’s available at my butcher’s. Either works wonderful. I haven’t had the need to switch up anything with the two meats. Same time works.
Abdul Hadi Wajid
Hey Izza
Delicious meat dish, I’m a big fan of lamb and this one really tasted well. Was easy to make too. Defo recommend it.
Waj
Rookie With A Cookie
Hi Wajid! I'm so happy to hear that. I make this karahi once in three weeks. Its so delicious and the flavors improve the next day.
Nazia
I don’t cook a lot but when I saw the pictures of Mutton Karhai recipe my mouth was watering and I knew I had to try it out. My whole family loved it and I received tons of compliments. The best part - it is so easy to make it ????
Thank you rookie with a cookie for sharing your amazing recipes with us. You rock!!
Rookie With A Cookie
This made my day Nazia! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. It really means a lot. This is one of my absolute favorites (because the magic happens with slow cooking) and I'm so happy your family loved it.
Francis Dsouza
Hi.
Please let me know how much is 2.5 lbs of mutton in kilos.
I will definitely make your yummy and delicious mutton recipe very soon.
Thanks and regards.
Francis Dsouza.
Rookie With A Cookie
roughly 1150 grams