Railway mutton curry recipe | How to make railway mutton curry at home

Railway mutton curry is a very popular mutton curry recipe, created in Indian Railways canteen during the British era. A simply delectable less spicy mutton curry cooked with mutton (Lamb /goat meat), big potato chunks, creamy coconut milk, tamarind pulp, and a few simple spices. This mutton curry was prepared for railways’ first-class coaches Anglo-Indian passengers who do not have spicy food.

Railway mutton curry is quite close to our authentic Bengali mutton curry recipe, as prepared with big potato chunks, and with almost the same spices. On the other hand, coconut milk & tamarind pulp is also used in this mutton curry just as a South Indian-style mutton curry is prepared.

Though in the British period, this mutton curry would serve with the dinner roll. However, mutton curry goes best with plain rice or with roti in my opinion.

About Railway mutton curry recipe

Railway mutton curry was originally created by British Indian Railway’s Frontier Mail‘s (Golden temple mail) Chef. This mutton curry was made by seeing Railways British and Anglo-Indian passengers’ taste and their non-spicy food habits. Originally this mutton curry would be prepared by long hours of slow cooking method.

For making this mutton curry, mutton was first boiled and then slow-cooked with roasted onion, ginger-garlic paste, and then simmered with coconut milk, tamarind pulp, and a few simple spices. However, I am making this curry in a pressure cooker to cook the mutton faster and using curd (unflavoured yogurt) and tomato instead of tamarind pulp to make the mutton tender. Even in this mutton curry, compared to cumin powder, a little more coriander powder is used to keep the stomach healthy. Whole spices (cloves, cinnamon, cardamom & bay leaves) play an important role in this mutton curry to create the exact flavor of this recipe prepared in the British period.

If you love mutton curry, then you will surely love this old Indian railway delicacy. Besides, if you love a mutton curry cooked with coconut milk then also railways this curry is perfect for you.

Try this mutton curry at home, hope my step-by-step recipe description guides you best.

Try my other Mutton curry recipes

Bengali kosha Mangsho recipe

Kochi Pathar mangshor jhol (Bengali mutton curry)

Mutton masala curry

Bengali Golbari style mutton curry

Kashmiri Mutton Rogan josh

Railway mutton curry recipe | How to make railway mutton curry

Recipe by Moumita PaulCourse: Lunch/DinnerCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

5

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

35

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Total time

40

minutes

Railway mutton curry is a simply delectable less spicy mutton curry cooked with Lamb /goat meat, big potato chunks, creamy coconut milk, and tamarind pulp. Railway mutton curry was originally served with a dinner roll (in the British period), but this mutton curry goes best with steamed rice.

Ingredients Railway mutton curry

• ○ 500 g Mutton (Goat / Lamb Curry cut pieces)

• ○ 3 medium-sized Potatoes

• ○ 2 Medium Onion

• 1 medium Tomato

• ○ 6-7 tbsp Coconut Milk / নারকেলের দুধ

• ○ 2+1/2 tbsp Curd / Yogurt / Dahi / Tamarind pulp

• ○ 3/4 tsp Ginger paste

• ○ 1+1/2 tsp Garlic paste

• ○ 3/4 tsp Cumin powder/ Jeera seeds paste

• ○ 1+1/2 tsp Coriander Powder / Dhaniya seeds paste

• ○ 1 tsp Plain Red chilli powder

• ○ 3/4 tsp Turmeric powder

• ○ 75 ml Mustard oil

• ○ 1 tsp Salt (as per taste)

• Whole spices (garam masala) for tempering

• ○ 1 pc Bay leaf

• ○ 4-5 pcs Cloves

• ○ 2-3 pcs Green Cardamom

• ○ 1-inch Cinnamon Stick

• ○ 8-10 pcs Whole Black pepper

• ○ 1 pc Whole Black Cardamom

• ○ 4 pcs Red Chillies (Whole)

