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Making a perfect, nutritious and delicious dinner every night of the week can be quite a challenge. Whether you are a working person or a homemaker, whipping up a scrumptious dinner that feeds and satiates all is a necessity—but also a boring chore. Come midweek and it is quite likely that you would run out of brilliant ideas about what to cook for a quick dinner. And that’s where Indian mutton curries can come to your rescue.
There are plenty of elaborate Indian mutton curries, like Nalli Nihari, Rogan Josh and Mutton Korma, that can take hours to whip up. But there are also plenty of Indian mutton curries that are quick and easy to make. These very Indian mutton curries are also hearty dishes that are bound to please the entire family while also being filling and nutritious. Now you may ask as many people are bound to these days, if mutton is a healthy dinner choice for you and your family.
The answer is not black and white. Mutton is a good source of essential nutrients such as protein, vitamins, and minerals. It is particularly rich in high-quality protein, which is necessary for growth, repair of body tissues, and the production of enzymes and hormones. While mutton does contain fat, it provides a balance of saturated and unsaturated fats. Moderate consumption of lean cuts of mutton can contribute to a well-rounded diet and help meet the body's requirement for healthy fats.
On the other hand, mutton is categorized as red meat and overconsumption of this meat can be harmful for blood pressure, cholesterol and heart health. So, the best way to have mutton is as a part of a balanced diet that includes a variety of other nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.
But if you are already following a healthy, balanced diet, then Indian mutton curries can be the perfect dinner option. Wondering which Indian mutton curries for dinner would suit your family best? Here are some options you can and should explore.
Video Credit: YouTube/Yasmin Huma Khan
Arbi Gosht
Originating in North India, specifically the Punjab-Delhi regions, Arbi Gosht is a close relative of the Mughlai-origin Aloo Gosht Salan. Made with a mix of whole spices, onions, ginger garlic paste, mutton and colocasia roots, Arbi Gosht is a simple mutton curry for dinner that requires very little effort to cook up. In fact, you can easily make this mutton curry in a cooker for a quick family dinner.
Kosha Mangso
The iconic mutton curry from Bengal is known for its thick gravy, dark mutton and an impeccable taste of potatoes. Usually slow cooked for an hour or more, Kosha Mangso can be easily cooked in a cooker too as long as you get the occasional stirring right at the beginning of the cook. Apart from that, this mutton curry for dinner relies on good quality mutton and the perfect proportion of spices, onions and potatoes.
Mutton Stew
If you haven’t had a family dinner of Kerala-style Mutton Stew and appam, you definitely should today. This mutton curry for dinner is easy to make and can be loaded with some vegetables to make it the perfect dinner. What is most essential is that you cook the mutton and the vegetables, be they carrots and onions or beans and peas, in a coconut milk broth with whole spices instead of powdered ones.
Mutton Kalvan
Popular in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, Mutton Kalvan is a dark-hued spicy curry made with a special masala blend. Chana dal, red chillies, coconut, ginger, garlic and sesame seeds are ground into a paste and used to cook this quick and easy mutton curry for dinner that tastes great with jowar bhakris, rotis as well as rice.
Mutton Saaru
Originating in Halli, a small village in Bidar district, Karnataka, this simple mutton curry for dinner is very easy to cook. Byadagi chillies, which also hail from Karnataka, as cooked with whole spices, onions, garlic, ginger, coconut and coriander leaves, and then turned into a paste. The mutton is then cooked in a gravy made with this Saaru paste to create a smooth, spciy delicacy.
Bhoji Mutton
Hailing from Odisha, this mutton dish is an amped up version of a traditional mutton jhol or tarkari that is served specifically at weddings. Apart from bay leaves, dry red chillies and spices like turmeric, coriander and garam masala, curd is also added to this mutton curry. This makes Bhoji Mutton curry a delectable delight with a thick gravy.
White Mutton Curry
A favourite among Bohri Muslims living in Gujarat and Maharashtra, this mutton curry is famed for its signature white colour. This colour, which comes from the use of curd, coconut, cashews and poppy seeds, is also based on the fact that no turmeric or red chillies are used to make this curry. Make it in a cooker, and this Bohri White Mutton curry is a quick recipe indeed.
Keema Kaleji
A very nutritious North Indian specialty that is also popular in Hyderabad, Keema Kaleji utilizes mutton mince and liver to make a spicy mutton curry for dinner. Usually, powdered spices are used to flavour the dish as whole spices are more likely to affect the texture of the minced mutton. Often, peas are also added to this dish to make it more wholesome. Keema Kaleji is best enjoyed with rotis or parathas.
