This delicious mutton masala recipe is one of the fastest ways to cook soft, flavorful mutton that tastes as if it is slow-cooked but does not actually require long hours of marination or cooking. Learn how to make easy goat masala in a pressure cooker without stressing out in the kitchen!
About this mutton masala recipe
Mutton masala can be quite intimidating for someone who has never cooked with mutton. South Indian mutton recipes are no exception.
Though slow cooking makes goat meat tender and delicious, sometimes the thought of marinating the mutton and cooking for hours can make you avoid the meat altogether.
This recipe will help you cook delicious goat masala in a pressure cooker with minimum effort.
Most of the Indian curries start with sauteing onions and tomatoes, then adding the meat/vegetables and spices and simmering until cooked.
In this recipe, we pressure-cook mutton with spices first, then saute in oil with other ingredients. This is the secret to making the goat meat soft (not just soft, I mean melt-in-your-mouth tender and juicy) and FULL of flavors.
This healthy mutton masala with a blend of Indian spices and soft pieces of lamb served with steaming boiled rice, roti or naan is the perfect comfort food during the cold months. Like my Kerala egg roast recipe which can also be eaten with rice or roti.
Once you know that this red meat recipe is good for you, you wouldn’t want to wait for fall or winter to try it. It also happens to be a dairy-free and gluten-free recipe. So HEALTHY, so TASTY!
Is goat meat healthy?
The Indian lamb or goat meat, usually called mutton is lesser-known red meat. Though it is considered red meat, it is a leaner, healthier choice when compared to equal serving sizes of chicken, beef, and pork.
Goat meat contains lower levels of saturated fat and cholesterol, combined with high iron and protein content. This makes mutton a good choice for anyone looking for healthy, nutritious red meat. (source)
More surprising health benefits of eating goat meat
- It lowers the risk of blood vessel inflammation since it’s rich in fatty acid CLA.
- Mutton prevents anemia since it is rich in iron.
- It promotes bone and teeth health, being rich in calcium.
- Mutton is rich in cancer-preventing selenium and choline.
- It contains Vitamin B12 which promotes cell regeneration and hence good for skin and hair. It also helps beat stress and depression.
- Its low sodium and high potassium content help control blood pressure and prevent kidney disease and stroke.
- Mutton is a rich source of minerals and hence delays aging and strengthens immunity.
- Folate in mutton helps brain development in children.
- It contains niacin which promotes energy metabolism
- It reduces the risk of birth defects in pregnant women.
- B Vitamins in goat meat help burn fat.
How to clean mutton
If you’re buying bone-in mutton, ensure that you get it chopped into bite-sized pieces from the butcher, since it can be hard to cut through the mutton bones. Trim the fat from the mutton pieces and rinse a couple of times.
For the last rinse, add about 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder to the water and wash. Since turmeric is a natural disinfectant, this is an easy and effective way to clean not only goat meat but any form of meat.
The turmeric also takes away the raw “meaty” smell from the mutton, even before you start cooking.
Ingredients
Like most forms of red meat, mutton also has a strong flavor. The spice mix used for goat masala is called mutton masala powder.
Making your own homemade mutton masala powder is very easy. It also helps you control the spice level and ingredients to suit your taste. You can also add different spices at different stages of cooking for maximum flavor, as I’ve done in this recipe.
- Mutton or goat meat: Choose young mutton, which will be lighter (pinkish) in color. You can use boneless or bone-in mutton. If you’re buying mutton with bones, ensure that they are chopped into small pieces.
- Mutton masala powder: Chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric, cumin, garam masala, pepper.
- Onions, tomatoes and ginger-garlic paste.
- Garnish: Cashews, curry leaves and coriander leaves.
Like most of my other curry recipes, this is a healthy mutton curry recipe that does not require butter, cream or coconut milk. Same as the 5-ingredient chicken curry without coconut milk.
Not that I don’t like coconut, but I try to use fresh coconut meat rather than store-bought coconut cream or milk. You can see that in recipes like sprouted mung curry and Kerala fish curry with coconut.
If you like curries, you might want to try the healthier version of the creamy chicken kofta curry made without cream.
Love Thai curries? You might want to try keto Thai chicken curry using homemade green curry paste.
How to make mutton masala in a pressure cooker
(You can find the exact measurements and instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this page.)
There are just 3 steps to cook this amazing goat curry in the pressure cooker:
- Mix all ingredients together (except garam masala and pepper) with mutton pieces and water. Cook in a pressure cooker for about 35 to 45 minutes. (depends on the type and quality of mutton, young goat meat cooks faster) Allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Saute the cooked mixture in oil with pepper and garam masala until it thickens and browns, for about 15 minutes. Adding pepper and garam masala towards the end of cooking adds more flavor like I mentioned earlier.
- Garnish with roasted cashews and curry leaves.
Voila! The flavorful mutton masala is ready with pieces of meat so tender that the soft flesh falls apart from the bones.
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Make ahead option
Since this mutton curry recipe does not use coconut or dairy, it is perfect as a make-ahead option.
It keeps well for about 4 days (maybe more, I’ve only tried keeping for a maximum of 4 days) in the refrigerator, or for about 2 months when frozen.
What goes well with goat masala
Serve this mutton curry/ goat masala with steaming boiled white or brown rice. It also tastes great with chapati or naan.
