Laal Maas is a traditional Rajasthani mutton (goat meat) curry that is fiery hot and deep red in color. Make it at home in an instant pot or a traditional pressure cooker using my authentic recipe.
Here are some more mutton recipes that I love to make at home – Railway Mutton Curry, Bhuna Gosht, Indian Mutton Curry, and Peshawari Kadhai Gosht.
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About This Recipe
Laal maas literally translates to “Red Meat”. It is a traditional Rajasthani curry made using goat mutton and spices and it is fiery hot and bright red in color.
Traditionally, Mathania chilies were used to make Rajasthani laal maas, which gives this mutton curry a fiery red color and moderate heat. These chilies get their name from Mathania village of Jodhpur district in Rajasthan where they are grown in abundance.
But if you can’t find these chilies where you live, you can use Kashmiri red chili powder instead.
In the earlier days, laal maas used to be cooked with spices on slow fire until the meat was succulent and almost fell off the bones but now to quicken the process, I make my recipe in an instant pot or a traditional pressure cooker and it turns out just as fantastic.
History Of Laal Maas
In earlier days, the kings used to go for 3-4 days hunting trips and they would take their best chefs (khansamas) along with them to set up a temporary kitchen at the hunting camps. The kings would hunt wild boar, deer, neel gai, etc and the chef’s task would be to clean and cook the meat. They would use yogurt, chilies, garlic, etc to veil off the gamey odor of the meat and make a delicious dish using minimum ingredients that they could carry with them to the camp. This is how Junglee Maas was invented.
After some time, the kings got bored of the same recipe and wanted some change. That’s when some other ingredients like yogurt and spices like chili powder etc were added to the basic Janglee Maas recipe and this Laal Maas was invented.
Ingredients
Goat Mutton – Use bone-in goat mutton cut into 1 and ½-inch pieces to make laal maas. If it’s not available, you can use lamb instead.
This dish was traditionally made using the kill of the day. It was game meat like wild boar, deer, or neil gai. With time, the game meat was replaced with goat mutton.
Oil – For an authentic taste, cook the laal maas in mustard oil or ghee.
Garlic – Peeled whole garlic cloves are added to the curry for an authentic taste. Do not skip them.
Yogurt – Yogurt gives a rich and creamy texture to the curry. Whisk it well to prevent it from curdling while cooking.
Spice Powders – To make Laal maas, mutton is cooked along with Mathania chilies which give this dish a fiery red color and heat. You can source the Mathani chili powder from amazon and if it is not available, use Kashmiri red chili powder instead.
Other than red chili powder, you will need turmeric powder, coriander powder, and roasted cumin powder.
Note – Some people do not add any spices except the red chili powder to their recipe. You can try that version too.
Whole Spices – This recipe also uses a few whole spices, that are lightly crushed and then added to the oil. When added to the hot oil, they infuse a beautiful aroma and flavor into the recipe. These whole spices are – cloves, black peppercorns, black cardamoms, green cardamoms, cinnamon, and bay leaves.
Others – You will also need onions, ginger garlic paste, salt, cilantro, and lime juice.
Note – Cilantro and lime juice are not traditional. I add these for extra taste and flavor.
How To Make Laal Maas In Instant Pot
Add 3-4 whole cloves, 6-8 whole black peppercorns, 3-4 whole black cardamoms, 3-4 whole green cardamoms, and a 1-inch piece of whole cinnamon stick to a mortar pestle and crush them lightly.
Press SAUTE button of the instant pot.
Add 6 tablespoon mustard oil to the pot. Once the oil is hot, add the lightly crushed whole spices along with 2 bay leaves to the pot and saute for 3-4 seconds.
Add 2 cups of sliced onions and fry till slightly brown (8-10 minutes). Keep stirring at regular intervals.
Now add 10-12 peeled whole garlic cloves and 4 teaspoon ginger garlic paste and fry for another 8-10 minutes, until the onions are nicely browned.
Add 750 grams (about 1.6 lb) of bone-in goat mutton and fry for 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring frequently.
Add 1 cup whisked plain yogurt to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Now add 4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (or Mathania red chili powder), ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 2 teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, and salt and cook for 2 minutes.
Add a cup of water to the pot and close the lid of the instant pot and set the valve to the sealing position.
