Banjara Mutton Curry | Rajasthani Banjara Gosht

Banjara is a Hindi word which is mainly used for a community, who roams around living here and there for their survival of life, with no permanent house. The Banjaras are a community usually described as nomadic people with origins in Rajasthan. Banjaras were traditionally cattle and salt merchants. They also traded in grain and were known for long-distance commodity transport before the advent of the railways.

Banjara people are very much fascinated about eating non-vegetarian food and they freely consume mutton, chicken, and fish. They also like to eat spicy food. My today’s recipe is inspired by Rajasthani Banjara tribe and as we all know Rajasthani cuisines are known for its spiciness, hence this dish is hot and spicy.

As the name suggests this recipe is from Banjaras of Rajasthan. You can’t skip this recipe if you are talking about Rajasthani non-vegetarian cuisine. This Rajasthani Banjara Mutton Curry is cooked with very basic ingredients and is yet very delicious and finger-licking good.

I do not cook mutton so often, so whenever I cook I try to cook something different and new every time. My hunt for a new recipe for mutton landed me here. The name “Banjara Gosht” sounds interesting to me and my hunt ended there. Before trying any new recipe I like to read about its origin, preparation, and stories related to it. I got to know so much about Banjara tribe their lifestyle, food, culture, and many more things. Isn’t this fascinating to read stories behind the origin of the dish and where it came from? It is! Talking about the dish, it looked so simple and easy to prepare. What else do you want for a weekend lunch? Happy me! 🙂

Cooking Banjara Mutton Curry is very simple- no need of marinating the meat, roasting, and grounding of spices. This is absolutely a one-pot meal with minimal effort and very basic ingredients from the kitchen. Banjara people didn’t use tomatoes in their non-vegetarian recipes and instead, they use sour curd to give the tangy flavor to the curries and a nice velvety texture to the gravy. If you do not have sour curd at home then just take out a cup of curd and leave on the kitchen counter for 3-4hours. Do not use too sour curd as it will make the curry too tangy. The addition of roasted and crushed coriander seeds add a rustic touch to this Mutton Curry.

Suggestions:

• Curd, Using too plain or too sour curd will spoil the taste of the curry. If you do not have sour curd at home then just take out a cup of curd and leave on the kitchen counter for 3-4hours. And if you have too sour curd then use the half of the required amount
• Whole Spices, Crush and use the whole spices to enhance the flavor of the curry.
• Red Chili Powder, Rajasthani cuisines are known for the liberal amount of red chilies. Use accordingly
• Crushed Coriander Seeds, The addition of roasted and crushed coriander seeds add a rustic touch to this Mutton Curry. Do not skip this.

Serve this heartwarming Banjara Mutton Curry with any Indian flatbread or steamed rice, salad, and a raita of your choice. Do try this recipe and let me know how it turned out for you and your family.

If you give this recipe a try then please tag me on facebook @jyokitchen or on Instagram @foodfrenzyjyokitchen or share your valuable feedback in the comments section. I would love to hear back from you. ❤

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

• 2 Lbs Mutton, small pieces
• 1 ¼ Cup curd, whisked
• 4 Large onions, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 4 Green chilies, chopped
• 8-10 Garlic Cloves, crushed
• 1-inch ginger, crushed
• 1 Tbsp red chili powder (mildly hot)
• ½ Tsp turmeric powder
• 1 ½ Tbsp coriander seeds, roasted and crushed
• 2 Bay leaves
• 3-4 Whole dry red chilies
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 4 Cloves
• 2 Green cardamoms
• ½ Tsp black peppercorns
• 1 Tsp cumin seeds
• Salt as required
• 1/3 Cup mustard oil
• Meat Masala, for garnishing (optional)
• Ginger Julians, for garnishing
• 2 Green chilies, for garnishing

Learn Step By Step Recipe With Pictures For Banjara Mutton Curry | Rajasthani Banjara Gosht 

Recipe:

Step 1- Heat mustard oil in a deep pot/pan on high flame and then turn the flame to medium. Saute the whole spices (bay leaves, cinnamon stick, whole red chilies, green cardamoms, cloves, black peppercorns, and cumin seeds) until aromatic. Add the crushed ginger-garlic and green chilies, saute for a minute.

 Add the chopped onions and cook until turns pink and soft

Step 2- Add the mutton and whisked curd to the pan, mix well. Cover the lid of the pan and cook until the water evaporates and mutton is half cooked. Check using a fork.

Step 3- Now add red chili powder, turmeric powder, 1/3 of the crushed coriander seeds, and required salt. Cover the lid of the pan and let it cook on its own water. Add warm water if required. It will start leaving oil from the sides. Cook until the mutton turns soft and tender. You can even use a pressure cooker to cook faster

Step 4- When the mutton is cooked, garnish with ginger julians, green chilies, and the rest of the crushed coriander seeds. Give a nice mix and sprinkle meat masala if desired. Serve warm with any Indian flatbread or jeera rice