Say hello to my easy mutton curry recipe! Quick, simple, and incredibly tasty, and its ready in under an hour. I'm talking about tender, pull apart mutton that melts in your mouth.
Planning on making Mutton Curry? Serve it with Jeera Rice, No Yeast Naan, Basmati Rice or Garlic Cheese Kulcha
I always thought making mutton curry is a long and laborious process that needs hours of prep and cooking time. But you shouldn't have to wait so much for good things in life!
But this easy mutton curry recipe is different. What I love about this recipe is that it requires very little prep, uses simple, everyday ingredients and is ready in under an hour. If you’re wondering how, I’ve got you! I have simply replaced long hours of prep and marination with a store-bought mutton curry masala and it has been a complete game changer! This means that my lamb curry is now ready in half the original time without any compromise on taste! The result - a heartwarming mutton curry that’s homely, spicy and a total flavour bomb!
Watch the Recipe Video
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Easy Indian Mutton Curry (Pressure Cooker Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 kg Mutton / Lamb bone-in, cut into medium sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 tablespoon Salt divided
- 4 tablespoons Mustard Oil
- 1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
- 1 Bayleaf
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
- 3-4 Cardamom Pods
- 3-4 Cloves
- 4 Green chillies slit lengthwise
- 3 large Onions finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- 5 large Tomatoes finely chopped or pureed
- 1 tablespoon Coriander Powder
- 4 tablespoons Meat Masala different from curry powder, look for meat masala in Indian grocery stores
- 2 Potatoes quartered (optional)
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi optional but highly recommended
- 1 inch piece Ginger julienned
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or Butter
Instructions
- Add turmeric and 1 teaspoon salt to the mutton or lamb and rub all over. Set aside while you prep everything else
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker (electric or stovetop) and saute fennel seeds, bayleaf, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves for a minute. Add two green chillies, onions and ginger garlic paste. Cook this for 10-12 minutes stirring occasionally till the onions are a deep brown.
- Add tomatoes, coriander powder, meat masala and the remaining salt and cook for 5 minutes till the tomatoes break down slightly.
- Stovetop Pressure Cooker: Add mutton, potatoes and two cups of water and put the lid on. If using a stovetop pressure cooker, cook on high pressure for 20-25 minutes (5-6 whistles).
- Instant Pot: If using an electric pressure cooker or an instant pot, cook for 20 minutes on high pressurenand let the pressure release naturally or manually release the pressure after 15 minutes.
- Once the pressure is released, open the lid and switch on the flame again. Add more water if the gravy is too thick. Stir in garam masala, kasuri methi (if using), remaining green chillies, julienned ginger and ghee and simmer for another 3-4 minutes.
- Check and adjust seasoning. Let the curry rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Any cut of lamb or mutton is good for this curry but make sure its bone-in. Shoulder works best as it has the best flavour and tenderises really well
- Meat masala is easily available at Indian stores. I use Lala's brand, Everest masalas are also highly recommended.
- Kasuri Methi is dried fenugreek leaves that help round up the flavours in the dal makhani. Its available on amazon, and is used in many Indian recipes (on this blog), so stocking it won't be a waste
- Don't skimp on the oil in the recipe. This is necessary for the masalas to fry properly as well as for the lamb pieces to toast well.
- Feel free to adjust the spice levels based on your tastes by reducing or increasing the green chillies
- Cut the mutton pieces into similar sizes to help them cook evenly.
- To make this recipe even quicker and easier you can use a food processor to chop the onions and tomatoes. Once everything is chopped and ready, all would need to do is fry and pressure cook until done.
- Make sure to cook the onions really well before adding the meat - to the point of them becoming deep brown. Bhunoing the masala is an important step as it helps to release flavours and is what gives your mutton curry that typical dark brown colour.
- If you are using frozen mutton, make sure to thaw it out properly on the kitchen counter before adding it to the pressure cooker
Nutrition
Ingredients You'll Need to Make Mutton Curry
This mutton curry recipe uses onions and tomatoes as the base, which is then flavoured using different whole and ground spices. The hero ingredient of this recipe is the meat masala (different from curry powder most commonly available abroad), responsible for giving this whole dish that distinctive warm and spicy flavour.
- Mutton / Lamb: Use good quality mutton pieces, preferably with bones to make this dish a whole lot tastier.
- Turmeric: Helps eliminate that slightly gamey taste of raw mutton.
