Mutton Saaru Gowda style / Mutton curry

Well, I do not like to cook meat, nor do I eat it. But Honey is very fond of meat and I do not have a problem with that.I have cooked meat for him, after all I wanted to find a way to his heart, but it was always problematic. I was so averse to the idea of cooking and eating meat. But once I started a blog and identified myself as a foodie, my horizons broadened. After all it is food right. One man's delicacy is another's poison. The first question was, how do I look at the meat part of the food? Vegetarianism in India is pretty recent considering the length  of our history. There are instances in Mahabharata and Ramayana where meats/ games were served on various occasions. Bheema prepares a feast consisting of a variety of animals for the  coronation ceremony of Dharmaraya. Then the  Ashwamedhayaga where the butchered horse was roasted and consumed. Look at Sushrutha Samhita, it is full of remedies calling for venison, turtle and god knows how many more animals. It was only after the Ahimsa theory of Budhism and Jainism that vegetarianism started to become mainstream.  The Jains were so thoughtful that they refused to eat root vegetables which have been harvested after 'killing' the plant. But what about rice? or wheat or any other grain for that matter? Are they not living beings? We sure know they are, equivalent to the embryo in the animal world. So when ever we eat rice or any other grain, we are committing 'Himsa'. My question therefore is,is it alright to subject plants to violence and still be committed to Ahimsa in the animal world? Or do I stop eating all live foods and starve myself? How do I go about it? It is a dilemma. For a foodie like me, who loves to look, eat, write about, read about food, is it not a torture to go through such dilemma? I have not found a solution yet. I kinda brushed it down the carpet. The only way to be ethical and be committed to Ahimsa is to follow what Ayurveda suggests.

• 'Mita bhuksh' eat little -always eat only to fill half your stomach, fill the remaining quarters with air and water;
•  'Hita buksh' eat food at the right temperature neither too hot, nor too cold. Sorry ice cream you are out;
• 'Kshuta buksh' no idea what it is. got to call mom.
• 'Rutu buksh' eat what is in season. Basically it says eat local.

So lets gather everything  now. Eat fresh and local, eat food at the right temperature and eat moderately. According to me this is the best philosophy for a foodie. It is good for our own physical health, will reverse the epimedic of obesity, reduce carbon footprints, causes less 'Himsa', and brings no ethical baggage with it.

With this premise, I have stopped looking down upon meat eaters. Well it is one's choice. I am sorry that I bulldozed a dear friend's idea of bringing hamburgers for a barbeque party. (Not that I will allow it another time, but at least I am feeling bad about it!). Sorry Mr Zimmern cannot be your party either!

For now it is just mutton saaru the popular  gowda style courtesy a dear friend Shilpa . Shilpa and her hubby were at our place the other weekend for a friend's birthday (Sri, hope you are reading this). She was charming enough to dish up this rich and spicy gravy. Honey and Sunny boy enjoyed it very much. Imagine this, I wanted to raise Sunny boy a vegetarian!

 We will need,

Mutton 2 lbs
Ghee 2 tsp
Onion 1 medium
Green chillies 20 (ouch)
Garlic 7 cloves
Ginger 1/5"
Cloves 6-10
Cinnamon 1" piece
Coconut grated 1 cup
Cardamon 2
Coriander 1 bunch trimmed and ends discarded
Mint 1 small bunch trimmed and stalk discarded
Salt to taste
Sugar a generous pinch
Lemon juice for serving

Method:

• Wash and clean the mutton in several changes of water and set it aside.
• Place the ghee in a pressure cooker and heat it. Throw in the mutton and brown it for a few minutes. 
• Meantime, combine the rest of the ingredients except the  lemon juice salt and sugar in a blender and pulse till the mixture is smooth. Add a little water if necessary.
• Pour the spice mixture into the browning mutton, add more water and cover. Cook till the mutton is tender about 2-3 whistles.
• Remove from heat adjust salt, throw in the sugar and lemon juice.
• Serve hot with Ghee rice.