How to make railway mutton curry

• First simply heat a pressure cooker, with 75 ml mustard oil, and heat the oil till it releases smoke.
• Temper the oil with whole spices (described under the ingredients describes the whole spices or garam masala for tempering). Fry the spices until the aroma of the spices comes.
• Add 2 medium-sized finely sliced onions, fry until the onion gets soft & capture a light golden brown texture. 
• Then add mutton curry masala paste (which contains tomato, ginger, and garlic paste, described in the ingredients), and sauté for 1 min.
• Afterward, add 3/4 tsp cumin powder, 1+1/2 tsp coriander powder, 3/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp salt & 1 tsp plain red chilli powder into the pan. Give it a good stir & mix it well.
• Fry the spices until the masalas raw smell goes off & leaves oil.
• Add little water (around 1/3 cup= 5-6 tbsp) mixed with masala left in the grinder (moshla dhoa’r jol in Bengali). Mix it well.
• Let the water boil until the gravy gets thick & quite dry off.
• Add cleaned & washed mutton pieces with big potato chunks (cut into halves) into the pressure cooker, and stir them well with the masala gravy.
• Roast the mutton and potatoes well in masala until separates oil, add 2 cups (500 ml) water, and mix well, and once the gravy starts boiling close the pressure cooker lid.
• Pressure cook the meat on high flame until one whistle blows, then cook for 10 mins on low flame.
• Remove the lid while the cooker automatically cools down by releasing its steam.
• Then add 2+1/2 tbsp well-beaten curd / yoghurt (dahi or tok doi) or tamarind pulp, mix it well, check the softness of the meat, and again turn on the gas.
• Once the gravy starts boiling, add 6-7 tbsp (≈1/2 cup) coconut milk (নারকেলে’র দুধ), and mix well. Check the salt, add if required. Boil the gravy until tastes good. Turn off the heat.
  
• Railway mutton curry is ready, serve it with a dinner roll, roti, or rice.

Notes

• For making a quick version of this mutton curry, you can use unmatured lamb or goat meat. That meat easily gets cooked without a pressure cooker.
• This mutton curry is best cooked with curry-cut pieces of lamb or goat meat.

How to make Railway mutton curry recipe with step by step pictures

• First, simply heat a pressure cooker with 75 ml oil mustard oil, and heat it till release smokes.
• Temper the oil with whole spices (described under the ingredients describes the whole spices for tempering). Fry the spices until the aroma of the spices comes.

• Add 2 medium-sized finely sliced onions, fry the onion until soft & capture a light golden brown texture. 

• Then add railway mutton curry masala paste (made the masala paste with tomato, and ginger garlic paste amount described in the ingredients), and sauté for 1 min.

• Afterward, add 3/4 tsp cumin powder, 1+1/2 tsp coriander powder, 3/4 tsp turmeric powder, and 1 tsp salt.
• Then add 1 tsp plain chilli powder and give it a good stir & mix it well.

• Fry the spices until the raw smell goes off & leaves oil.
• Then add little water (around 1/3 cup= 5-6 tbsp) mixed with masala left in the grinder (moshla dhoa’r jol/মশলা ধোয়ার জল in Bengali). Mix it well.

• Let the water boil until the gravy gets thick & quite dry off.

• Then add cleaned & washed mutton curry cut pieces with big potato chunks (cut into halves) into the pressure cooker.
• Stir the mutton and potatoes with the masala gravy.

• Roast the meat and potatoes well in masala until they separate oil. Then add 2 cups (500 ml) of water, and mix well, and once the gravy starts boiling, close the pressure cooker lid.

• Keep the Pressure cooker on high heat until the pressure cooker blows one whistle, then cook for 10 mins on slow heat.
• Remove the lid while the cooker automatically cools down by slowly releasing its steam.
• Then add 2+1/2 tbsp well-beaten curd or yoghurt (dahi) or tamarind pulp with the mutton gravy. Mix it well.
• Check the softness of the meat, and again turn on the gas.

• Once the gravy of mutton starts boiling, cook it with 6-7 tbsp coconut milk (narkeler dudh).
• Check the salt, add if required (as per taste).
• Boil the gravy until tastes good, and turn off the heat.

• Railway mutton curry is ready, serve it with a dinner roll, roti, or rice.