- Oil: I like using mustard oil, but any other cooking oil will work
- Spices: This recipe mainly uses whole spices to pack in a tonne of flavour. I have used fennel seeds, bayleaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves and green chillies. Apart from this, you’d also need some coriander powder and garam masala for an extra flavour boost.
- Meat Masala: Hands down the star ingredient of the whole dish and the reason why it comes together so quickly. I've used readymade Mutton Masala. This is different from curry powder so specifically look for meat masala, chicken masala or mutton masala. In the U.S. you can buy it on Amazon / If you are in the U.K. buy it here on Amazon
- Onions and tomatoes: Both finely chopped and used to form the base of this curry. You can even puree the tomatoes to save yourself some time and effort.
- Potatoes: Potatoes soak up the flavour from the meat and masalas, thereby enhancing the whole dish. Not a necessary ingredient, but highly recommended.
- Kasuri methi: Dried fenugreek leaves - A commonly used ingredient in Indian curries added at the end for a hint of smokiness and to bring everything together. Even though this one’s optional too, it’s one I highly recommend using.
- Ghee or butter: Takes the flavour of the whole dish a notch higher. Do not skimp on this!
Which cut of mutton is good for curry?
I personally prefer using shoulder cuts of lamb or goat when making curries or stews. Some people prefer to use the legs or rump, while some recipes use a mix of mutton pieces from different parts. However, I would highly recommend using bone-in mutton or lamb pieces as they pack a tonne of flavour and taste so much better when used in stews and curries.
Is goat meat and mutton the same thing?
In most countries around the world, mutton meat means lamb and is different from goat meat. But in India, mutton is referred to as both sheep and goat meat, and is often used interchangeably.
How to make Mutton Curry
Here's a quick step by step to show you how to make mutton curry:
- Add turmeric and salt to the mutton or lamb and rub all over. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker (electric or stovetop) and saute fennel seeds, bayleaf, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves for a minute.
- Add two green chillies, onions and ginger garlic paste. Cook this for 10-12 minutes stirring occasionally till the onions are a deep brown. This is called bhuno.
- Add tomatoes, coriander powder, meat masala and salt and cook for 5 minutes till the tomatoes break down slightly.
5. Add mutton, potatoes and two cups of water and put the lid on.
6. If using a stovetop pressure cooker, cook on high pressure for 20-25 minutes (5-6 whistles). For the Instant Pot, cook on high pressure for 20 minutes and let the pressure release naturally or manually release the pressure after 15 minutes.
7. Once the pressure is released, open the lid and switch on the flame again. Add more water if the gravy is too thick. Stir in garam masala, kasuri methi (if using), remaining green chillies, julienned ginger and ghee and simmer for another 3-4 minutes.
8. Check and adjust seasoning. Let the curry rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Why is my mutton chewy?
An important step to prevent chewy mutton is to either marinate the mutton before cooking it or allow it to cook in the pressure cooker for enough time. This process is called tenderising and is what helps your meat become soft and perfect tender.
Which is the best mutton curry in India?
Such a tough one to answer - Mutton curry is a very popular dish in India and most states have their own versions that taste incredible. Some other mutton curry recipes you need to try are mutton keema, kosha mangsho, rogan josh and mutton korma. Some mutton recipes I personally love and keep making all the time include this easy one pot mutton kofta curry, slow cooker lamb curry, Kerala mutton stew and my all-time favourite mutton biryani!
I usually serve my mutton curries with either rice or rotis with a side of sliced onions for a complete, heartwarming meal. You can even serve yours with naan or garlic kulcha especially if you are making this for guests.
Rd says
This was delicious! Used it in my instant pot with mdh meat masala. I added extra water after reading the burn sign comments but that was unnecessary. Cooked off the water once I opened it. But super easy. And I’d say the potatoes were delicious and I wouldn’t skip them.
Vanessa Mascarenhas says
Cooked mutton for the first time today with your recipient & it came out yummmmmmmmmmmmmmyyy!!!!!
Richa says
Yaaay! Thanks Vanessa!
Kunal says
I cook occasionally but almost never Indian because I find it hard to get the sequence of frying, roasting, stewing etc right and with so many spice options, it's easy to get it wrong. But sometimes the mutton curry cravings too strong to avoid and I dislike restaurant stuff so I've tried your recipe twice and apart from getting the meat cooked right, both times the flavors turned out finger licking. Great recipe.
