This is the mutton a halwai cooks. In Bihar the halwai is not a sweet-maker so much as the professional who takes over a wedding kitchen — sets up in the yard, works cauldrons that feed three hundred, and produces the two or three dishes a bhoj is judged on. Mutton is the one people wait for. Where Champaran’s ahuna is a household technique, sealed and left alone and cooked in nothing but its own juices, this is the opposite animal: the meat is seared hard in mustard oil, then a masala ground fresh that morning on the stone — coriander seed, green cardamom, green chilli, ginger, garlic, coriander leaf — goes in and is fried down until the fat splits from it, and only then does water go in for a long slow braise into gravy. The difference between the two dishes is not the spicing. It is that one was invented so nobody had to watch the pot, and the other exists because somebody was paid to stand over it all afternoon.
INGREDIENTS
- 1.2 kg bone-in mutton or goat (cut small)
- 6 tbsp mustard oil
- 3 large onions (finely sliced)
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 4 green chillies
- 4 cm ginger
- 12 garlic cloves
- a large handful of coriander leaves (plus more to finish)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 5 cloves
- 1 black cardamom pod
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 medium tomatoes (chopped)
- 150 g full-fat yoghurt
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 litre hot water
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp ghee
METHOD
- Grind the coriander seeds, green cardamom, green chillies, ginger, garlic and coriander leaves with a splash of water to a fine paste. Do this fresh, not in advance.
- Heat the mustard oil in a heavy pot until it smokes, then take it off the heat for a moment.
- Return to high heat and sear the mutton in batches, without crowding, until browned on all sides. Lift out and set aside.
- Lower the heat, add the bay, cinnamon, cloves, black cardamom and cumin, and let them foam.
- Add the onions and fry patiently until deep brown, about 15 minutes. Do not rush this.
- Add the ground paste and fry, stirring, until it darkens and the oil splits away at the edges. Give it a full ten minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, turmeric, coriander powder and chilli powder and cook until they collapse.
- Take the pot off the heat, whisk the yoghurt smooth, and stir it in gradually so it does not split. Return to low heat.
- Return the mutton with the salt and turn it through the masala for five minutes so every piece is coated.
- Pour in the hot water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer very gently for an hour, until the meat gives at the bone and the gravy has darkened and reduced.
- Stir in the garam masala and the ghee, scatter with coriander, and rest it off the heat for ten minutes before serving with rice.
