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.
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
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.
Name sounds Ineresting.Very well explained and fab pictures too.
Thanks a lot Preethi 😊😊
Superb share Di!😋 😋 Loved the presentation and simple composition too.👌💖
Looks very inviting 🙂
Thanks Freda 😍
I always wanted to try this, now I have a fullproof recipe to try..great share
Thank you so much Alka 😍
I love the stories behind a popular dish or cuisine prepared. Well explained and interesting story about the railway mutton curry.
Thank you so much Mayuri 😍
Nice one
Thanks Rupal 😊
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!
Thanks a lot Kriti dear 😊
What a beautiful colour of the mutton curry dee…just looking at it makes me drool😊
Thanks a lot Saswati 😊
Looks lovely and tasty!
Thank you so much 😊😊
Awesome dish name….looks very healthy & delicious….
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Thank you so much 😊
Just checked. Sounds great 👍
as delicious as it may get!
Thank you so much 😊
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?
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.
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.
Thank you so much Savio. You made my day. Please also check the recipe of rara mutton. Hope you will like it. Thanks 😊 😊
hi. I liked your railway mutton recipe. I want it spicier, so can I omit the coconut milk and curd. anything more I have to add to the dish to make it more spicier. thanks
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.
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.
Thanks Savio for trying. Glad you liked it. And thanks for the feedback. You made my day 😊 😊
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.
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.