Lal Mirch Ka Gosht (Red Chili Mutton)

You need whole red chilies for this recipe. If fresh are not available in the market, you can use dry red chilies. Only difference between these two is the flavor. Fresh red chilies give little more sweetish flavor than the dry red chilies.

Just slit open the red chilies and remove seeds and placenta (found at the top portion of the chili below the stem) carefully from them. For 2 pounds of mutton you can use 30-40 whole red chilies. Believe me it will not be hot. Enjoy the color of the curry especially when fresh whole red chilies are used.

Ingredients:

• 1-pound mutton with bones
• 2 Big onions finely sliced
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 15 whole dry or fresh red chilies
• 2 bay leaves
• 1” cinnamon stick
• 2 brown cardamoms
• 5-6 cloves
• Salt to taste
• 3-4 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp freshly ground garam masala powder
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (adjust according to taste)
• Chopped cilantro to garnish

Method:

• Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves and brown cardamoms. Fry till they turn brown.
• Add whole red chilies, fry for 7-8 seconds only (it should retain its red color).
• Now add finely sliced onions; stir till the onions are well browned.
• Add ginger and garlic paste. Fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Add meat pieces to the pan; cover and cook on low heat till they are tender. You may add some water if needed while cooking.
• When it is done, sprinkle garam masala and lemon juice and cook for 5 minutes more on low heat.
• Remove from the heat and if there is still any water left dry it before serving by continue frying.
• Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
• Serve with paratha or tandoori roti.

Do You Know?

Chili has two important commercial qualities. If some varieties are famous for red color because of the pigment capsanthin, others are known for biting pungency attributed bycapsaicin.

Capsaicin itself is tasteless and odorless and is produced by the glands in the chili’s placenta, found at the top portion of the pepper below the stem. The placenta is about sixteen times hotter than the rest of the pepper and is usually removed along with the seeds (another hot part of the pepper) when preparing food. If you’re looking for a good kick with your dishes, leave it in (along with the seeds), and see what you get.

Red chilis contain high amounts of vitamin C and carotene ("provitamin A"). Yellow and especially green chilis (which are essentially unripe fruit) contain a considerably lower amount of both substances. In addition, peppers are a good source of most Bvitamins, and vitamin B6 in particular. They are very high in potassium and high in magnesium and iron. Their high vitamin C content can also substantially increase the uptake of non-heme iron from other ingredients in a meal, such as beans and grains.