Saag Gosht - Mutton & Spinach Curry
Tender slow cooked mutton in a deeply spiced gravy finished with chopped wilted spinach. A classic Indian dish that is perfect for showcasing some good quality mutton.
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
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
