Mangalorean Green Masala Mutton Chops
Is Mangalorean cuisine all about Coconut and Byadgi Chillies? Did this question ever come to mind? Well, the answer is a big NO! While coconut and byadgi chillies are important components of everyday Mangalorean cooking, there are the Green Masala based dishes which are loved and savoured on festive occasions, if not as a fresh change to the everyday menu at home. While a variety of dishes can be prepared with the Green Masala using a variety of Hero Ingredient proteins, the most popular one I’d say is the Green Masala Mutton Curry – quite a regular on the banquet & festive menu of Catholic homes in and around Mangalore.
Where, when and how was the Green Masala Mutton Curry conjured?
The probable answer to this lies in the origins of the Green Masala. This Masala replaces the dried Byadgi chillies with fresh herbs and green chillies thus replacing the smoky heat of the byadgi chillies with herby fresh aromatic flavour. It is safe to say, every region of India has a version of the Green masala based dishes like the Hariyali (green) Chicken Tikka from North India or dishes like the Patrani Macchi (fish) from the Parsi Community. If we were to go back in time, we may discover that there was a common origin for the Green Masala base of all these dishes.
Like I’ve mentioned before, Mangalore is a melting pot of various cultures and cuisines thanks to the influence of the various communities in the region and also the cultural influences resulting from its time under Portuguese & British rule and not to forget the Persian influence thanks to the Nawayaths (remember my Bhatkali Biryani recipe?). I’m making a calculated guess that these communities played their role in the creation of the Green Masala.
Up until 1500, pepper was the hottest spice used in Indian cooking. Although it is not very clear, when Chillies arrived in India, but 30 years after Vasco Da Gama first set foot on Indian shores, there were at-least 3 different types of Chilli plants growing around Goa. The Chillies, were similar in appearance to Long Pepper and were equally fiery but easier to grow and store. Indians adopted the chillies very easily into their cooking.
While we Indians thank the Portuguese for introducing us to the Chillies, they along with the rest of Europe were introduced to the culinary use of Chilli thanks to Christopher Columbus’s accidental discovery of the new world during his attempt to find a sea route to India. Upon landing in the Caribbean, he noticed that the locals ate their food heavily seasoned with hot spices. In particular they were using one of the many varieties of Capsicum that the native Americans were cultivating since 4000 BC to flavour their food. The word Chilli itself comes from Mexico where the Spaniards discovered wide variety of cultivars of Capsicum.
Eventually Spaniard’s flavoured Pork dishes with Chillies and created spicier versions of staple Iberian recipes like the Chorizo. From the Iberian Peninsula, chillies eventually made their way to India through the Portuguese. So, while the spices and coconut have always been a part of South Indian cuisine, especially along the West coast and Chillies were introduced by the Portuguese, the use of herbs which are the primary component that impart the green colour to the Green Masala Mutton curry is probably influenced by the Persians who settled in India, viz. the Nawayaths and Parsis.
While the Nawayaths were the Muslim traders from Persia who settled in India, the Parsis were the Zoroastrians who fled from Persia to escape Islamic persecution and settled in India. The Nawayaths predominantly settled around Bhatkal (a town North of Mangalore), while the Parsis settled further North, around Mumbai and Gujrat. The word Nawayath loosely means Newcomer, while the word Parsi means Persian.The Paris are know to use fresh aromatics and herbs to make green masalas and marinades – take for example the Patrani Macchi or the Parsi Kheema Pao which predominantly use Fresh Coriander and Mint and Green chillies to form the Green Masala.
With Nawayaths and Parsis originally hailing from the same region of the Globe, they would have had similar culinary practices albeit the diet may have been different owing to religion. These culinary practices may have eventually blended with the culinary practices of the region. But how? Well, the Nawayaths may have had their influence thanks to their geographical proximity to Mangalore but more interesting is the probable Parsi influence.
