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…!
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.
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.
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.
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.