My mum is visiting so my normal vegetarian meals just don’t cut it anymore. I’ve started to incorporate chicken and mutton curry to our diet so she doesn’t feel like I’ve completely abandoned my Indian roots.

This past Sunday was overcast and cool in Johannesburg. And then it rained. It was the perfect day for a spicy curry. And because I rarely eat meat when I’m alone, I made it with such care, on a low heat, because I wanted to inject as much flavor into my food as I could. I also used Rajah curry powder because I ran out of my usual spice from a particular Pietermaritzburg market. The flavor however was spot on and I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. So did my mum. I watched her lick her entire plate clean and when she did eventually look up at me, she politely smiled and said, ‘That was nice. Why? How did you make it?’

Ingredients

300 g cubed mutton (no bones)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion diced fine

1 tsp garlic

1 tsp ginger

2 tbsp Rajah curry powder

1 tsp jeera powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp tumeric powder

1 stick of cinnamon

3 black pepper cloves

1 star aniseed clove

1 stem of curry leaves

2 chillies cut in half

2 tomatoes chopped up finely/grated

salt to taste

3 small potatoes halved

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into rounds.

Method

1. In a large dish, coat your cubed meat with 2 tsp of salt. Cover and set it aside.

2. In a heavy-base large pot, heat olive oil and add, chillies, cinnamon, star aniseed clove, black pepper cloves and curry leaves.

3. When you start smelling the spice, add onions and let it cook until translucent.

4. Rinse the salt off the meat and add to the onions.

5. Add ginger, garlic, jeera powder, garam masala, tumeric and chillie powder to the pot. Stir well, lower the heat a little and close the pot.

6. Let the meat cook until it starts to get soft. Keep adding a little water and give the chunks a good stir every 5 minutes for 30-40 minutes.

7. Add tomatoes, carrots and potatoes but don’t stir just yet.

8. Cook for another 5 minutes and when you open the pot you’ll notice the tomatoes are a little soft from the steam.

9. Add salt last and mix your curry well.

10. Let it simmer for another 30 minutes on a very low heat until your potatoes are soft and fall apart to the touch.

11. Garnish with finely chopped coriander and brown roti/quinoa roti.