What’s cooking today: Mutton shank & cashew curry

In my part of the Eastern Cape Karoo Midlands, we’re given to favouring mutton over lamb as it has more flavour, even though it takes longer to cook. You can use lamb if you prefer, but the cooking time will be quicker. It’s ready, of course, when the meat is tender but not falling apart.

The creaminess in the recipe does not come from cream as such. It is the result of the cashew paste (or cashew water) you make at the start of the process, and the yoghurt that the meat is marinated in with spices.

Ingredients

1 kg mutton shank slices on the bone

100 g raw cashews

2 medium onions, chopped finely

2 Tbsp ghee/clarified butter

3 garlic cloves, chopped finely

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp ground cloves

6 cardamom pods

1 tsp turmeric

1 Tbsp masala

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 bay leaf

For the yoghurt marinade:

2 cups plain yoghurt

1 Tbsp masala

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp chilli powder

6 whole cardamom pods

1 tsp salt

½ tsp white pepper

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp garlic flakes

1 tsp sugar

2 cups water

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Mix marinade ingredients together and marinate the meat in it for two hours.

Soak the raw cashews in boiling water to cover and leave to steep for 30 minutes, then blend to a paste or a cashew “water” depending on how much water you have used.

Sauté the onions in ghee until softened, then add the garlic, bay leaf and ginger and all the spices (from the first ingredients list, this does not refer to the spices for the marinade), and cook gently for a few more minutes while stirring. The mixture should be relatively dry when this stage is done but don’t go so far as to burn the spices.

Add to the first pot the water, cashew paste/water, the mutton and the marinade, and a little sugar.

Bring the heat to a very gentle simmer and allow it to cook for 2 to 3 hours, covered, or until the mutton is soft but not disintegrating. (Note: if y0u use lamb instead of mutton, the cooking time will be less, more like 90 minutes to 2 hours.)

Halfway through the cook, taste and decide whether you need to add more salt and/ or pepper. Remember that the marinade was salted and peppered but it is likely to need more salt at least, as curry can take generous salting.

Serve with basmati rice and a mild chutney such as my green yoghurt chutney. DM/TGIFood 

To enquire about Tony Jackman’s book, foodSTUFF (Human & Rousseau) please email him at [email protected] 

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