Champaran Mutton

Ingredients

• 750 g bone-in mutton, curry cut
• 200 ml mustard oil
• 500 g onions, thinly sliced
• 15 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 whole garlic bulbs, unpeeled
• 1.5 tbsp grated ginger
• 2.5 tsp salt
• 12 dried red chillies
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1.5 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 black cardamom pod
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 15 cloves
• 5 cm cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 250 ml water
• 150 g plain flour, for sealing

Before you cook

• Toast the dried chillies, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, black cardamom, half the green cardamom, half the cloves, half the cinnamon and one bay leaf in a dry pan over low heat for 3 minutes.
• Cool the spices completely, then grind them with the black pepper and turmeric to a fine powder.
• Mix the mutton with the ground masala, grated ginger, peeled garlic cloves, two thirds of the sliced onions, the salt and two thirds of the mustard oil.
• Cover the bowl and marinate the mutton in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• Knead the flour with water into a firm dough and roll it into a long rope.

Steps

1. Heat the remaining mustard oil in a clay handi or heavy casserole over medium heat until it smokes.
2. Add the remaining green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf and fry for 1 minute.
3. Stir in the rest of the sliced onions and cook for 5 minutes until they wilt and turn translucent.
4. Tip in the marinated mutton with all of its marinade.
5. Tuck the two whole garlic bulbs down into the meat.
6. Pour in the water and level the surface.
7. Press the dough rope around the rim of the pot and clamp the lid down onto it.
8. Cook on the lowest possible heat for 50 minutes, turning the pot a quarter turn every 10 minutes so it heats evenly.
9. Take the pot off the heat and let it stand, still sealed, for 15 minutes.
10. Break the seal and lift the lid away from you to let the steam escape safely.
11. Stir the mutton gently and check that it is falling from the bone.
12. Serve straight from the handi with plain rice or roti.