Fried Mutton Chops

The Fried Mutton Chop has a moist mutton filling with a deep-fried outer layer that's served steaming hot with a spicy chutney. Mutton chops are a result of the colonial era, originating from imperial club tables to popular street food stalls in the country today. To make it, one needs mutton chops, lime, eggs, oil, and salt. For the marinade, use ginger, garlic, green chillies, cumin seeds, black pepper, turmeric, and garam masala.

In India, the chop may have descended from the cutlet, a popular railway refreshment for years. An early reference to Indian mutton cutlets comes in the 1894 recipe book by Henrietta A Hervey, the wife of a retired Indian officer. Her aim, she lays out, is “to supply a cookery book for ‘Old Indians’ in England”. Her Indian Mutton Cutlets recipe includes minced mutton, chopped onion, herbs, salt and pepper, and egg yolks, coated with bread crumbs, and deep fried. A slight variation of this, essentially with more spices, can be found in street stalls across the country today, especially in Kolkata.

Besides its intriguing history, mutton also comes with several health benefits. Being low in saturated fats and calories, and high in protein, which helps build muscle mass, it may aid weight loss, depending on one’s lifestyle. It's high in iron which boosts immunity and in Vitamin B12 which aids in the cells’ energy production. Its high potassium content also regulates blood pressure and maintains cell functions.