Kerala Mutton Stew, Mutton Ishtu, How to make Mutton Stew

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Mutton Stew – The perfect partner for idiyappam and appam. Its called as Ishtu, the local word for stew. This is a very mild gravy / curry flavored with a lot of ginger and coconut milk.
Here is how to do simple Mutton stew.
Here is the veg version of the recipe.
Here is the recipe for chicken stew

I got this recipe from my friend Linish’s mom. Linish is one of the greatest foodie in my circle and he has been telling me for sometime as to how he relishes his mom’s mutton stew every time he visits home. In fact he posted the stew pics prepared by his mom a couple of times in social media and I just got hooked.
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For some reason or the other, the mutton stew project was getting delayed and finally got hold of it last week. When I spoke with Mohini auntie (Linish’s mom) on phone, she was so happy to share the recipe. We spoke for quite some time. She could not stop talking about her son the whole time. She told as to how all her physical pains and aches due to age just vanishes away when her son visits her. Food is love when shared with dear ones. This mutton stew is the real deal.
mohini auntie- mutton stew

Here is the video of Mutton Stew the recipe with step by step instructions

Mutton Stew:
Prep Work:
Cook the mutton with 1.5 cups water along with pepper and salt in a pressure cooker for 8-10 whistles and wait for the pressure to release naturally. Mutton should be cooked well after this time. If the mutton is still tough, then cook for another 3 whistles. I like to cut the mutton into small pieces for this recipe. Boneless mutton also works very well for this recipe. Set aside
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Cook the potatoes and tomatoes with half a cup water in a pressure cooker for two whistles. Set aside.
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We will also need to make coconut milk for this recipe. We will be using the first pressed and second pressed milk for this recipe. Here is detailed recipe of how to make coconut milk at home.
I have used 3/4 cup coconut for making the coconut milk.
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Making the Stew
Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the cinnamon, clove and cardamom. Very little of everything. The flavors of the spices are very mild in this recipe.  Add in the ginger and curry leaves.
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Add in the sliced onion. Saute for a few minutes till the onions are soft.
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Add in the green chillies, black pepper and the salt. The flavor of black pepper is predominant in this recipe. Saute for a few seconds. If you want a spicy stew, add few more green chillies.
Note: Keep in mind that we boiled the mutton along with the salt. So add little salt at this stage and can adjust the seasoning later on.
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Add in the cooked potato tomato mixture. Simmer for a minute.
Note: Some people like their potatoes to be mashed while some people like to have potatoes visible in pieces. Its totally up to you. We at home like to have the potatoes in pieces. Some of the cooked potatoes will dissolve and add to the thickness of the gravy. If you like to mash the potatoes, mash half of the potatoes and leave the rest as is.
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Add in the second pressed coconut milk.
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Add in the cooked mutton along with the mutton water used for cooking. The water has a lot of flavour. Simmer for a minute.
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Make a slurry with cornflour and water and add it to the pan. Cornflour slurry will make the stew thick. If you do not have corn flour at home, you can use maida or rice flour. I like to use corn flour as it makes the stew very silky. The stew will become thick immediately after adding the slurry.
kerala-mutton-stew-recipe-for-appam-11Finally add in the first pressed coconut milk. After adding the first pressed milk, do not simmer for long. Simmer for just a minute.
kerala-mutton-stew-recipe-for-appam-12Final Tempering:
Heat ghee in a pan and add in the sliced small onions.
kerala-mutton-stew-recipe-for-appam-13Saute the small onions until golden.
kerala-mutton-stew-recipe-for-appam-14Add in the black pepper powder to the pan.
kerala-mutton-stew-recipe-for-appam-15Immediately add the tempering to the stew.
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Mutton stew is ready. Serve Mutton Stew, Mutton Ishtu with idiyappam or appam.
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Kerala Mutton Stew, Mutton Ishtu, How to make Mutton Stew

Mutton Stew – The perfect partner for idiyappam and appam. Its called as Ishtu, the local word for stew. This is a very mild gravy / curry flavored with a lot of ginger and coconut milk. Here is how to do simple Mutton stew.

