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What to eat in Northern India? Top 4 Northern Indian Mutton Dishes

Last update: Fri Feb 14 2025
Top 4 Northern Indian Mutton Dishes
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01

Stew

RAJASTHAN, India
3.9
Laal maas
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Laal maas is a traditional curry variety originating from Rajasthan. This curry is prepared with mutton (often marinated in kachari cucumbers), yogurt, and Mathania red chili peppers. Other common ingredients include onions, garlic, coriander seeds, ghee, ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon.


Once prepared, laal maas can be thick or more on the liquid side. It's traditionally accompanied by wheat flour chapatis and steamed rice. In the past, the curry was prepared with wild game meat, hence the abundance of chili peppers in the dish that are used to mask the gamy aromas, but nowadays it's prepared with mutton, especially during festive occasions and festivals.

MOST ICONIC Laal maas

1
02

Stew

HIMACHAL PRADESH, India
n/a
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Mutton rara is a traditional Himachali stew originating from the northern parts of India, where it’s prepared during special occasions. The dish is made with a combination of marinated mutton chunks, onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, lemon juice, chili peppers, cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, oil, bay leaves, ghee, and salt.


The meat is marinated in a mixture of dahi, ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, and turmeric. The stew is cooked until the mutton becomes tender, and lemon juice is added near the end of cooking. Once done, mutton rara is usually garnished with coriander leaves, and the dish is then served hot with Indian flatbreads such as naan, roti, or laccha paratha on the side.

03

Stew

JAMMU AND KASHMIR, India
n/a
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Goshtaba is a traditional curry originating from the Kashmir region. The curry consists of mutton meatballs simmered in a spicy dahi gravy. It's made with a combination of minced mutton, mustard oil, fennel powder, cumin powder, fenugreek powder, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, black cardamom, cumin seeds, ghee, dahi, and saffron.


Once prepared, the stew is garnished with saffron threads and coriander leaves before it's served piping hot. It's recommended to serve goshtaba with rice or butter garlic naan on the side. The dish is usually prepared for important ceremonies, and it's often dubbed The Dish of Kings
04

Stew

JAMMU AND KASHMIR, India
n/a
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Rista is a traditional and royal Indian dish originating from the Kashmir region. The dish consists of meatballs that are simmered in a spicy red gravy. The meatballs are usually made with a combination of mutton, cardamom powder, salt, and ginger powder.


Other ingredients used for the dish, such as asafoetida, onions, saffron, red chili powder, fennel, cloves, cinnamon, mustard oil, and bay leaves are shortly sautéed in a pan and covered with water. While the gravy is simmering, the meatballs are added to the pan and the combination is simmered until the meatballs are fully cooked. 

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

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Northern Indian Mutton Dishes