Mutton Chops in a Black Pepper Sauce ( Sig)

Ingredients

Goat Rib Chops – 8
1/4 cup sliced shallots
10 garlic cloves
1/2 cup yogurt
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 large onion, thinly sliced
A few curry leaves

For the Spice Powder

2 tsp whole black peppercorns
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 star anise
4 cardamom pods
1” cinnamon stick

Method

Process all the ingredients listed under “For the Spice Powder” in a spice grinder or a coffee grinder to form a coarse powder.

Place the garlic cloves, sliced shallots, powdered spices and yogurt in a food processor and blend to form a thick marinade.

Place the cleaned goat chops in a pressure cooker and pour this marinade over.Add the salt and turmeric powder and mix well to coat the chops. Let it marinate for 30 minutes.

Pressure cook the chops for 10 minutes after the first whistle on medium heat. Open the cooker once it is cool. There will be a lot of liquid in the cooker. Remove the chops using a slotted spoon and return the cooker to the stove and reduce the liquid down to a thick gravy.

In a large frying pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and sauté the thinly sliced onion till soft. Add the curry leaves and sauté till onions start to brown. Add the cooked mutton chops to this pan and let the chops brown on all sides, turning frequently. Pour the reduced gravy over and turn the chops around to coat them evenly with this gravy and onion mixture. Switch off the stove when the chops are well covered with the sauce.


Notes
1. Goat chops tend to be really fatty. If that is the case, you will be able to separate out the oil when the gravy is thickened. Use some of this fat to fry the onions instead of using extra oil. You might even want to pour as much of the separated oil out as possible.
2. In case you don’t have a pressure cooker handy, the chops can be cooked in a regular pan too. Add 1.5 cups hot water to the marinated chops and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 30 minutes till the chops are cooked through.