Recipes for Mutton Lovers- Ahuna Meat- Champaran Mutton or Handi Meat

Cooked in an Earthen Pot or Ahuna, this Ahuna Meat preparation is also called Champaran Mutton or Handi Mutton.

1.It uses whole spices, pastes and marinates and mutton as the main ingredients, but it is slow cooked on charcoal or wood fire in an earthen pot, with the whole spices, freshly ground spices, and of course a whole garlic bulb all thrown into the pot. 

2. To be particular, this dish is not stirred with a spoon or ladle but the whole pot is only shaken once or twice.

3. Also, it does not use a drop of water and the meat is cooked in its own juices and the water released by onions.

4. Like Haleem, it takes several hours to cook and it is important for the flame to be low.

5. The pot can be sealed with dough like in ‘dum’ dishes, but this can be skipped.

Ingredients

1 kg mutton, 5-6 medium sized onions

7-8 garlic cloves made into a paste

2 tsp ginger paste

1 whole garlic bulb

5 green chillies

2 tsp each red chili powder

turmeric powder

chicken or meat masala powder

1 cup curd

2-3 bay leaves

½ cup each mustard oil and desi ghee

salt as required

Roughly Ground Spice Mix: 

2 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

20 black peppercorns

1 Dalchini Cinnamon stick

2 Black Cardamom (Badi Elaichi)

4 Green cardamom

Process:

1.Roughly grind the whole spices and put aside for later

2.Wash the mutton and marinate it with 4 tsp curd, 1 tsp turmeric and 2 tsp mustard oil and 1 tsp salt, for 3-4 hours

3.Create a freshly made ginger and garlic paste, and also thinly slice onions and make a paste of green chillies. 

4.Place an iron tawa on gas burner and put the earthen pan over it. This will prevent the earthen pot from cracking. Keep the flame high and add together the mustard oil and ghee.

5.When it starts to smoke, add the ground spices along with bay leaves. Cook for 2-3 minutes. 

6.Add the whole garlic and onions and salt and cook till the onion turns pink. 

7.Add rest of the spices and mutton, give a mix and tightly cover the lid.

8.Cook on low flame for 1 hour. Once or twice shake the entire pot to mix the contents of the pot. 

Remove the lid and check, you can add ½ cup water and cook covered for another 15 minutes if the mutton has not softened. 

Serve with steaming hot rice or chapatti.