Kongunadu Mutton Kuzhambu Recipe

May 26, 2020 by Suguna Vinodh 30 Comments

Recipe for kongunadu style mutton kuzhambu (Sunday kari kuzhambu) made from scratch using homemade masala paste. Recipe with step by step pictures.

This is my aunt’s Sunday mutton kuzhambu (mutton curry). This is one recipe that is a classic at our place. My aunt, a vegetarian all her life made it for Sunday lunch as long as I can remember. My uncle loved non veg fare and this kuzhambu was a regular for lunch every Sunday. When I was young, my aunt had a maid called Lakshmi. She would religiously grind the masala for the kuzhambu in the stone mortar (அம்மிக்கல்) until the masala reaches a consistency that makes my aunt happy (a very tough one at that). Then the curry would be made and it would boil for hours in a big black cast iron kadai. The curry would be so thick and so dark in colour from the lavish use of black pepper. The fat from the mutton would form a film on the top of the curry and would be glistening. The kuzhambu was always made super spicy. During lunch, all kids would eat the rice and curry with copious amounts of ghee to settle the super spicy heat from the black pepper. I don’t make it that spicy these days. My son loves this kuzhambu so much that it is becoming a Sunday ritual at my place too! My aunt is now 83 and does not cook these days but I will always associate my Sundays with her food.

Click on the video below for the recipe of how to do Kongunadu Mutton Kuzhambu AKA Sunday Mutton Kuzhambu.

Here is how to do Sunday mutton kuzhambu.
The main thing about this dish is the masala paste. Here is what you will need to make the masala paste.
Note: The recipe uses copious amounts of cloves. Cloves and mutton are best friends. The flavour of slow cooked mutton and cloves makes the curry magical. Use 5-6 cloves in the recipe. Do not add more than that. For a very spicy curry, amp up the black pepper. Adjust the spice levels according to what your family prefers.

Take a pan and add in a teaspoon of Indian sesame oil (gingely oil). When the oil is hot, add in all the ingredients listed under masala paste except the onion and tomatoes. Saute everything on a low flame so the spices do not burn. Saute for a good 4-5 minutes until all the spices are well roasted and fragrant. Set aside on a plate to cool.
Note: This recipe uses white poppy seeds. If poppy seeds are not available in a country where you live, just omit it. The flavour will slightly differ but there is no proper substitute for poppy seeds.

In the same pan add in the remaining oil and add in the chopped onions. Saute the onions until soft. Add in the chopped tomatoes. Saute till the tomatoes are cooked down. Remove from heat and set aside on a plate to cool.

Grind everything in a mixie to a smooth fine paste. Add little water (1/2 a cup of water) while grinding. Set aside.

Main Kuzhambu
We will make the mutton kuzhambu in a pressure cooker. Heat Indian sesame oil in a pressure pan / cooker and add in the curry leaves and chopped small onions (shallots). Use a lavish 3-4 sprigs of curry leaves. Add in the washed, cleaned and drained mutton pieces. Do not trim the fat in the mutton. Fat adds a lot of flavour to the curry. Add a teaspoon of castor oil to the mutton. Mix well and cook for 5 minutes until all the juices that come from the mutton has evaporated and its completely dry.
A Note on Castor Oil
My aunt uses a teaspoon of Castor Oil while making this curry and she believes that the mutton cooks to tender with the addition of castor oil. Also Castor oil will help in digestion after a heavy non-veg meal. It has cooling properties too. So go ahead and get a little castor oil. Don’t add too much though. If you don’t have castor oil, just omit.

Add in a teaspoon of turmeric powder and mix well to coat.

Add in the masala paste. Wash the mixie with a cup of water and add it back to the pan.

Add 1.5 cups of water for the mutton to cook. Cover the pan and keep the flame of the stove in medium. Let it cook and whistle away for 30 minutes. Dont watch for the number of whistles. Just set a timer for 30 minutes and you are all set. After 30 minutes, remove the cooker from heat and allow the pressure from the cooker to settle naturally. The fat would just float on top of the curry. What a sight to watch after opening the cooker 🙂

Keep the pan on a low simmer again and add in the salt and a cup of thick coconut milk. The coconut milk makes the curry very rich. Canned coconut milk works just fine. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat. My aunt always added salt at the end of the curry as she says that the mutton cooks soft without the salt. I agree. I do not question some things in the kitchen when the recipes are passed on for generations. I do the same like what my aunt did. Some people say to salt the mutton in the beginning so the salt nicely seasons the mutton. Its totally up to you. Do whatever you like.

Sunday special mutton kuzhambu is ready. You can serve it with rice for lunch or with idli and dosa for breakfast.
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