Shahi Mutton Korma (Royal Mughal Slow-Braised Mutton)

Marinate mutton with yoghurt, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli, turmeric, and salt for 2 hours. In a heavy pot (ideally a deg — a heavy round-bottomed pot), heat ghee. Add whole spices. Add fried onion paste — stir and cook 5 minutes until the ghee separates. Add marinated mutton. On medium-high heat, bhuno the mutton for 10–15 minutes until the marinade evaporates and the masala coats the meat.

About 20 min

Tip: The fried onion paste (birista) is the flavour foundation of korma — frying fresh onions for the paste rather than raw onion produces dramatically superior results. Deep golden, not burnt, birista is sweet and rich.

Add cashew-almond paste. Mix well. Add 200ml water. Cover tightly. Cook on low heat 45–50 minutes, checking every 15 minutes and adding 2 tbsp water if sticking. The mutton should be becoming very tender (a knife should enter a piece easily with slight resistance — not fully tender yet).

About 50 min

Tip: The slow braising of mutton at low heat is non-negotiable for korma — quick, high-heat cooking produces a tough, chewy result. Low heat over 45+ minutes slowly dissolves the collagen in the bone and connective tissue, producing the fall-off-the-bone tenderness.

Add saffron milk, kewra water, and check salt. Cover and continue cooking 15–20 minutes on the lowest heat. The sauce should be thick, golden, and unctuous — clinging to each piece of mutton. The meat should fall off the bone. Finish with a drizzle of fresh ghee. Serve with sheermal, tandoori roti, or fragrant pulao.

About 20 min

Tip: Korma sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon — if it is too liquid, remove the lid and simmer 10 minutes to concentrate. Thin korma is not korma.