Saag Gosht – Mutton & Spinach Curry. It has to be up there as one of my favourite curries. Normally I would use lamb, as good mutton is hard to come by! So when a local farm, who produce Pork mentioned if I would be interested in any mutton, it certainly got my attention!
The Mutton
Moss Valley Fine Meats produce exceptionally good pork. High welfare and no routine antibiotic use. It’s exceptional produce and we are lucky enough to have it on our doorstep.
Stephen, the farm owner had no intention of farming anything else but pigs and crops. His daughter-in- law had other ideas though and introduced a small herd of Suffolk sheep to the farm. And I am so glad she did! Like the pigs, the sheep are equally very well looked after. Not only that, Beth is happy for them to go over a year old for the most wonderful hogget (will post a blog on that soon!) and two years for some equally good mutton.
When it comes to creating the perfect curry, mutton reigns supreme. Its rich, robust flavour pairs beautifully with aromatic spices, creating a harmony that’s simply irresistible. While it requires a slow, gentle cook, the wait rewards you with a curry that’s bursting with depth—a unctuous, savoury gravy clinging to tender, melt-in-the-mouth meat. To me it’s perfect comfort food.
Mutton and spinach is the perfect pairing. The iorny (yes, I know, that’s not a word!) flavour of the spinach just goes with mutton perfectly.
The Curry
So, this curry may take a bit of preparation and cooking, but if you are after a real weekend treat, it is well worth the effort.
Of course you can cut corners. You could use a ready made curry powder. Just make sure you get a good one. If salt is in the top 5 ingredients, bin it and watch out for other fillers. Wheat flour and sugar are a couple and celery is used as a natural flavouring but there is no need for it to be in a good quality curry powder.
You could of course use ‘Ome Made Bhuna Masala which is very similar to the masala below, in fact it’s a combination of the bhuna masala recipe below and the whole spices, so it could be used to replace the lot.
You could also use frozen spinach. It won’t be as nice but it will still be very good. Just remember frozen spinach will tend to water your gravy down a little so make sure it’s a little thicker than you like it before you add the frozen spinach.
And if you are not lucky enough to live somewhere that has a good source of mutton or hogget, you can of course use lamb. Please try and use British lamb though, our farmers need all the support they can get.
Of course if you are lucky enough to live in the Sheffield/Chesterfield area have a look at Moss Valley Fine Meats and enquire to see what they have available, you won’t regret it!
Please join us on our Facebook group UK Curry Group
Saag Gosht – Mutton & Spinach Curry
Ingredients
- 1 kg diced mutton
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder
- 3 tsp Chaat Masala
- 1 tbsp plain natural yoghurt.
- 450 g spinach
- 2 Tej Patia leaves Indian Bay
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 3 medium sized onions finely diced.
- 120 g butter ghee or around 6 tbsp of neutral oil such as vegetable or sunflower.
- 4 tbsp garlic & ginger paste or 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger & 2 tbsp fresh grated garlic
- 2 tbsp Bhuna Masala see below or a good quality curry powder.
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 2 tsp Garam Masala.
- 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaf (kasuri methi)
- 2 large tomatoes cut into 12 wedges
- 1 tsp Salt or to taste
- 4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander.
Bhuna Masala
- 60 g coriander
- 40 g Kashmiri chilli
- 40 g cumin
- 35 g turmeric
- 30 g black pepper
- 10 g black mustard seeds
- 18 g fennel seed
- 6 g green cardamom
- 2 black cardamoms
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- A pinch of ground nutmeg
- A pinch of ground mace
- A pinch of dried cloves
Instructions
- Mix the mutton with the Kashmiri chilli powder, chaat masala and yoghurt. Leave to marinate for a couple of hours or up to 24 hours
- To make the bhuna Masala, grind all the whole spices and mix with the ready ground spices. This makes more than needed for this recipe but will keep for 6 months in an airtight container kept in a cool and dry place, out of direct sunlight.
- Heat the ghee in a good, heavy bottomed pan and add the Tej Patta leaf, fennel & mustard seeds. Once sizzling add the onions. Cook on a moderate heat, stirring often, ‘till a deep golden-brown colour.
- Add the garlic & ginger to the pan and cook for around a minute.
- Add the bhuna Masala and continue to cook for 45 seconds. Add a splash of hot water if needed to stop the spices from sticking.
- Add around 150ml of hot water to the pan and let it all cook down to a thick paste.
- Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- At this point, the sauce can be left as it is for a more traditional, rustic feel or you can use a stick blender to blend it smooth for a restaurant style finish.
- Add the mutton & marinade to the pan, stir into the sauce, bring up to a simmer and then leave to cook on a very gentle simmer for 3.5 – 4 hours. You may want to add a little water if the sauce looks to thick, but remember the mutton will give out a lot of moisture during cooking.
- Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Add the spinach and blanche for 30 seconds. Drain the spinach and plunge into ice, cold water to preserve the colour. Drain, squeeze out any water and roughly chop half of it and finely chop the other half.
- Once the mutton is soft and tender, add the spinach, fresh tomato, Garam Masala & fenugreek leaf.
- Let cook for 10 minutes before tasting for seasoning and adding more salt.
- Add the fresh coriander, stir in and the curry is ready to serve