Laal Maasलाल मास
Video: Chef Ranveer Brar (YouTube)
Laal Maas — literally red meat — is Rajasthan's most celebrated dish, a fiery mutton curry whose colour comes not from tomatoes but from a generous quantity of dried red chilies soaked in water. Mathania chilies from the Jodhpur region are the traditional choice: fruity, deeply red, and surprisingly measured in heat. The curry is cooked in mustard oil with yoghurt, making it at once sharp, smoky, and utterly addictive. It is a dish of celebration, cooked in huge pots for weddings and festivals.
📍 Make it in Plano
This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.
Finding Desi spots near Plano…
Ingredients
- ▪bone-in mutton (goat/lamb), curry cut — बकरे का गोश्त1 kg
- ▪dried Mathania or Kashmiri red chilies — लाल मिर्च15–18 whole
- ▪mustard oil — सरसों का तेल5 tbsp
- ▪whole spices: 2 bay leaves, 4 cloves, 2 black cardamoms, 1 stick cinnamon
- ▪onions, finely chopped — प्याज़2 large
- ▪ginger-garlic paste — अदरक लहसुन का पेस्ट2 tbsp
- ▪full-fat yoghurt, whisked — दही½ cup
- ▪coriander powder — धनिया पाउडर2 tsp
- ▪saltto taste
- ▪ghee — घी2 tbsp (finishing)
- ▪fresh coriander — हरा धनियाsmall handful (garnish)
- Mathania chilies are available at specialty South Asian stores or online. Kashmiri dried red chilies (widely available in the diaspora) make an excellent substitute — same ruby colour, very similar flavour profile. Use 10–12 if your Kashmiri chilies are particularly large.
- Mustard oil is the authentic base and gives Laal Maas its distinctive edge. It is sold as "edible" mustard oil at Indian grocery stores in the US, UK, and Canada. In a pinch, a neutral oil with 1 tsp of mustard seeds tempered in it approximates the flavour.
- Bone-in lamb shoulder (curry-cut) is the most available substitute for goat mutton in Western supermarkets. Ask a halal butcher to cut it into 2-inch pieces on the bone — marrow adds body to the curry.
Method
- 1Soak dried red chilies in 1 cup warm water for 30 minutes. Drain and blend with ¼ cup of the soaking water to a smooth red paste.
- 2Heat mustard oil in a heavy pot over high until it smokes lightly — this removes its raw pungency. Reduce to medium and add whole spices; let them crackle for 30 seconds.
- 3Add onions and fry until deep golden, about 12–15 minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook 2 more minutes.
- 4Add the red chili paste and stir on medium heat for 4–5 minutes until the oil starts separating from the masala.
- 5Add mutton pieces, increase heat to high, and bhunao (fry-stir) for 8–10 minutes until every piece is coated and sealed.
- 6Reduce heat to low. Add whisked yoghurt one spoonful at a time, stirring constantly to prevent splitting. Add coriander powder and salt.
- 7Add ¾ cup water, cover, and cook on low for 1½–2 hours until mutton is tender and oil floats on the surface. Stir occasionally.
- 8Finish by stirring in ghee. Taste and adjust salt. Garnish with fresh coriander. Serve with bajra roti or plain steamed rice.
A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.