Mutton Kuzhambu/ Chaino Kolkar

Mutton Kuzhambu should be everyone's favourite and is a top like in our family too. 

This mutton kuzhambu/ chaino kolkar recipe given below is a popular one among Sourashtrians. It is a simple preparation devoid heavy spices but tastes just heavenly. It has very minimal ingredients but tastes amazing, partly also due to the Kuzhambu podi that we use. You got to taste the chaino kolkar from Sourashtrians to get the taste of it! An irresistible pair with mutton kuzhambu is mutton milagu varuval. If you haven't had them together, truly you got to try it one day. 

Ingredients

3-4 tbs of sesame oil

250 g mutton (diced)

10 garlic pods

1 inch ginger piece (crushed)

Few curry leaves

3 ts kuzhambu podi

1 ts tamaring extract

Preparation

Pour generous amount of sesame oil in a pressure cooker. (Always use sesame oil for making any kuzhambu varieties. It gives you an uncompromised taste.)

Once the oil is hot, add the whole garlic pods and fry them in medium flame until they give a slight crushed look on the outside. The garlic pods will eventualy integrate with the kuzhambu. 

Add the cleaned and washed mutton pieces and fry for 2 minutes.

Add curry leaves and fry for a while.

Now add kuzhambu podi and dilute the mix with 4-5 cups of water. (4-5 cups of water may seem too much but since we are going to pressure cook and simmer them for a long time, the kuzhambu will eventually thicken.)

Add the crushed ginger, tamarind extract and enough salt.

Pressure cook the mix for 4-5 whistles and let them simmer in the lowest flame for about 20 minutes. In my earlier cooking days, I found it tricky to cook anything with mutton. Because, if not done perfectly you get the raw taste of the mutton lingering in your tongue even for hours after having your food which is not always pleasant. So I always take extra care to cook mutton. When cooked in a slow flame for a longer time, it turns out perfect juicy and melts in your mouth. 

Your kuzhambu should be ready when the mixture considerably thickens, oil starts separating and floats on the surface.

Enjoy this amazing kuzhambu with steamed rice, mutton milagu varuval and some papad!