A hearty Sri Lankan stew of tender mutton and root vegetables simmered with warming spices and finished with tangy mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
Ingredients
- 700 g mutton cut into 1½″ pieces
- 2 tbsp dripping or unsalted butter
- 10 cups boiling water enough to cover
- 2 black cardamoms
- 1 ″ cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 10 peppercorns
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp mustard
- 1 tbsp sugar
- Salt to taste
- 2 carrots peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 turnips peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 leeks sliced
- 2 Bombay onions quartered
- 200 g boiled macaroni optional
Instructions
- Melt the dripping (or butter) in a stew pan over medium heat. Add the mutton pieces and brown on all sides.
- Add the cardamoms, cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns, and enough boiling water to cover the meat. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour.
- Add the carrots, turnips, leeks, and onions; continue simmering until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and sugar; season with salt. If a thicker gravy is desired, whisk 1-2 tbsp flour into a little cold water and stir into the stew to thicken.
- If using, add the boiled macaroni and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes to heat through.
- Remove the whole spices before serving.
Notes
For deeper flavour, substitute half the water with homemade mutton or beef stock. Be sure to remove the whole spices before serving to avoid unexpected bites. This stew keeps well refrigerated for up to two days; reheat gently over low heat, adding a splash of water if needed to loosen the gravy. The stew reflects Burgher (Dutch-Portuguese-Sri Lankan) culinary heritage. It is traditionally made with Western-style stewing techniques but with local Sri Lankan spices. It’s served with soft breads, hoppers (appa), string hoppers or rice.