Hyderabadi Mutton Korma Recipe

Hyderabadi Mutton Korma is a delicious curry with velvety sauce, and tender cooked meat. It has the perfect restaurant-style gravy that you love to enjoy with bread or naan. Braised mutton is cooked, in a creamy sauce, and nuts add rich flavor and helps thickens the sauce. Hyderabadi mutton korma sauce is made of coconut, yogurt, roasted peanuts, cashew nuts, poppy seeds, and fried onions. It is finely blended and flavored with a melange of warm aromatic spice. Recreating this popular dish at home may sound complicated, but let me assure you, it is quite simple to make at home. The secret to making a luscious flavored mutton korma is the time! The longer it gets to cook and simmer, the better it’s going to taste!

Its origins can be traced back to the Mughal royal kitchens and the Nizams of Hyderabad. It is a testimony of the rich culinary tradition of Deccani cuisine. Korma has always been my absolute favorite, and my mom makes this for special occasions. It tastes divine with naan/flatbread, chapatti, or basmati rice. The curry is delectable, with enticing flavors, but it is not an everyday meal. It is a calorie-rich mutton delicacy. But I promise, this recipe is a keeper, and you will be coming back to this Korma recipe again and again!

As I pointed out earlier, the gravy contains yogurt, coconut, and nuts. You can use a blend of peanuts, cashew nuts, and almonds. If you are allergic to peanuts, you can skip using them in your recipe. For this recipe, I will recommend the stove-top slow cooking method, so that the flavors get time to develop, and the meat is succulent and tender. It takes some time to make, and it’s well worth the effort. But for a quicker version, you can use the pressure cooker. Give this recipe a try, you will surely love it.

Ingredients
Mutton- 1 kg
Onions thinly sliced- 4 medium
Ginger garlic paste- 2 tbs
Green chilly - 2
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri Chilly powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tbs
Garam masala- 1/2 tsp
Mint leaves- 8-10
Coriander leaves chopped- 2 tbs
Salt to taste

To make the paste
Coconut- 1/4 cup
Cashewnuts-7-8
Almonds - 7-8
Peanuts- 2 tbs
Chironji (charoli)- 1 tsp
Khus khus/poppy seeds- 1 tsp
Yogurt- 1/2 cup
Black pepper- 1/8 tsp
Shahi Jeera- 1/2 tsp

Whole spices
Cinnamon, 2 piece 1-inch long
black cardamom- 1
Green cardamom- 2
Cloves-4-5
Bay leaf- 1
Ghee- 1 tsp
Oil

Clean and wash the mutton pieces. Marinate with one tbs yogurt, salt, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, coriander powder, chilly powder, and garam masala and set aside.
Heat 1 cup of oil in a pan and add thinly sliced onion. Fry till crisp and golden brown. Drain into a paper towel and let it cool down completely. Make a coarse powder of the fried onions. Add half of this into the marinated mutton mixture and set aside for half an hour.

In a pan, add dry roast the nuts, coconut, and chronji for a minute or two on low flame. Add the poppy seeds and black pepper, and shahi jeera, and roast for a minute. Let it cool down completely. Add this into a blender with 1/4 cup water and blend into a smooth puree.

Heat ghee and add three tbs of oil in a pan and add the whole spices and fry for a minute. Add mint leaves, green chilly, and saute. Add the marinated mutton, and fry in the medium-high flame. Saute till the meat is slightly browned all over 8 to 10 minutes. Add the prepared nut and coconut paste, and stir well till incorporated. Add salt and yogurt and mix well and allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Now add 2 cups of boiling water and give it a good stir. Check the salt, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally, and when the meat is almost tender, add the rest of the fried onion powder. Adjust the consistency of the gravy, and reduce the heat to low, and let it simmer for 10- 15 minutes. Finally, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve warm with parathas, rotis, or rice.

Note-If you are using a pressure cooker, seal the lid and cook on medium heat till three whistles, then reduce the heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally before opening the cooker. If you want to thicken the consistency of the gravy, remove the lid a simmer on a low flame for another 5-8 minutes. Finally, garnish with chopped coriander leaves.