Name: Railway mutton curry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: Serves 4–6
Cuisine: Pakistani
Ingredients: salt, to taste; 1 green chilli, chopped; 50 g/1¾ oz tamarind pulp or 50 g/1¾ oz tomato purée; handful of fresh tender coriander (cilantro) leaves with stems, chopped; 50 g/1¾ oz/scant ¼ cup coconut milk; 8–10 fresh curry leaves; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp coriander (cilantro) seeds; 2.5 cm/1-inch cinnamon stick; 6–7 cloves; 500 g/1 lb 2 oz mutton, with bones/lamb shoulder with bones, cut into medium pieces; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 4–5 green cardamom pods; 1–2 dried red chillies; 4 tbsp vegetable oil; 600 ml/1 pint/2½ cups water; 1 tbsp ghee; 1 tsp each of garlic purée and grated ginger; 2 red onions, cut into half moons, skins reserved for stock

Preparation info

Serves
4–6

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
55 min

Appears in

Summers Under the Tamarind Tree

By Sumayya Usmani

Published 2016

About

Karachi Cantonment railway station is a legacy left by the British Raj and is now a protected heritage site which connects the whole of Pakistan through railway links built in the 1800s. At the bustling, noisy platforms, heavy with dust, one never misses the aroma of railway mutton curry bubbling away in a big cauldron. This thick, richly aromatic curry is alive with the scent of garam masala, coconut milk, curry leaves and tamarind, and is a nod to times gone by.