Mutton & Malbec

What do dark chocolate, wine, and mutton all have in common?

Answer: An acquired taste...and this recipe.

As a child I hated all of the above, but good thing both my palate and I grew up. My obsession for milk chocolate and grape juice gave way to their mature counterparts. As for the lamb, well, my mom cooked it a lot, and somewhere between refusing to eat Baa Baa Black Sheep and the subsequent hunger pants, I came to love it.

This recipe is a mixture of my personal culinary holy trinity. Lamb slow cooked with Indian spices, red wine, and a handful of good chocolate. The resulting stew is 100 dimensions of heavenly taste.
Don't trust me though, try it for yourself!

For Recipe (Click Read More)

(Serves 5-6); Prep time: 20 mins; Total time: 2.5 hours

What you need:

1. Fresh mutton or lamb shoulder - 1.5 lbs, washed, fat-trimmed and cut into 2 inch cubes.
2. Red wine - 1 cup (I used a nice Malbec but I think any drinking red would work fine)
3. Whole wheat flour/maida - 4 tbsp
4. 2 Medium tomatoes, diced
5. 1 Red onion, diced
6. Garlic - 4-5 cloves, minced
7. Ginger - 1 inch piece, finely chopped
8. Tomato paste - 1 tbsp
9. Chocolate chips - 1/4 cup (semi-sweet or dark)
10. Cumin - 1 tbsp
11. Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
12. Green chillies - 2ish, diced (I added 4-5)
13. Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
14. Garam masala - 1 tbsp
15. Bay leaf - 1 whole (fresh or dried)
16. Salt/Pepper
17. Oil
18. Cilantro - 1/4 cup, chopped

What you do:

1. In a bowl mix together the mutton pieces, coriander powder, flour, and a dash of salt/pepper.
2. Heat up about 3-4 tbsp of oil in a cast iron or other heavy-bottomed pan on high/medium-high heat.
3. Once the oil starts smoking, add the mutton pieces one at a time.
4. Brown all of the mutton and transfer to a plate. Set aside.
5. In another large stew pot, heat up 3-4 tbsp of oil on medium heat.
6. Saute the onion, garlic and ginger for 4-5 mins until soft.
7. Add the cumin, tomato past, and garam masala and fry for 30 seconds.
8. Add the chocolate chips, diced tomatoes, green chillies. Stir to combine (don't let the chocolate burn!)
9. Now add the browned mutton pieces and fry for a minute. 
10. De-glaze the pan with wine for 1-2 minutes.
11. Add ~2 cups water until the meat is covered.
12. Add a tsp of salt and pepper and the bay leaf.
13. Turn the heat down to medium-low and a lid.
14. Simmer for 2 hours. Before serving, taste for seasoning and add more salt/pepper as necessary.

Done! Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with rice or naan!