Here I’ve paired it with jeera pulao which goes amazingly well with the spicy curry. You can also serve it with mildly flavored rice like Indian lemon rice with brown rice.
If you’re looking for easy side dishes that go well with rice and mutton masala, make tandoori cauliflower or microwave vendakkai fry.
Common questions about cooking mutton
Which part of mutton is best for curry?
Almost any cut of goat can be used for this curry, but bone-in thighs or shoulders are the most flavorful cuts of goat meat. The bones add to the flavor of the curry. But if you can’t get them, you can settle for the boneless cuts as a second option.
How do you know when the mutton is cooked?
Perfectly cooked mutton is very soft and almost falls apart, but still intact. When you press the mutton piece with a ladle, it should easily give in without much resistance.
Why is my mutton chewy?
Chewy mutton means that it is undercooked. Luckily for this curry recipe, it is easy to fix: just cook it some more. If the mutton is chewy and gravy is too dry after pressure cooking, add 1/4 cup of boiling water (if the curry has enough liquid, roughly about 1/4 cup, there’s no need to add water) and pressure cook again. After it reaches high pressure, cook at low pressure for 5 to 10 minutes depending on how tough the mutton is.
How do I make mutton tender fast?
The best way to make mutton tender fast (without marinating) is to chop the mutton into bite-sized pieces and pressure cook with spices and water, so the flavors get infused into the mutton pieces. Then saute with more spices and simmer the curry with more water if required, until you get the desired thickness.
Printable Curry Paste Recipe
Grab a printable copy of the curry paste that helps home cooks like you cook different curries in 30 minutes or less:
Looking for more easy curry recipes? Try these…
7 Ingredient Kerala Fish Curry With Coconut
Kerala Egg Roast (Nadan Mutta Roast)
Easy Pepper Chicken Gravy
Kerala Chicken Curry With Coconut (Nadan Kozhi Kari)
Easy Mutton Masala (Goat Masala) in Pressure Cooker
Equipment
- Pressure cooker or instant pot
Ingredients
- 1 kg mutton/goat meat (bone-in, chopped into bite-size pieces) or 750 gms boneless
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes finely chopped
- 3 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil or oil of choice
- salt
- coriander leaves, roasted curry leaves and cashews to garnish
Instructions
- Trim the fat and rinse the mutton. Chop into bite-size pieces. (note1)
- Mix the mutton pieces with chopped onions and tomatoes, ginger garlic paste, all the spices except the garam masala and pepper. Place in the pressure cooker with 1/2 cup of water.
- Lock the lid and cook until it reaches high pressure. Let it simmer on medium heat for 35 to 40 minutes. (note 3) Turn off the flame and allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan and roast the cashews and curry leaves. Remove and keep aside.
- Heat rest of the oil in the same pan and transfer the contents from the pressure cooker. Add pepper and garam masala and saute for 10 minutes on medium heat. Let the gravy boil for another 5 to 10 minutes or until it becomes nice and thick.
- By now the pieces of meat will be so soft that the bones will almost fall apart. Transfer mutton masala to a serving bowl and garnish with coriander leaves, roasted curry leaves, and cashews.
Notes
- When you are cleaning the mutton, wash a couple of times with plain water, and for the last rinse, add 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric to the water to disinfect and remove the raw smell from the meat.
- Ensure that the meat is at room temperature when you start cooking.
- The cooking time highly depends on the quality of the meat and size of the mutton pieces. The meat of a younger goat cooks faster– you can make out from the color of the meat, it has more of a pinkish tint.
- If you’re using bone-in mutton, get it chopped into bite-sized pieces from your butcher, cutting through the bones of the mutton can be quite a struggle.
- Serving suggestions: Best served with plain boiled rice, flavored rice or naan/roti.
- Make-ahead option: Since this goat masala has no dairy or coconut cream, it keeps well in the refrigerator for 4 days (or more) and 2 months in the freezer. Ensure that you store in an airtight container.
★★★★★Did you try this recipe? Please give a star rating in the comments below ★★★★★
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Caution
As we all know, red meat has some drawbacks and mutton is no exception.
- Consuming large portions of mutton regularly might lead to weight gain and obesity; portion control is key while consuming red meat, especially.
- If not cooked right, mutton may cause digestion problems or food poisoning.
- Those with heart problems should avoid red meat.
This post has been updated with new photos to serve you better. The recipe is the same awesome one!
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I’m definitely going to ask my mom about finding some goat meat now! 😀
The unique taste will definitely make this meat your favourite!
Looks tasty 🙂
Thankyou!
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.
Happy to hear that, thank you!
I made this goat curry for the first time using a pressure cooker and it was absolutely delicious, the meat was so succulent. Can’t praise this recipe enough. I’m going to be trying more of your recipes in future.
Thanks, Veronica! I’m glad the recipe turned out great for you!
Hi, your recipe says to add raw onions and tomato and cook with mutton in water. Doesn’t the rawness of onion affect the flavour?
Hi Poornima, thanks for stopping by!
When you add onions with spices to the mutton and cook, it will only improve the flavor. You will saute the whole gravy in oil later on. So you get a nice aroma and not the flavor of raw onions.
I hope that answers your question. Please let me know how it turned out for you 🙂