Mutton Chukka

Mutton Chukka/Sukka is one of the popular South Indian sides. Small boneless mutton pieces are roasted well in south indian masala, finished off in a way that the masala is coated well onto each piece and served as a dry side dish .

It‘s made quite often in many households and you can also find this dish on any South Indian restaurant menu. Its mainly served as a side dish for rice varieties be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian. It’s very simple and easy to prepare but tastes best making any boring meal to a stunner.

I have a special connection with this dish. I never liked mutton in any form all through my childhood. My mom and dad tried and got tired of making me eat mutton. One day on an attempt to make me eat, mom made this chukka. For the effort and 'coz of their continuous pleading, I tried one piece and surprisingly i liked and from then i used to have mutton only to be made in this way. But now it's a different story still with some restrictions.;)

What are all the Ingredients you need ?

• Pearl onions - 10

• Ginger & garlic paste - 1 tbsp

• Green chili - 2 to 4

• Spice powder(cinnamon, cardamom & cloves) - 1/8 tsp

• Chili powder - 1/4 tsp

• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

• Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

• Oil, Salt & Water - as required

Step by Step Instructions to proceed with :

1. Coarsely grind pearl onions and green chili together in a blender/mixer jar 1 or 2 times in pulse mode.

2. Clean, wash well and cut the mutton into small pieces preferably boneless pieces as it suits well for this dish. Add the ground onion mixture, ginger & garlic paste and all the mentioned spice powders along with salt to the mutton pieces.

3. Mix everything well and marinate for half an hour.

4. In a pressure cooker, add about 1 tablespoon of oil and transfer the marinated mutton.

5. Sauté for 5 mins till the pinkness of the mutton turns into white, then add half a cup of water. Cook for 6-7 whistles. (Depending on the tenderness of the meat that you usually buy, increase or decrease the whistle count.)

6. Once the steam settles down, open the lid and let the excess water evaporates by keeping the flame high and stirring occasionally or you can also transfer it to a wide pan as it makes the drying process faster. (If you like to have it in gravy consistency, switch off the flame at the desired stage.)

7. Once the water is all drained, add few curry leaves and one or two dry red chili for the flavor & switch off the flame.

Serving Suggestions:

It’s mostly served as a side dish. This pairs well with both vegetarian dishes such as sambar, Rasam and non-vegetarian dishes like Biriyani and Ghee Rice-Curry Combo.

When served as gravy, it pairs well with plain Roti/Chapathi or even plain white Rice.

Find the Printable Recipe Below :