Goat meat has been an eternal favourite with me. It was the only red meat cooked at home and has always been associated with sundays and festivities. Even though I hated cooking, I learnt to cook it since I couldnt do without it. When working and living alone in Kolkata, I would sacrifice my morning sleep and get up at 6:00 am to get the choicest pieces. What I used to cook then was the inevitable mangshor jhol, the homely preparation with garam masala, onion, ginger and garlic. Since then I have progressed slightly in the way of cooking and that brought me to experiment with my most favourite food ever. So, with the blessings of Mr. Sanjeev Kapoor and my own instinct I bring you the recipe of

Mutton Achari 

For 5 

Ingredients

Mutton                             600 gms

Mustard Oil                       6 table spoons

Onion                               3 medium (cubed)

Ginger                              2 inch piece (chopped)

Garlic                               15 cloves (chopped)

Tomato                             3 medium (chopped)

Salt                                   to taste

Sugar                               1/2 teaspoon

Lime Juice                        1 tablespoon

Coriander Leaves               to garnish

Spices

( all spices to be dry roasted and coarsely ground together)

Whole Dried Red Chillies                    8

Mustard seeds (sarson)                      1 teaspoon

Fennel seeds (saunf)                          1 teaspoon

Onion seeds (Kalaunji/ Kala jeera)        1 teaspoon 

Coriander seeds (jeera)                       1/2 teaspoon

Fenugreek seeds (methi dana)             1/2 teaspoon

Cloves                                              6-7

Method

In a pressure cooker, heat the oil. When hot, add the sugar. Allow it to burn completely. The oil now has a dark brown color. ( I love the rich color the caramalised sugar gives to the gravy. Alternately, forget the sugar and add turmeric with the spices to get a nice yellow colour). Add the onions and saute them till they are golden brown. Now, add the finely chopped ginger and garlic ( you may also use a paste). When they are well fried, add the ground spice mixture. Fry on medium heat for half a minute. Add the mutton pieces. Fry till the mutton is well coated with the spices and has turned brown. Add the tomatoes. and fry for another minute or two. Add salt. Depending on the amount of gravy you want, add 2-3 cups of water. This dish tastes better when the gravy is thick and not very watery. Close the cooker lid and pressure cook the mutton till done (see your cooker specifications). 

When done, take the cooker off heat. Add lime juice and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.