Mutton stew is quite famous among the Christian families of Kerala, and is served for festivals like Christmas, Easter, and special occasions like weddings. Creamy and light on masala, this dish stands out for its unique & versatile flavors which you would not be expecting in Indian style mutton curry dishes.

The uniqueness of the recipe unlike other Indian dishes is, it does not use garam masala or chilly powder. Green chilies and freshly crushed peppercorns play a crucial role, giving the adequate spice (heat) and uplifting the flavors of the dish.

The recipe is quite similar to that of Kerala style Chicken Stew, with the only difference being its cooking time as mutton takes longer to cook. Tender goat meat with loads of whole hearted veggies, in a lightly spiced and absolutely creamy coconut milk gravy, a curry which is every Malayalee’s pride!

Straight from my Amma’s cookbook, this recipe is a family favorite and we love to savor it with Appam (rice hoppers). It also makes a great side dish with Idiyappam, Bread, Naan or Malabar Paratha.

Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!

Don’t forget to check out my Fish Molly recipe, it is a variation of mutton stew with fish as the hero of the dish.

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Kerala Style Mutton Stew

Tender Goat Meat along with Veggies, simmered in a Mild n Creamy Coconut Milk based gravy, this Kerala Style Mutton Stew (Ishtu) makes a Lip-Smacking Side Dish with Appam that will blow you away…!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword christmas, kerala, mutton stew

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Akhila

Ingredients

Spices

• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 3-4 black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 star anise

For the Stew

• ½ kg {1.2 lb} mutton (pref. soup cut)
• 1 medium sized onion (sliced)
• ½ inch sized ginger (crushed)
• 3 cloves of garlic (crushed)
• 3-4 green chilies (slit)
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp pepper powder
• 1 sprig of curry leaves
• 1 cup water
• 1 carrot (cubed)
• 10-12 beans (sliced)
• 1 potato (cubed)
• ⅓ cup frozen green peas
• 1 cup thin coconut milk
• ½ tsp fennel powder
• ½ cup thick coconut milk
• 1 tsp crushed peppercorns
• Oil (as required)
• Salt (as required)

For Tempering

• 1 tbsp ghee/butter
• 3-4 pearl onions (sliced)
• 1 sprigs of curry leaves
• 5-6 cashews

Instructions

• Prepare mutton: Clean and cut mutton into medium size pieces. For this dish I would prefer using mutton bone-in with fat on it. Equal portions of shoulder cut and soup cut would be ideal.
• Cook mutton: In a pressure cooker, heat some oil and add the spices; cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorn, bay leaf, and star anise. Sauté until fragrant. Add 1 sprig of curry leaves, crushed ginger, garlic and slit green chilies. Once the raw smell of ginger and garlic subsides, add sliced onions along with a pinch of salt, sauté until translucent.
• Follow by adding turmeric powder, coriander powder, pepper powder, sauté and mix well.
• Add mutton pieces along with water and salt, close the lid and cook for 4 whistles. Turn off the flame and allow the cooker to sit until all the pressure is released. Open the lid and you may continue the rest of the cooking either in the pressure cooker itself or after transferring it to a separate pan as per your convenience.
• Cook the veggies: Add potato, carrot and beans, along with thin coconut milk to the cooked mutton. Close the lid and allow it to cook on a low flame. Once the stew starts boiling, add the frozen green peas and fennel powder.
• As the dish starts boiling again, check for the veggies to be cooked perfectly and once done, reduce the flame to a low and add the thick coconut milk. Do not allow the stew to boil after this stage.
• Top the stew with freshly crushed peppercorns and check for salt. Swirl the pan once and cook for another 2 minutes on a low flame. Turn off the flame.
• Prepare the tempering: Heat ghee/butter in a separate pan, sauté pearl onions until they are lightly brown, then add cashews and curry leaves and sauté. Add this tempering to the prepared mutton stew, mix well. Close the lid and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
• Serve hot with Appam, idiyappam, bread, naan or any roti.

Notes

1. Use of coconut oil is ideal for all Kerala recipes.
2. Adjust the quantity of green chilies and pepper you use for this recipe according to your choice of spice level.

