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Ring in the festive season with this delicious ‘military hotel’ style mutton dish
It was pouring cats and dogs, the road was uneven and visibility was nil. Thunder and lightning were adding special effects to a journey, which seemed to be getting scarier with every passing minute. It was Deepavali eve and my friends and I were travelling down to Madurai from Theni.
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
Our departure got unexpectedly delayed and the rains did not help. Not a single soul dotted the road and as we made our way slowly; we could feel the tension rising in our driver.
Hunger set in too and took over from fatigue. The car headlights fell upon a few tea shops, alas the shutters were half closed due to the rains and upcoming festival. Somehow, finding our way in the dark, we reached Virudhunagar. Lights now welcomed us and houses lined the street.
The rain had decreased and we were on the lookout for Muniyandi Vilas. The driver, visibly relaxed now, told us that the military hotel had the best dishes one could ever taste. ‘Military hotels’ were set up a century ago, by men who returned home from the army. They were localised and dedicated to their patron god — who in this case was Muniyandi.
Such eateries were first established around Madurai, in remote villages, and later in the 1930s spread to other places in Tamil Nadu. It was started to serve the same military hotel meals to farmers and workers, with ‘military’ being the euphemism for non-vegetarian food.
Its USP was mutton biryani and mutton chukka, a popular dry (sometimes with a thick gravy) dish served as a side or appetiser. This dish that grew famous would eventually be cooked in many homes, especially on Deepavali day.
The rain had stopped, a clear sky was soon visible and with the welcome lights of the city and sound of fireworks, we found Muniyandi Vilas. Heaving a huge sigh of relief, we got down to heavenly smells, which enveloped the whole place like a comforting cloud. We sat down and ordered our food.
My friends were in bliss, digging into the delicious looking Vridhunagar mutton chukka fry. I’m sharing the recipe of this famous dish so all you non-vegetarians can include it in your festive feast.
Virudhunagar Attu Kari chukka
Prep time: 15 min
Cooking time: 35 min
Calories per serve: 280 cl per serve
Serves: 2 - 3
Ingredients
- Mutton: 1/2 kg, boneless, chopped into small pieces.
- Shallots (sambhar onions): 100 gm, chopped
- Ginger: 1 big piece
- Garlic: 14 pods
- Aniseed: 1 tsp
- Coriander seeds: 1 tbsp
- Cumin seeds: 1 tbsp
- Red chilli, whole: 10
- Gingelly oil: 21/2 tbsp
- Turmeric: 1 tbsp
- Black pepper, whole: 1 tsp
- Curry leaves: 1/2 cup
- Salt: as per your requirement
Method
- Heat ½ tbsp oil in a pan over medium flame.
- Add the dry red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, pepper and aniseed.
- Roast on for a few minutes; do not burn.
- Grind the garlic and ginger into a paste.
- Wash the mutton well and soak in turmeric water.
- Place a pan on the fire, pour 11/2 tbsp oil. When hot, fry curry leaves and shallots.
- Sauté for a minute.
- Add ginger garlic paste and sauté until onions turn golden.
- Add the mutton pieces.
- Add 1/2 tsp red chilli powder and 1 tsp turmeric powder; stir well.
- Sprinkle a little water and cook for a few minutes.
- Add the ground masala.
- Add a little more water and stir.
- Keep stirring once in a while until the meat is cooked.
- Add salt and ½ tsp remaining chilli powder and stir well.
- Stir for another minute and then switch off.
- Garnish with coriander leaves (optional as original dish does not have coriander leaves).
- Serve with steamed rice or parathas.
Kitchen Tip
- Always use a heavy-bottomed pan and slow cook the mutton
- The colour of the meat will tell you if it is fresh or not — the darker, the better
- Use freshly cut mutton for this dish, not frozen
- Don’t pressure cook, but cook directly on a low flame, though firewood cooking is best
— Chef Ramaa Shanker is the author of Festive Offerings to the Gods: Divine Soul Recipes
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