Richa says
Fantastic! So happy to hear that. I hope you try the other Indian recipes too
Kim says
Best curry. It's the recipe to bring the taste buds asking for more. We increased the spices because we like it but it's fantastic.
Thank you for sharing.
Richa says
Thanks so much Kim! Really glad you liked it
Asha Vaidyan says
Must try recipe. Easy to prepare and packed with flavour.
Richa says
Thanks for the feedback Asha!
Danielle says
I googled “lamb” and “pressure cooker” today and your blog came up. So happy I found it!
This was a great recipe, with easy to follow steps, and great spices!
I made a few changes, and mistakes, but it turned out great. We don’t eat a lot of meat, so I bought three small bone in lamb shoulders that probably totaled one pound. I added the optional potatoes and, after cooking, took a few potato pieces out, blended them, and added it back to thicken the stew. At the end of cooking I added a bag of frozen peas. I didn’t have time to get the masala meat curry, so I used a different curry blend.
It was great. Thank you!
Richa says
Your version sounds great Danielle. I particularly love the trick about blending the potatoes to thicken this. Thanks for sharing this!
Swati says
Hi the receipe was too good. Everybody liked it. Thanks for the receipe. But I have a query, did u cook this curry in a 6-qt or 10-qt IP. I used a 6-qt and for me it twice gave BURN alarm. So I had to move the curry to the regular stovetop. But at the end the overall result was just SUPERB.
Richa says
Hey Swati, I made this in a 6 quart and didn't have any issues with it. I'll read up a bit about why this could happen. Either way, I'm so glad you liked this!
Areesha Zahid says
I love easy dinner recipes, especially when they turn out to be something my whole family loves!. This one also looks tasty.
Richa says
Thanks Areesha!
Lindo3000 says
Pretty good! It took a lot longer from start to finish than I thought, but I liked the spice recommendations, they were available in the Indian section of my grocery store. Next time I will try with less water as I found it a bit watery after cooking and had to reduce a bit.
Richa says
Thanks for leaving your feedback here Lindo
Priyanka Almeida says
Generally I'd dread making mutton curry but this one was a game changer. Turns out great every single time I make it. Simply wonderful!
Richa says
Wohooo! Thanks for your feedback Priyanka
Cassandra Douglas-Hill says
Tasty and super easy. Needs fresh coriander to garnish in
Richa says
Thanks Cassandra!
Paras says
Hi Richa. Could you please tell me how will the cooking time change if I follow this recipe and cook it in a conventional pressure cooker over a gas stove. The intensity of the flame, duration, number of whistles etc?
Thanks.
Richa says
Hey Paras, I've given instructions for this in the recipe. 'If using a stovetop pressure cooker, cook on high pressure for 30-40 minutes (5-6 whistles).' I hope this helps!
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Rebekah says
Mutton recipe is my go-to. I love it!
Richa says
Thanks Rebekah!
Amelia says
Hi Richa, I made this recipe on my instant pot but got a burn notice twice. The first time the burn notice came up, I removed the contents, deglazed, cleaned and scrubbed the pot before trying again and added another cup of water to it. Second time it came up, there was no burning but the pot would not come to pressure. Now, my mutton curry has more water than I would have liked and I'm just wondering whether I can do a PIP for this recipe to save it as the flavor was amazing before I added the additional cup of water.
I did modify the recipe a little to suit what was in my pantry. I used 1 pound of mutton cubes, seared them on saute setting first and had also used a can (14 ounce) of diced tomatoes instead of whole tomatoes. I'm not sure whether it is the tomatoes or the potatoes that were causing the burn notice as I noticed that the curry is a little drier than the chicken curries I am accustomed to.
I'm going to try and do a PIP to save the curry. Should I still follow a 25 min HP setting with natural release in this case and how do I fix the flavor profile of a watery curry? Thank you so much!
Richa says
Hey Amelia, I'm a little stumped because I've made this mutton curry in the IP (also in the video) several times and never got a burn notice. There is enough liquid in there for the lamb to cook well. I've never tried making it with a PIP method so I'm not sure how that'll work because the volume of this curry is quite a lot. 25 minutes is actually perfect so I wouldn't change the cooking times. But to get rid of the water, just simmer the curry in the IP for 10-15 minutes till you have a consistency you like. I hope this helps. I'll try and investigate this further.