Railway Mutton Curry

Made especially for the elite class travelling in First Class compartments of Indian railways during pre independence time, Railway Mutton Curry is a milder take on the spicy Indian Mutton Curry. Here is how to make Railways Mutton Curry Recipe.

Mutton curries have always been relished by non-vegetarians, but what if we twist it a little bit and provide a nice British charm to it. Wondering how it can be done! Well, here we have a recipe called The Railway Mutton Curry, the spicy Mutton Curry which was mellowed down to suit the plate of the goras while they travelled in trains all over India. 

Railway Mutton Curry as the name suggests has its origin from the Indian Railways. It was especially made for the people traveling in the first class train coaches and hence prepared only for the sahibs during the pre-independence days.

Since this dish was prepared only in the railway canteens, it has multiple variations, but the one thing that was in common was the mellowed down spice level. The railway canteens in the eastern side of the country prepared it differently from the the ones in the north and also from the ones in the south.

Indians have always loved indulging themselves in some some delicious spicy delicacies, whereas, britishers prefer to have mild spices in their meals. The combination of these preferences gave to the rise of this finger licking curry recipe called The Railway Mutton Curry. So, without a further do, lets discuss about all the amazing facts about this mouthwatering Railway Mutton Curry Recipe.

What is Railway Mutton Curry?

Served in the first class coaches of Indian Railways during Pre Independence or British Raj times, Railway Mutton Curry is a mellowed down version of the spicy Indian mutton curry. The spice level were toned down from the use of coconut milk to suit the palate of the sahibs travelling in the first class compartments of Indian railways.

This curry is no more served in the railways now but has so much history to it.

Railway Mutton Curry basically involves boiled mutton pieces cooked nicely in a spicy onion, tomato, and potato curry, whose flavours are mellowed down with the help of coconut milk. You can make the same curry with chicken too.

Traditionally tamarind or vinegar was added to this curry to ensure it lasted for a longer time, but I was short on tamarind and hence used tomatoes instead as a souring agent.

History of Railway Mutton Curry

The story behind this railway mutton curry goes like this. It was during the pre-independence days, when the Indian cooks in Frontier Mail run by the Western Railways, were preparing a meal for themselves after a busy service to the guests in the first class.

It was then a British officer while travelling First class reached the pantry for a midnight snack, following the fragrance of the food being cooked. Taken by surprise, the chef offered him the mangsho jhol (Mutton Curry) and the stale dinner roll.

As soon as, the officer took its first bite, he burnt his tongue. The officer demanded to mellow down the curry and the chef was generous enough to mellow down the curry with some coconut milk, thereby reducing the pungency of the spices.

The officer left the pantry satisfied, but when he visited again and could not remember the dish name, he called it as the Railway Mutton Curry and that’s how the dish got its name.

What to serve with Railway Mutton Curry?

You can serve this delicious railway mutton curry along with rice or any Indian bread. Jeera rice, phulka or naan are my personal favorites. Burani Raita also goes really well with railway mutton curry.

Railway Mutton Curry v/s Bengali Kosha Mangsho

The basic difference between Railway Mutton Curry and Bengali Kosha Mangsho is that the latter is a lot spicy than the former one, which has a mild flavors.

Railway mutton curry is prepared with boiled mutton pieces, whereas mutton in kosha mangsho is nicely marinated with some curd and aromatic spices for about 8 long hours so that the spices are properly absorbed in the mutton.

The mutton pieces were boiled before adding them in the curry just for the sake for convenience. When you are making a curry for thousands of people  and that too in a train’s kitchen, you just improvise on cooing methods.

How to make Railway Mutton Recipe Step by Step

Pressure cook the mutton with 2 cups of water and 2 tsp salt until 80% cooked in a pressure cooker. Remove the cooker from heat and keep aside.

Heat mustard oil in a pan.

Once the oil is hot, add bay leaves, cloves, green cardamom, black cardamom, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and dry red chillies and let them crackle for a few seconds.

Add onion and fry until they turn slightly brown.

Add ginger garlic paste and fry until onion turns nicely brown.

Add potatoes, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and salt to taste and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup water and cover the pan.

Cook until potatoes are softened.

Add tomato (Or Tamarind) and fresh coriander and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add the cooked mutton along with the broth and cook for 10-12 minutes on low heat.

Add coconut milk and cook on low heat until the curry comes to a gentle simmer. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot with steamed rice or roti.

Railway Mutton Curry Recipe

5 from 4 votes

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Railway Mutton Curry

Made especially for the elite class travelling in First Class compartments of Indian railways during pre independence time, Railway Mutton Curry is a milder take on the spicy Indian Mutton Curry. Here is how to make Railways Mutton Curry Recipe.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 1093 kcal

Author Neha Mathur

Ingredients

• 1 kg Goat Mutton Curry Cut
• 5 tbsp Mustard Oil
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 2-3 Cloves
• 2-3 Green Cardamom
• 2 Black Cardamom
• 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 2-3 Dry Red Chillies
• 1 and 1/2 Cup Onion Thinly Sliced
• 2 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
• 2 Potatoes Peeled and cut into half
• 2 tsp Coriander Powder
• 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 2 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
• 1 tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 cup Tomato Chopped. Tamarind was used as souring agent in the trains. I was out of it, so used tomatoes. Feel free to replace tomatoes with 1 tbsp tamarind paste.
• 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander Chopped
• 1 cup Coconut Milk

Instructions

1. Pressure cook the mutton with 2 cups of water and 2 tsp salt until 80% cooked in a pressure cooker.

2. Remove the cooker from heat and keep aside.

3. Heat mustard oil in a pan.

4. Once the oil is hot, add bay leaves, cloves, green cardamom, black cardamom, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and dry red chillies and let them crackle for a few seconds.

5. Add onion and fry until they turn slightly brown.

6. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until onion turns nicely brown.

7. Add potatoes, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and salt to taste and cook for 2-3 minutes.

8. Add 1/2 cup water and cover the pan.

9. Cook until potatoes are softened.

10. Add tomato (Or Tamarind) and fresh coriander and cook for 3-4 minutes.

11. Add the cooked mutton along with the broth and cook for 10-12 minutes on low heat.

12. Add coconut milk and cook on low heat until the curry comes to a gentle simmer.

13. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot with steamed rice or roti.

Recipe Notes

Chopped. Tamarind was used as souring agent in the trains. I was out of it, so used tomatoes. Feel free to replace tomatoes with 1 tbsp tamarind paste.

Nutrition Facts

Railway Mutton Curry

Amount Per Serving

Calories 1093 Calories from Fat 801

% Daily Value*

Fat 89g137%

Saturated Fat 38g238%

Cholesterol 183mg61%

Sodium 199mg9%

Potassium 1418mg41%

Carbohydrates 27g9%

Fiber 6g25%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 47g94%

Vitamin A 801IU16%

Vitamin C 54mg65%

Calcium 130mg13%

Iron 11mg61%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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