If you were to glance through Parsi cuisine staples, do not be surprised when you find a “Vindaloo” and a “Bafat” in it! Just like Vindaloo is an authentically Goan preparation (influenced by the Portuguese), absolutely no one can stake claim to the “Bafat” preparation other than Mangaloreans. Then how do they feature in Parsi cuisine? Based on the little research I’ve made, in the olden days most Parsi homes had a Goan/ Mangalorean boy (or a cook). The Parsis would have picked up the know how of the Vindaloo and Bafat from there and likewise these little cooks would have picked up the Parsi way of cooking and taken it back to their homes.
I am no historian and I may be wrong. This is my personal view of the probable origins of the Green Masala and to an extent I strongly feel, all these cultures and communities over a period of time have contributed to the Green Masala based dishes that we enjoy today. Armed with this probable origin scenario of the Green Masala, let’s now go into a bit of detail into the making of the most popular Green masala based dish in Mangalore – the Green Masala Mutton Curry which in this case is the Green Masala Mutton Chops curry, as I have used Mutton chops for this recipe (you are free to use a cut of your choice).
How to make Mangalorean Green Masala Mutton Chops
For the Green Masala Mutton Curry, begin by making the Mangalorean Green Masala paste as per my recipe and set it aside, or if you already had it in the refrigerator before hand, take it out and let it thaw. Take a pressure cooker and heat some ghee and fry a few cloves and a piece of cinnamon for a few seconds. Add the mutton chops and sear them on high heat till they brown a bit. Add some mint leaves, salt and water and pressure cook on high heat till the first whistle goes off. Lower the flame and continue cooking for about 15 mins.
At the end of 15 mins, take the pressure cooker off the flame and let it cool down before opening the lid. Once the meat is pressure cooked, proceed to making the Green Masala Mutton Curry. In a large enough pot, heat some more ghee and fry a sliced onion till it turns translucent. Follow this with the green masala paste and fry it for a minute. Add the boiled mutton and its stock to the pot and give a gentle good mix (If you have reserved any masala water from the mixer after grinding the masala, add it to the pot). Add some potatoes, give a good mix and cook till the potatoes and mutton are done.
Check the salt and adjust if needed. take the pot off the heat and garnish the curry with freshly chopped coriander leaves. The Green Masala Mutton Curry is enjoyed best with Mangalorean par-boiled rice or any of the rice based preparations like Sanna, Appan & Sheviyo (string-hoppers). Give it a try and let me know about it in the comments section below. Happy cooking!
Green Masala Mutton Chops
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Ghee (divided)
- 2 pcs Cloves
- 1 inch Cinnamon
- 1 Kg Mutton Chops
- 1 sprig Mint leaves (torn)
- Salt, as per preference
- 2 cups Water
- 1 pc Onion, medium-sized (sliced thin)
- 1 portion Green Masala Paste (link mentioned in the recipe instructions)
- 3-4 pc Potatoes, medium sized (peeled & quartered)
- Fresh Coriander leaves, (for garnish)
Instructions
Pressure Cooking the Mutton Chops:
- Heat a tablespoon of Ghee in a pressure cooker
- Fry the cloves and cinnamon in the ghee for a few seconds
- Add the Mutton Chops and sear them on high heat till they brown a bit
- Add the mint leaves, Salt and Water and pressure cook on high heat until the first whistle goes off.
- Lower the flame and continue cooking for about 15 mins. At the end of 15 mins, take it off the flame and let the pressure cooker cool down before opening the lid.
Preparing the Green Masala Mutton Curry:
- In a large enough pot, heat the remaining ghee and fry the sliced onion, till translucent.
- Add the Green Masala Paste and fry it for a minute.
- Add the boiled mutton and the stock to the pot
- Add the potatoes, give a good mix and cook till the potatoes & mutton are done
- Check the salt and add more if needed.
- Take the pot off the heat and garnish the curry with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve with steamed rice or any of the rice based preparations like Sannas, Appan or Paan-poley
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Here are some more Mutton recipes for you to enjoy
What an awesome recipe. The green masala is my all time favorite and this recipe will def be on my to-do list.
Thank you Sonia. Looking forward to your review of the recipe