Press CANCEL and set the timer to 20 minutes at high pressure.
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid.
Add 1 teaspoon lime juice (not traditional) and 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro (not traditional) and mix well. Serve hot.
How To Make Laal Maas In A Traditional Pressure Cooker
Add 3-4 whole cloves, 6-8 whole black peppercorns, 3-4 whole black cardamoms, 3-4 whole green cardamoms, and a 1-inch piece of whole cinnamon stick to a mortar pestle and lightly crush them.
Heat 6 tablespoon mustard oil in a pressure cooker over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the lightly crushed whole spices along with 2 bay leaves to the cooker and fry for 3-4 seconds.
Add 2 cups of sliced onions and fry till slightly brown (8-10 minutes). Keep stirring at regular intervals.
Now add 10-12 peeled whole garlic cloves and 4 teaspoon ginger garlic paste and cook for another 8-10 minutes, until onions are nicely browned.
Add 750 grams (about 1.6 lb) of goat mutton and fry for 3-4 minutes on high heat. Keep stirring frequently.
Add 1 cup whisked plain yogurt to the cooker and fry for 3-4 minutes.
Now add 4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 2 teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, and salt and cook for 2 minutes.
Add a cup of water and cover the lid of the cooker. Cook for one whistle on high heat. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 20-25 minutes until the mutton is tender.
Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally. Once the pressure is released, open the lid of the cooker. Add 1 teaspoon lime juice and mix well. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make it smoky, you can give it a dhungar. Heat a piece of charcoal or a whole cinnamon stick over direct flame until is red hot. Keep a bowl in the center of the pan.
Keep the hot charcoal in the bowl. Drizzle 1 teaspoon ghee over the charcoal and immediately close the lid of the pan. Let the curry absorb the smoke for 10-15 minutes. Remove the bowl and give the curry a mix.
You will have to add more water while cooking the curry.
Some people add kachari powder to it which gives this curry a very unique tangy taste. If you have it available, cut down the yogurt to ½ cup and add 2 tablespoon of kachari powder in its place.
Serving Suggestions
Laal Maas is traditionally served with Bajre Ki Roti or Makki Ki Roti but you can definitely serve it with any Indian bread of your choice like Naan, Lachha Paratha, or Phulka.
It also goes very well with Steamed Rice or Jeera Rice. Do serve some sliced onions and lemon wedges on the side.
Storage Suggestions
Laal Maas will last in the fridge for about 4 to 5 days when stored properly in an air-tight container. Reheat it in a pan or microwave before serving it again. Add a little water while reheating, if you feel it has become a little thick while refrigerating.
If you are making it in bulk, make sure you heat only the amount you want to serve. Reheating, again and again, should be avoided.
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Recipe Card
Laal Maas Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-4 whole cloves
- 6-8 whole black peppercorns
- 3-4 whole black cardamoms
- 3-4 whole green cardamoms
- 1 inch piece of whole cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons mustard oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups thinly sliced onions
- 8-10 peeled whole garlic cloves
- 4 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
- 750 grams bone-in goat mutton (cut into 1and ½-inch pieces, you can use bone-in lamb too)
- 1 cup plain yogurt (whisked)
- 4 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder (traditionally Mathania chilies were used)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon lime juice (optional)
- chopped cilantro (coriander)
Instructions
- Add cloves, black peppercorns, black cardamoms, green cardamoms, and cinnamon to a mortar pestle and crush them lightly.
- Press SAUTE button of the instant pot.
- Add mustard oil to the pot. Once the oil is hot, add the lightly crushed whole spices along with bay leaves to the pot and saute for 3-4 seconds.
- Add onions and fry till slightly brown (8-10 minutes). Keep stirring at regular intervals.
- Now add garlic cloves and ginger garlic paste and fry for another 8-10 minutes, until the onions are nicely browned.
- Add goat mutton and fry for 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring frequently.
- Add yogurt to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Now add Kashmiri red chili powder (or Mathania red chili powder), turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and salt and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add a cup of water to the pot and close the lid of the instant pot and set the valve to the sealing position.
- Press CANCEL and set the timer to 20 minutes at high pressure.
- Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid.
- Add lime juice and chopped cilantro and mix well. Serve hot.
