Mutton cooked in a fiery red gravy made from Mathania red chillies, yogurt and whole spices. The most well-known meat dish of Rajasthan, originally made by hunters in the desert — no tomatoes, no onion in some versions, just chilli heat and meat.
Ingredients
750 g mutton — bone-in pieces
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tsp red chilli powder (use Kashmiri for colour + regular for heat)
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt
5 tbsp mustard oil or ghee
2 bay leaf
4 cloves
1 inch cinnamon
4 green cardamom — lightly crushed
1 black cardamom
3 large onions — finely sliced
2 tbsp ginger paste
2 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp red chilli powder (Mathania or Kashmiri red chilli — for the deep red colour)
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
2 cups hot water
salt to taste
coriander leaves and raw onion rings for serving
Method
Marinate the mutton: Mix mutton with yogurt, 2 tsp red chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Coat every piece well. Marinate for minimum 2 hours in the refrigerator — overnight gives better results. The yogurt tenderises the meat during marination.
Heat oil or ghee until very hot: Place a heavy-bottomed pot on high heat. Add 5 tbsp mustard oil. Heat until smoking. Reduce to medium. If using ghee, heat until melted and hot.
Add whole spices: Add bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom and black cardamom. Let them sizzle and become fragrant — about 20 seconds.
Cook onions to very deep brown: Add the finely sliced onions. Cook on medium heat stirring every 3 to 4 minutes for 20 to 25 minutes until the onions turn a very deep reddish-brown — much darker than usual. This long-cooked onion is what gives laal maas its base.
Add ginger and garlic paste: Add ginger paste and garlic paste. Stir continuously for 3 minutes until the raw smell cooks out and the paste darkens.
Add the red chilli powder: This is the defining step. Add 1 tbsp red chilli powder (Mathania chilli gives deep red colour with moderate heat; Kashmiri chilli gives colour with less heat). Turn heat to low. Stir the chilli powder continuously for 3 minutes on low heat until it cooks into the onion mixture and you see oil taking on a deep red colour. The room will fill with the aroma of roasted chilli.
Add mutton and seal: Increase to high heat. Add the marinated mutton with all the marinade. Stir and cook on high heat for 10 minutes, turning pieces, until all the yogurt moisture evaporates and the masala clings to the meat.
Add spice powders: Turn to low heat. Add coriander powder and cumin powder. Stir 2 minutes.
Cook with water until tender: Add 2 cups hot water and salt. Stir once. Bring to a boil. Cover tightly. Cook on low heat for 50 to 60 minutes until the mutton is completely tender — it should easily pull apart when pressed. Check water level every 20 minutes; add more in small amounts if needed.
Finish and serve: Remove lid. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes to concentrate the gravy. The laal maas should have a thick, fiery red gravy. Taste and adjust salt. Scatter coriander leaves. Serve with raw onion rings on the side and bajra roti or steamed rice.
Note: Laal Maas means red meat in Rajasthani. It was originally prepared by the Rajput hunters of the Thar desert using game meat (deer, wild boar) with Mathania chillies grown near Jodhpur. The Mathania chilli is unique to Rajasthan — it gives a beautiful deep red colour with moderate heat. No tomatoes are used in the traditional version — all the flavour comes from the onion, chilli and spice base.