The post Kerala Style Mutton Stew appeared first on Pepper Delight.

Easter is here, and I am back with my second Easter Special Recipe in a week’s time, n it’s a Savoury dish! This traditional chicken stew is very popular in Kerala, especially among the Christian families, and is also favored for breakfast. The original recipe is said to be British, but was improvised in the kitchens of Kerala by their Malayalee chefs who served them during the British rule. They gave their own touch to it by adding coconut milk & spices, but keeping the soul of the original English dish intact, and affectionately called it “Ishtu”.

My beautiful memories of Easter go all the way back to my Hyderabad days; thoughts of the invite from my dear friend Meera to her grand Easter Feast makes me drool even today! Her menu was lavish with chicken n beef dishes, cutlets, wine, desserts, and so on, of which her Chicken Stew with Appam was my favorite. So as I was finalizing my Easter recipes, these sweet memories floated by and I decided to try my hand on it. Quickly dialed Meera for her recipe and tips, prepared it and you know what… it was a huge success, it tasted sooo good and my husband loved it!! The unique aroma of the spices with ginger and garlic, along with coconut milk makes it a wholesome meal. And it’s Gluten Free too!! This dish goes well with Appam or Idiyappam, you can also try with Naan or other breads too.

Thank You Meera for this wonderful recipe!
Enjoy, Happy Easter everyone!!!

Interested in other Stew recipes? Check these out:

1. Kerala Style Mutton Stew
2. Vegetable Stew
3. Fish Molly / Fish Stew
4. A must try side for stew – Kerala Style Appam / Palappam

Follow me on Instagram, try out the recipes and tag #pepperdelightblog to all your pictures of Pepper Delight recipes you prepare. Rate below if you love it…!

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Chicken Stew

Warm, Comforting n Hearty…! A Kerala Style Chicken Stew, Packed with Spices, Simmered in a Creamy Coconut Milk… A Traditional Easter Dish…!! 

Course Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword chicken stew, christmas, kerala easter stew

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken (bone-in preferred, cut into small pieces)
• 1 medium sized onion (sliced)
• 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 1 small piece of ginger (finely chopped)
• 3-4 green chilies (finely chopped)
• ½ cup carrots (sliced into round)
• ½ cup potato (cubed)
• ¼ cup peas
• 1 cup thin coconut milk
• ½ - ¾ cup thick coconut milk
• 1 each Spices (cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaf, star anise)
• Pepper (as required)
• Salt (as required)
• 1 sprig of curry leaves

For Tempering

• 1 tbsp ghee / clarified butter
• 3 pearl onions (sliced)
• 3-4 cashews
• 1 sprig of curry leaves

Instructions

• Heat oil in a pan, add the spices and saute until they become aromatic.
• Add sliced onions to the pan and saute until it turns translucent.
• Add chopped ginger, garlic, green chilies and curry leaves. Saute for 2 minutes.
• Add the chopped vegetables and chicken, and season with salt and pepper.
• Follow by adding thin coconut milk and stir. Close the lid and cook on a low flame until the chicken turns white and cooked.
• Add the thick coconut milk. Adjust the quantity added to suit your choice of creaminess.
• Check salt, stir and cook for 2 more minutes on a low flame. Turn off the flame.
• To prepare the garnish, heat the ghee / clarified butter in another pan. Add pearl onions and saute until they brown, then add cashews and curry leaves and saute. Add this tempering to the prepared chicken stew, mix well and serve hot.
• Serve with Appam, Idiyappam, Naan or any other bread.

Notes

• This recipe also works well with other meats, substitute the chicken with mutton, turkey or beef. If you are vegetarian, replace the meat with vegetables of your choice.
• Preferably use chicken /meat with bone in, as it adds more flavour.
• It is ideal to use freshly squeezed coconut milk for this recipe, but you can substitute with canned coconut milk or coconut milk powder. I have used canned coconut milk in this recipe, which was very thick. To thin the milk, dilute with equal amounts of thick coconut milk and water.

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