I absolutely love the achari flavour profile when it comes to desi food. Dishes cooked with these flavours tend to be cooked using spices that you would use to make pickles or achars. In this recipe I make my own achari masala using these spices that lend a spicy, tangy, punchy, finger-licking taste to this Achari Gosht.
Ingredients:
- 600g mixed mutton
- Ghee and oil mix
- 3 bullet chillies
- 3 small onions diced
- 1.5 tbsp ginger diced
- 8 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 tbsp dried curry leaves
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 8 cardamom
- 1 heaped tbsp tomato puree
- 1/3 measuring cup Greek yoghurt
- 1 level tsp sugar
- Ghee
- 2 measuring cups water
Achari Masala: - 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp saunf
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1/2 klawonji
- 1.5 tsp cumin seeds
- 1.5 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp kashmiri chilli
- 1 tsp amchoor
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1.5 tsp madras curry powder
Method:
● Heat up a mix of oil and ghee in a pan (amount to your preference). Add the bullet chillies, curry leaves and ginger pieces. Cook on a medium heat until starting to brown and release a nice aroma.
● Add the onions, garlic, cardamom and cinnamon sticks. Saute until golden.
● Turn up the heat and add in the mutton pieces. Cook on a high heat until the mutton browns. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes until the meat juices are released.
● In the meantime, grind the spices for the achari masala to a powder.
● Once the juices have been released from the mutton, add the achari masala and mix well. Turn up the heat and cook on a high heat to bhun the mutton with the spices until the oils separate from the masala.
● Now add tomato puree, yoghurt and sugar. Bhun further for another 10 mins stirring often, adding all little water if needed.
● Add the ginger pieces and more sliced bullet chillies, stirring these through.
● Pour in 2 measuring cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the mutton pieces are tender and the sauce has thickened.
● Garnish with more ginger slices and bullet chillies.
Tip:
● You can make the achari masala ahead and store in an airtight container. This should last up to 3 months if stored in a cool, dry space.
● You can adjust the amount of water to achieve your desired consistency for the curry.
● When you are bhunning the spices with the mutton, stir the dish often. It is likely to stick, so add water when needed, making sure to stir all the way to the bottom of the pan. This step of bhunning is essential to ensure the spices are cooked through, bloom well and seep into the mutton nicely. In my opinion, it is a step that makes or breaks a curry.
● You can make this dish with lamb if you like, but adjust the cooking times as lamb cooks quicker than mutton.