Sanjay Puri, a retired Indian Army officer, who has traded army routines for a quieter life in Dehradun, still brings the same patience and precision to his kitchen.
His Namkeen Mutton is a slow-cooked Afghan-inspired recipe, tweaked for the Indian palate, where just a few simple ingredients and gentle cooking transform the meat into an amazingly flavour-packed dish.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Miansari66/Wikimedia Commons
Slow-Cooked Namkeen Mutton
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
- 1 kg mutton, with bones (preferably soft and with fat)
- 2 tsp salt
- 2-3 potatoes, cut into halves
- 4 tomatoes, cut into halves
- 3-4 onions, peeled
- 3-4 whole garlic bulbs
- 3-4 tbsp ghee
- 4-6 whole green chillies or 2-3 whole dried red chilies
- 1-1½ cups water, enough to create steam
- Fresh green dhania or coriander leaves or cilantro, for garnish, optional
Method
- Rub the mutton evenly with the salt and let it marinate for 90-120 minutes.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, ideally a bhaddu (the traditional metal pot used for cooking in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand), add the salted mutton, whole onions, whole garlic, ghee, whole green or dried red chillies and the water.
Cover the pot tightly.
Seal the lid with dough or use a heavy lid to trap the steam.
Cook over very low heat for about 3 hours, turning the meat once or twice during cooking.
Once the mutton is fork-tender, take off the lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes if you want the gravy to reduce slightly.
Garnish with dhania and serve hot with kulchas, naans, tandoori rotis, or steamed rice.
Sanjay's Note: There is no need for additional spices. The onions, garlic, ghee, and chillies naturally flavour the meat.
