Mutton Gassi for Mother's day

Gassis (pronounced as Gussi) are staple in my Mum's sunday kitchen. She would make us yummy gravies of chicken, mutton (goat meat) and seafood. After a long time I opened the section of our pantry which is arranged with dried red chillies, tamarind, sambhar powder and other bits from her kitchen and my native place -  Mangalore. I don't tend to cook our traditional fare often. But when I do, I totally enjoy the process. We found some goat meat at our local butcher. So I cooked mutton gassi and served it with some fresh rotis for lunch. It can be replaced with the more commonly available lamb meat here, but the result differs slightly in taste.

Although this goes much better with rice, it is healthier with rotis.

To prepare the curry, you need to make two pastes.

Paste 1) Roast cumin seeds, poppy seeds, coriander seeds, whole black peppercorns, dried red chillis, cloves and cinnamon in a little oil. Add fresh coconut and brown it. Powder this into a slightly dry mixture/paste.

Paste 2) Fry onions, garlic cloves and ginger. Brown the onions. And make a paste of this as well. The two mixtures should resemble like the photograph below.

Once they are ready keep them aside. Take a pressure cooker or a large pot and add some oil. Brown the meat on a high flame to lock in the juices. Add some chopped tomatoes, potatoes, turmeric and salt. Pour some water and let it cook for three whistles or till tender. After all the steam escapes, add the the two pastes into the meat broth. Add some tamarind juice or paste. Mix them all. Check the seasoning. Now let it cook without the lid for another 20 mins on medium heat. The yummy curry is ready!

Top it with some fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.

Happy Mother's Day mommy. I miss you.