The Dhaba style of cooking is about using strong flavors, slow cooking, rich spices and loads of oil/ghee. This is a traditional recipe for mutton cooked in a handi or heavy bottomed pot, with a smoky spicy flavour, typical of dhabas found in the countryside. The key is to take your time, brown onions, roast spices and let the meat simmer and develop rich flavor.

Ingredients For Handi Mutton

For the mutton preparation, you will need:

• 1 kg bone-in goat meat, preferably with a few pieces of fat
• 3 large onions, thinly sliced
• 3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
• 4 green chilies, slit
• 200g plain yogurt, whisked
• 4 tablespoons mustard oil
• 1 tablespoon ghee
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 black cardamom
• 4 green cardamoms
• 5 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon hot red chili powder
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
• Salt to taste
• 2 cups hot water
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
• 1 teaspoon kasuri methi
• C1 charcoal block (optional) for smoking

Preparing the Handi Mutton

Thoroughly wash the mutton and drain it. Use a kitchen towel to dry the pieces. The meat shouldn’t be too moist or it will drip too much into the pot and not brown properly.

Use half of Mustard oil for marinating with Yogurt, Ginger-garlic paste, Turmeric, Kashmiri chili powder, Coriander powder and Cumin powder. Add meat and evenly coat all pieces. Cover and refrigerate for minimum of 1 hour. Overnight marinating will allow the spices to cook in the meat, if you have time.

Remove marinated mutton from the refrigerator about 20 minutes prior to cooking, to remove chill. When cooking at room temperature, the meat will cook more evenly and develop a sear.

Prepare the Dhaba-Style base

Heat a thick bottomed pot (handi) over medium-high heat. Pour the remainder of mustard oil. Once the oil is hot, turn down the heat a bit and add bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, green cardamom, black cardamom and cumin seeds.

Allow all the spices to sizzle for a few seconds. They should begin to develop their aroma. Then add the cut up onions. This is one of the most important parts of the recipe, because if the onions are coloured and browned correctly, they will provide sweetness, colour and substance to the dish.

Don’t cook them on a high heat as they might char on the edges and not be cooked in the middle.

When the onions are ready, add the pieces of mutton marinated in the sauce. Add more heat, and start bhunao, stirring often. Bake until about 12-15 minutes or until crisp on both sides. The meat should turn a nice brown colour and the oil should separate from the onion and spice mixture.

Add the chopped tomatoes and green chilies. Fully soften and thicken tomatoes, cooking until desired consistency. Stir to prevent sticking to bottom of the pan.

Slow-Cooking the Mutton Handi

Then add turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, black pepper and salt, as needed. Stir everything thoroughly. Add the mutton marinade to the bowl as well – make sure it’s marinating in all of the delicious spices!

Add the spices and cook until the raw aroma has faded and the oil begins to gather at the edges, another 5–7 minutes. This slow cooking is known as bhunao and what makes the dishes made at dhaba so rich is this type of slow cooking.

Add 2 cups hot water; bring to a good simmer. Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid. Slow the heat down and allow the mutton to cook for about 60-90 minutes or until it is cooked low and slow depending on the size and age of the pieces.

Look in the pot every 20 minutes. Mix gently and add a little hot water if the gravy is too thick until the meat is tender. Don’t pour in too much cold water as it may stop the cooking process.

When a fork can be easily inserted into the meat and a bit of the meat starts to separate from the bones, the mutton is done. The gravy must not be watery, rather it must be thick, shiny and deep in colour.

Available in a variety of interesting flavors

After the mutton is tender add ghee and garam masala. Crush kasuri methi between hands and add into the pot. Cook, stirring lightly, until tender, 5-7 more minutes.

Taste gravy and add salt/chilli powder according to taste. For a more authentic dhaba-style taste, let the mutton simmer for a couple more minutes without the lid, to allow the gravy to thicken.

Transfer a small chunk of charcoal to a hot fire and toast for a smoky finish (optional). Put a small bowl of steel into the handi, add charcoal to it and pour ghee on the charcoal—just a few drops. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. Carefully take out the charcoal and bowl. This will add a smoky taste to the mutton similar to that of food cooked over a traditional roadside fire.

Serving Suggestions

Serve garnished with freshly chopped coriander. Serve hot with tandoori roti, naan, rumali roti or steamed basmati rice. Onion salad with lemon wedges and green chilli is a good side dish.

To eat the mutton as part of an authentic meal, place it in the centre of the table in the handi. The thick gravy is great with breads, which can absorb the rich and spicy sauce.

For best results of Handi Mutton follow these tips

There is a big difference among the quality of mutton. Bone-in goat pieces typically have more flavor than boneless pieces and a little fat will contribute to a fancier gravy.

Take time to let onions brown. Old onions will give a milder, gentler curry. Likewise, don’t miss the bhunao. The roasted flavors develop when the meat and spices are properly fried before the addition of water.

For pressure cooker, brown first and cook mutton under pressure, till tender. But on a traditional textured handi, slow cooking gives a rustic texture to the gravy and it has the ability to develop step by step.

The dish can be moderately spicy if the amount of hot chilli powder is lessened while maintaining Kashmiri chilli powder for colour. Mustard oil adds a unique dhaba-style aroma; if you want to add a bit more richness to the dish, add a little ghee, replacing the mustard oil.

What remains of mutton may be even better the next day, as the spices have more time to combine. Cool and reheat leftovers quickly with a little water.

The final mutton should be tender meat, thick masala coating and gravy should be fragrant with smoky, spicy and slightly tangy flavor. Patience and good bhunao will get you the rich taste of a traditional Indian dhaba, in your kitchen.