South African Mutton Curry

An authentic Indian family recipe for curry

Aug 13, 2009 Karin Engelbrecht

This an easy recipe for a flavourful and subtly spicy South African Mutton Curry.

South Africa is known as 'the rainbow nation' because of its diversity in people of various skin tones. And where cultures converge, interesting food can often be found. South African cuisine is famous for its barbequed meat, succulent stews, fantastic fish and its superior curries, like this South African Mutton Curry.

'But curry in South Africa?', you ask. Many people don't realize that South Africa has one of the largest Indian communities outside of India (in fact, some 2.5% of South Africa's population are of Indian/Asian descent, according to the CIA World Factbook). This is an old family recipe, passed down through several generations on the Indian-South African part of the family.

This curry seems to taste even better the next day, so making it ahead of time is not only convenient but actually serves to improve the complex flavours of the dish. Any leftovers you may have will store well in the fridge for up to a week, and can be kept in the freezer for up to a month.

Serves 6.

South African Mutton Curry Ingredients

4.4 lb/2 kg mutton (shoulder), cut into chunks
2 tbsp ghee (or regular butter)
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 tbsp ground coriander
1/2 can chopped tomatoes (or ripe summer tomatoes)
1 small onion, cut into rings
1 tbsp caraway seeds
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cardamom pods
1 tbsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp sea salt
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

South African Mutton Curry Directions

Brown the mutton in the ghee in a large soup pot over a medium heat.
Add garlic and ginger and allow the flavours to mingle with the mutton for a minute or two.
Quickly add remaining ingredients, except for the potatoes. Make sure it doesn't burn at the bottom.
Cover with water. The water should just cover the top of the meat.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the meat is tender (2-3 hours) and the sauce has reduced. If it threatens to cook dry before the meat is sufficiently tender, just add a bit more water.
Add the potatoes towards the end. The dish is done when the potatoes are cooked.

South African Mutton Curry Tips and Suggestions

Use mutton chunks with bone and marrow. Don't be squeamish, it really adds a lot of flavour.
Serve this South African Mutton Curry sprinkled with some freshly torn flat leaf parsley or coriander, yellow rice (you can easily make this by boiling basmati rice according to the instructions on the packet, and adding turmeric and salt to the water) and a green salad.

The copyright of the article South African Mutton Curry in Asian Cuisine is owned by Karin Engelbrecht. Permission to republish South African Mutton Curry in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

South African Mutton Curry