Mutton Kalia is usually made with small mutton pieces cooked with simple and common ingredients like caramelized onions, ginger paste, coriander, turmeric and red chili powder along with whisked curd and whole garam masala. Traditionally cooked on a high flame for the rogan on top, the steps to make mutton Kalia at home are very easy and few, as you will discover in my recipe.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Mutton Kalia is one of the most popular and widely consumed dishes in India.
- Serve it with chapati, tandoori roti, plain or butter naan, puri, paratha, pulao or steamed rice.
- Mutton Kalia tastes spicy, slightly creamy, savory and earthy.
- Other similar recipes are Bengali kosha mangsho, Bihari Champaran handi mutton, Rampuri taar korma, and Kashmiri yakhni.
The Ingredients:
- 500 grams mutton (cut into small pieces)
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ½ cup curd
- 4 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 piece cinnamon (1 inch stick)
- 1 piece mace
- 4 pieces cloves
- 5 pieces black peppercorns
- 6 pieces green cardamoms
- ½ cup onions (finely sliced)
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup water
I approached the vendor’s wife at the market one day to ask her about a simple cooking method for fresh mutton. She shared her family recipe for making the dish with few ingredients and in a short time. I created a voice note on my phone to remember the spices she told me about because I did not have a pen or paper.
The following weekend I prepared the dish for our family meal. The kitchen produced a delightful aroma and the dish achieved perfect taste balance. My husband claimed the food exceeded restaurant quality while my sons, who are usually picky eaters, enjoyed the meal. Now, this mutton dish features often in our Sunday menu. The market visit brought me a valuable discovery and I thanked the lady for sharing the recipe with me.
How to Make Mutton Kalia? (Step by Step Guide with Images)
Step 1: Fry 1 piece of cinnamon (1 inch stick), 1 piece of mace, 4 pieces of cloves, 6 pieces of green cardamom, and 5 pieces of black peppercorns in 4 tbsp cooking oil. Add half a cup of finely sliced onions and salt to taste. Fry until golden.
Step 2: Take 500 grams of mutton, cut into small pieces, and let it sear nicely on a high flame.
Step 3: Add 1 tbsp of ginger paste, 1 tsp of coriander powder, 1 tsp of turmeric powder, ½ tsp of red chili powder, and ½ cup of curd. Mix, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
Step 4: Add 1 cup of water and salt if needed, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.
Step 5: The dish is ready. Transfer it to a serving bowl.
Step 6: Your tasty and spicy homemade mutton Kalia is ready.
Recipe Card
Mutton Kalia
Ingredients
- 500 grams mutton cut into small pieces
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ½ cup curd
- 4 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 piece cinnamon 1 inch stick
- 1 piece mace
- 4 pieces cloves
- 5 pieces black peppercorns
- 6 pieces green cardamoms
- ½ cup onions finely sliced
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Fry 1 piece of cinnamon (1 inch stick), 1 piece of mace, 4 pieces of cloves, 6 pieces of green cardamoms and 5 pieces black peppercorns in 4 tbsp cooking oil. Add half a cup of finely sliced onions and salt to taste. Fry until golden.
- Take 500 grams of mutton, cut into small pieces, and let it sear nicely on a high flame.
- Add 1 tbsp of ginger paste, 1 tsp of coriander powder, 1 tsp of turmeric powder, ½ tsp of red chili powder, and ½ cup of curd. Mix, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- Add 1 cup of water, salt if needed, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
- The dish is ready. Transfer it to a serving bowl.
- Your tasty and spicy homemade mutton Kalia is ready.
