Dry Mutton Peratal/Varuval

Mutton Peratal, also known as mutton chukka, is a flavorful and spicy dry mutton dish popular in South Indian cuisine. It’s one of my family favorites and often requested during special occasions. Here's a step-by-step recipe to make this delicious dish at home.

Ingredients

- 1kg mutton, cut into small pieces

- 2 tablespoons oil (vegetable or coconut oil)

- 2 large onions, finely chopped

- 2 tomatoes, finely chopped

- 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste

- 2-3 green chilies, slit lengthwise

- 1/2 cup fresh curry leaves

- 2 teaspoon turmeric powder

- 3 tablespoons red chili powder

- 3 tablespoons coriander powder

- 2 teaspoon cumin powder

- 3 teaspoon garam masala

- Salt to taste

- 1/2 cup water

- Fresh coriander leaves for garnish

For the Spice Paste:

- 5 tablespoons grated coconut

- 2 tablespoon fennel seeds

- 2 tablespoon black peppercorns

Instructions

1. In a small blender or mortar and pestle, grind the grated coconut, fennel seeds, and black peppercorns into a coarse paste. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix the mutton pieces with turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and salt. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes to allow the spices to penetrate the meat.

3. I usually cook the marinated mutton over stove if I have the time. It can take between 1.5 to 2 hours. Yea, I know that’s a long time. Alternatively, you can cook it in a pressure cooker with 1/2 cup water for 3-4 whistles.

4. In a large pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onions and sauté until they turn golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and green chilies, and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the raw smell disappears.

5. Add the cooked mutton pieces to the pan and mix well with the onions and spices. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mutton starts to brown and becomes slightly crispy.

6. Add the prepared spice paste to the mutton and mix well. Cook for another 5-7 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together and the mixture to dry up.

7. Add the fresh curry leaves and garam masala, and stir well. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes until everything is well combined and the mutton is coated with the spices.

8. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves & roasted cashews and serve hot with rice or roti.

Comments

Sardine Peratal

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Chicken Sambal

Phew! I'm finally able to update this blog after a 3 month hiatus! Hope you enjoy this chicken sambal recipe! Ingredients: Chicken - 15-20 medium sized pieces Dried chillies - 8-10 Red onion - 2 Garlic (crushed) - 1 clove Ginger - 2 inch piece Shallots -3 Tomato - 1 Chili sauce - 3 tbsp Lemongrass - 2 stalks Salt to taste Sugar to taste Blend half of the red onion, shallots, garlic, ginger and deseeded dried chilies with a food processor. You can also use a mortal and pestle. The latter gives a better texture and taste. Slice thinly the remaining red onion into rings. Put in the chicken and continue to stir until half cooked. Heat some oil in a pan and fry the spice paste with lemongrass until fragrant. Remove from heat and add them together with the chicken and cook well. Season with salt, and sugar. Add chili sauce and simmer on low heat until the gravy thickens. Set aside and serve.

Dry Chicken Peratal

Ingredients: Chicken – 1/2 kg medium size pieces Onions – 4 big sliced thinly Ginger-garlic paste – 3 tsp Curry leaves – 2 spring Chili powder – 3 ts p Coriander powder – 5 tsp Turmeric powder – 1 tsp Garam masala powder – 1 tsp Salt to taste Pepper to taste Marinate the chicken with 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste and salt for 1/2 hr. Cook on low heat without adding much water. Once chicken is 50% cooked, dish out and keep it aside. Heat oil in a pan, add onions, curry leaves, salt and rest of the ginger-garlic paste. Saute it for about 10 minutes until the onions turns very translucent and soft. Add all the spices and fry it for another 3 minutes. Now add the partially cooked chicken and fry it well till the chicken is well coated with the masala and is cooked well. Continue stirring. When a reddish brown color is attained, the dish is ready to be served. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with rice or chappati.

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