VARUTHARACHA MUTTON CURRY

     Varutharacha Mutton Curry has a tradition of its own, when it comes to Kerala Cuisine and it is one of our family recipes followed for more than three generations.  This is our Grandmother's recipe i.e my FIL'S mother's recipe -Teresa Ammoommas Erachi Curry.  An authentic native style of Trissur/Chalakudi region, Mutton/Beef Curry prepared with roasted Coconuts & Spices which gives a wonderful aroma and flavour to this curry.
      My FIL was a person who wanted at least one Non-vegetarian dish in his daily menu, anything as a matter of fact.  He was not a very specific person when it came to food.  But I have always heard him ask for Parippu Curry with Potatoes and this Varutharacha Mutton Curry(his mother's speciality) most of the time.  Potato is a must have add on in any non vegetarian curry in our household and this curry also comes along with Potatoes.  But this curry is traditionally prepared along with Coconut bites/Ash Gourd/Potatoes.
     What makes this Varutharacha Curry special is the  roasted coconuts & spices.  The colour, flavour & texture of Varutharacha Mutton curry totally reflects perfectly roasted Coconuts & Spices.  The same recipe can be prepared with Chicken/Beef too.



Cuisine - Kerala
Recipe Type - Curry
Course - Side Dish
Spice Level -Medium - High
Difficulty - Medium
Serves - 4- 6
Author - SM

Preparation Time - 20-30 Minutes
Cooking Time - 30-45 Minutes


For more MUTTON Recipes, Click here...

HOW TO COOK VARUTHARACHA MUTTON CURRY

INGREDIENTS :

Mutton - 500 Gms
Potatoes - 4 Nos.
Onion - 2 Nos.
Ginger - 1" Piece -  1 No.
Curry Leaves - a Sprig
Tomato - 1 No
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Tspn
Red Chilli Powder - 1 Tbspn
Coriander Powder - 1 Tbspn
Coconut Oil - 2 Tbspn
Salt - To Taste

To Roast & Grind :

Fennel Seeds - 1/2 Tspn
Poppy Seeds - 1/2 Tspn(Optional)
Cloves - 2-3 Nos.
Cinnamon - 1" Stick
Cardamom - 1 No.
Pepper Corns - 1/2 Tspn
Grated Coconut - 3/4 Cup
Garlic - 3-4 Cloves
Coconut Oil - 1 Tbspn

METHOD :

To Cook Mutton :

• Clean, wash & dice the Mutton into cubes and allow it to drain in a colander.
• Peel, wash & dice the Potatoes and soak it in water until you use it.
• Heat Oil in a Pan/Pressure Cooker.
• Saute finely chopped Onions, Ginger and Curry Leaves.
• Saute the ingredients on a medium flame until Onions turn translucent.
• Add Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Coriander Powder to the above and fry it on a very low flame until the raw flavour goes.
• Add finely chopped Tomatoes and saute it well.
• Cook until the Tomatoes turn soft and oil separates from the masala mix.
• Can sprinkle some water if needed.
• Add Mutton pieces to the Masala along with Salt and mix well.
• Pour 1/2 a Cup of Water(or as required to cook Mutton).
• Cover the Pressure Cooker with the lid and cook until the meat turns tender and soft.
• Once the Meat is cooked add the diced Potatoes and cook for another whistle or until potatoes turn soft. 
• Switch off the flame.

To Roast & Grind :

• Heat Coconut Oil in a Pan, splutter Poppy Seeds and Fennel seeds on a very low flame, followed by Cloves, Cinnamon, Cardamom & Pepper corns.
• Care should be taken not to burn the spices.
• Immediately add grated Coconut to the above along with sliced Garlic cloves.
• Roast the above ingredients on a low flame until the grated Coconut turns into golden brown in colour stirring continuously.
• Switch off the flame and allow the ingredients to cool down.
• Grind the roasted ingredients in a small mixer grinder jar/in a mortar & pestle(Ammikkal).
• Add some water & grind the roasted ingredients into a fine paste.

For Varutharacha Mutton Curry:

• Pour the ground paste to the cooked Mutton pieces and mix well.
• Cook this on a very low flame until the raw flavour goes and the curry thickens.
• Adjust the consistency of Varutharacha Mutton Curry to your preference.
• Serve Varutharacha Mutton Curry with Rice, Chapati, Parotta/Roti Canai etc.,
• Varutharacha Mutton Curry goes well with Appam/Vellayappam, Idiyappam, Puttu, Pathiri, Dosa, Idli etc.,
• Can serve Varutharacha Mutton Curry along with Nei Choru/Malabar Ghee Rice, Peas Pulao or Biriyani

NOTES :

• Adjust the amount of spices to your preference.
• Adding Poppy Seeds(Khus Khus) is purely optional, but it gives thickness to the curry.
• Add cooked Mutton pieces to the gravy and leave it on low flame for a bit of longer time.
• This will help the flavour infuse into the meat.
• I don't add curd/lime juice/vinegar to tenderize the meat while cooking for this curry, this will alter the taste of the curry.
• Soda-bi-carbonate or Raw Papaya does the job without altering the taste.
• Coconut Oil gives an authentic taste to the Curry, can use any other vegetable oil too.
• Adding Potatoes to the Curry is optional.  Some traditional recipes even call for adding Coconut bites/White Pumpkin(Ash Gourd) in this Varutharacha Mutton Curry.
• Roast the grated coconuts on a very low flame stirring continuously.
• This is to ensure that it is evenly roasted.
• I usually roast the coconuts until the colour changes into light golden brown in colour and the coconuts strands turn crispy.
• If you prefer a darker shade of curry can roast it for few more minutes until it turns into golden brown in colour.
• Care should be taken not to burn the ingredients while roasting which will totally alter(spoil) the flavour of the curry.
• Mature Coconut serves best for the recipe, can substitute it with desiccated coconut too.
• Can prepare the same recipe with Beef/Chicken.

 

A QUICK TIP :

• Use raw papaya to tenderize the meat. It is a natural 'MEAT TENDERIZER'.
• Raw papaya contains an enzyme called Papain. The connective tissue in the meat breaks down when it comes in contact with Papain. Papaya is one of the preferred tenderizers for red meats (Lamb, Mutton & Beef).
• Use few pieces of Raw Papaya while cooking the meat.  This will tenderize the meat, making it more soft and succulent, without changing its taste and flavour.
• Yogurt (Curd), Lime Juice, Vinegar, Soda-bi-carbonate all have softening and tenderizing effects on Red Meats.