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Railway Mutton Curry 

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Railway mutton curry.

An easy to cook, delicious and flavourful mutton curry with onions, tomatoes, garlic and some flavourful spices.

Here is a story behind this super delicious mutton curry. It takes you back to the colonial era. It was first served in first class compartment of Indian Frontier Mail or Golden Temple Mail. This spicy mutton curry also used to serve in the railway refreshment room and other long distance train to serve the British palate. It was  generally served with bread or dinner rolls.

There are many variations of this curry which indicates the train routs.

Our this week’s #Foodiemonday bloghop theme is #Colonialinspired cuisines. I think its the best event to share this less spicy version of Bengali mutton curry or mangsor jhol.

One of story behind it that a drunken British officer stumbled into the railway kitchen in midnight. At that time kitchen service was over and the cooks were preparing their own food. And their one dish was spicy and hot Bengali mutton curry. British didn’t like the hot spicy taste so the curry was changed from a spicy curry to less spicy curry by adding curd and coconut milk. The officer overjoyed with the taste and included it on the food menu of train. And he fondly called it Railway mutton curry.

Here is the recipe of one of the most popular mutton curry, a little less spicy version of Bengali mutton curry with coconut milk. Goes well with steamed rice, pulao, roti or Indian flat bread paratha and puri or luchi.
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Recipe 


Mutton – 250 gram

Onion – 2 large sliced

Potatoes – 2 large

Garlic – 8 cloves finely chopped or crushed

Ginger – 1 inch piece grated or paste

Tomatoes – 2 large ground

Green cardamom – 4 broken or crushed

Cinnamon – 2 inch piece broken or crushed

Cloves – 4 broken or crushed

Mace or javitri – 1 string

Nutmeg powder – a pinch

Bay leaf – 1

Green chilli – 2 – 3 chopped or paste

Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon

Garam masala powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Kasmiri red chilli powder – 2 teaspoon

Mustard oil – 1/3 cup

Coconut milk – 1/2 cup

Ghee or clarified butter – 1 teaspoon optional

Salt to taste

Potato – 2 large

For marination 


Ginger garlic paste – 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Mustard oil – 1 tablespoon

Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon

Curd – 2 tablespoon

Red chilli powder – 1 teaspoon

Black pepper powder – 1 Teaspoon

lemon juice or vinegar – 1 teaspoon
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Method 
Wash and drain the mutton pieces. Marinate with ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, salt, curd, red chilli powder, black pepper powder, mustard oil and lemon juice or vinegar. I have used lemon juice.
Marinate and keep it in refrigerator for overnight or 1 – 2 hour.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into half.

I have ground the tomatoes with green chillies, ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, mace and nutmeg powder. If you like you can use them crushed or broken.

Heat oil in a pan. Fry the potatoes. Don’t make them brown. Fry till the colour becomes light golden brown.  Remove and keep them aside.

In the same oil add bay leaf. If you are using cardamom, cinnamon etc broken add them too. Add sliced onions and garlic. Saute till the colour becomes brown.

Now add the tomato paste along with ginger, green chilli and other spices.

Saute till oil leaves the sides.

Add the mutton pieces and salt. Add salt carefully. We have already used salt in marination.

Stir continuously to avoid sticking to the bottom. Fry til the mutton pieces change it’s colour. Add the potatoes and mix well.

Add hot water as require to make thick gravy. Don’t make it runny.

Transfer it to the pressure cooker. And pressure cook for 3 – 4 whistle.

Open the lid and check if done or not. Mine is little undone so I have pressure cooked on simmer for 10 minutes more.

After opening the lid add the coconut milk. If you are using ghee or clarified butter add it too. Mix and close the lid again.

Serve after 10 – 12 minutes. Serve hot with steamed rice, pulao, roti or Indian flat bread, paratha, puri or luchi.

Or simply enjoy it with toasted bread.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  7. I knew about this curry but was confused about the name.. Your post clarified it that from where it acquired the name ; Railway mutton curry.. 😀 Awesome share di!

    Reply

  12. Hi Sujata, i have a doubt, although I am aware that there is no one railway mutton curry recipe , but different versions of the same. But I would like to know if coconut milk is a must for the unique smell and taste of the railway mutton curry, meaning , do all railway mutton curry recipes have coconut milk? Also I generally cook the railway mutton curry on ‘dum’. Do you think that is a right practice?

    Reply

    • Railway mutton curry recipe change in every state. Its depends on the taste of local people. But authentic recipe needs coconut milk. It has a story behind it. I have mentioned it in recipe. So you can omit or add anything according to your taste.

      Reply

  13. Wow. I just read your railway mutton recipe. Looks really very yummy 😋 and super delicious. Will prepare it soon.
    Now I’m going to prepare your dak bungalow chicken.
    Thanks a lot for the tips. I will add coriander plus cumin and will make it a nice rich spicy thick gravy.
    Looking forward to your yummy mutton masala recipes.
    Please also post some nice spicy rich mutton and chicken biryani recipes.
    Your recipes are the bestest, will try all your superb recipes. All the very bestest to you Sujata.

    Reply

    • Don’t omit anything just increase the amount of green chilli and use hot variety of red chilli powder instead of kashmiri red chilli powder. Try it once. Second time if you want use lemon juice instead of curd while marinating. And omit coconut milk.

      Reply

      • Hi Sujata,

        Today I prepared your yummy and spicy delicious dak bungalow chicken curry. I added 2 steel glasses of water and cooked it covered on a low flame for one hour.
        After one hour the chicken was done perfect with a nice rich thick gravy, same as shown in your recipe images.
        Thanks a ton for the delicious 😋 yummy recipe.
        I will enjoy your dak bungalow chicken with chapatis and a green peas pulao.
        Excellent awesome superb and grand royal recipe.

        I will also prepare your spicy rich railway mutton recipe soon.

        Please post a nice spicy rich thick gravy mutton masala recipes made in restaurant style, red masala as well as green masala.

        Thanks and Great regards,

        Savio.

        Reply

  15. I will again make your superb railway mutton curry but this time adding curd. I will make it using half kg mutton and will double the ingredients. Please let me know the exact measure of oil 1/3 cup oil when I double the amount. As you mentioned in the recipe. After adding the ghee, mix and close the lid again. Serve after ten minutes. Should I put off the flame then?. No more cooking?. Please let me know. Thanks Sujata.
    Please also post a nice authentic kolhapuri mutton and chicken recipe, made by using whole red chillies. Restaurant style.

    Reply

    • If you are using double amount of mutton make everything double. Use oil 1/3 to 1/2 cup. After adding ghee mix and remove from heat. No more cooking. Give 5 – 10 standing time. Hope it helps.
      Have you tried zafrani chicken and chicken chaap recipe? They were also spicy. Hope you will like them.

      Reply

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