Jaffna Mutton Curry
This is the mutton curry that I race back home to eat, it's the mutton curry that graced our tables on birthdays, celebrations and special occasions growing up. It is the dish that, in this entire world, makes me the happiest. Back in Sri Lanka the meat of choice for this dish is goat, sheep are far rarer over there, but mutton is the most similar meat to that in the UK. You can use mutton, lamb or goat for this dish but lamb will have a much more mellow flavour.
Time to create: 1 hour 15 minutes (including 30 minutes marinading)
Ingredients
Marinating paste:
Fennel seeds - ½ tsp
Whole peppercorns - ½ tsp
Garlic cloves - 4 (peeled)
Ginger - ½ inch (peeled)
Roasted Sri Lankan Curry Powder - 1 tbsp
Diced mutton or lamb shoulder - 500g
Salt - ½ tsp
Curry:
Tomatoes - 2 (quartered)
Sunflower oil - 1 tbsp
Fennel seeds - ½ tsp
Black mustard seeds - ¼ tsp
Cinnamon stick - 1
Curry leaves - 10
Brown onion - 1 (diced)
Green chillies - 3 (optional)
Turmeric - ¼ tsp
Method
Add the fennel seeds and peppercorns to a pestle and mortar. Grind to a coarse powder, then add the garlic cloves and ginger and pound to a paste. Add the paste to a bowl along with the mutton/lamb, curry powder and salt. Mix well with your hands, then cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, although a few hours is ideal. Take the meat out of the fridge 15 minutes before you plan to start cooking.
Place a large sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the oil along with the fennel seeds and black mustard seeds. When the seeds start to spit, add the cinnamon stick, curry leaves, onion and whole green chillies, if using. Mix well.
Once the onions have softened and coloured, add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes before adding the marinated meat and turmeric. Mix well. Cover with a lid and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes.
Add 100ml water, stir, then cover and cook for another 10 minutes over a medium heat.
Remove the lid and simmer for a final 10 minutes before serving.