  • Total Time: 35 mins
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Prepwork 1 – Cook the mutton

  • 250 grams mutton (cut into small pieces)
  • 1.5 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder

Prepwork 2 – cook potatoes and tomatoes

  • 2 potatoes, diced
  • 2 country tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 cup water

Prepwork 3 – For homemade coconut milk

  • 3/4 cup coconut
  • 1.5 cups water + 1 cup water

For making the stew

  • 3 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 1 small piece cinnamon
  • 1 cardamom
  • 1 clove
  • 1 inch piece ginger, minced
  • 2 sprigs curry leaves
  • 1 onion, sliced (1/3 cup)
  • 3 green chillies, slit
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

Corn starch slurry

  • 2 teaspoon corn flour (corn starch)
  • 1/4 cup water

Final Tempering

  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • 5 small onions (Indian Shallots), sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder

Instructions

Prep Work

  1. Cook the mutton with 1.5 cups water along with pepper and salt in a pressure cooker for 8-10 whistles and wait for the pressure to release naturally. Set aside.
  2. Cook the potatoes and tomatoes with half a cup water in a pressure cooker for two whistles. Set aside.
  3. Prepare coconut milk – first pressed coconut milk and second pressed coconut milk. Set aside.
  4. Here is the recipe for preparing coconut milk

Making the stew

  1. Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the cinnamon, clove and cardamom. Add in the ginger, curry leaves and sliced onion. Saute for a few minutes till the onions are soft.
  2. Add in the green chillies, black pepper and the salt. Saute for a few seconds.
  3. Add in the cooked potato tomato mixture. Simmer for a minute.
  4. Add in the second pressed coconut milk.
  5. Add in the cooked mutton along with the mutton water used for cooking.
  6. Make a slurry with cornflour and water and add it to the pan.
  7. Finally add in the first pressed coconut milk. Simmer for just a minute.

Final Tempering

  1. Heat ghee in a pan and add in the sliced small onions. Saute the small onions until golden. Add in the black pepper powder to the pan. Immediately add the tempering to the stew.
  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Kerala

25 thoughts on “Kerala Mutton Stew, Mutton Ishtu, How to make Mutton Stew”

  1. Prashant Singh

    Tried making stew for the first time using your recipe, except for the Indian shallot tampering and corn starch for thickening .. did follow everything else and am loving the taste… thank you 🙂






  2. Hi Suguna,

    I have always loved stew and it brings back warm memories of eating it with mom during my childhood. I followed your recipe to the tee and it was amazing. Thank you for sharing it.

    Loved it!

  3. The first mutton recipe I ever cooked, happens to be this- thank you so much!! I tweaked it a little bit, for instance – turmeric! (I cannot imagine a white colored mutton stew, it will forever have to be the pale beautiful yellow). It was oh-so delicious, and my dad loved it as well. I skipped the tempering because humans at my home has health issues and more fat is probably a bad idea. It was still yummmm without the tempering. Thanks again, for this lovely lovely recipe. (I will definitely come back to this)

  4. Hi… I need to make mutton stew for a cousin who has food restrictions due to health issues. From this recipe if I skip pepper, potato and tomatoes, will it be OK?
    He cannot have tomato, carbs, veggies and chillies

  5. Ranjay Singh

    as i have seen this new recipe mutton through you. i will try this in my home this weekend.. i want more south Indian dishes as a food lover i want to taste the real non veg food cuisine from south if you have some list of that please email to me in below email id.. ty

    after this weekend i will tell how much i have got success to replicate this dish.






  6. Tried this recipe tonight with a small tweak here and there re: the ginger a little less and using coconut milk was a great inclusion.






  7. Love Kerala Mutton Stew and was very happy to learn the authentic way of making the Stew. Will cherish the recepie. Thanks for sharing.






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