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Handiہانڈیاردو
Nihari, haleem & slow-cooked

Mutton Stew Recipe

مٹن اسٹو بنانے کا طریقہ

Desi mutton stew: meat slow-cooked with whole spices and black pepper, then simmered with potatoes, carrots and peas in a light, peppery gravy.
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Illustration of Mutton Stew

Prep

20 min

Cook

1 hr 50 min

Total

2 hr 10 min

Serves

5

Difficulty

Easy

Spice

Mild

Pakistani stew, often called istoo at home, is the gentle cousin of qorma: mutton cooked with onion, whole spices and plenty of black pepper, with vegetables added to make a full meal in one pot. It carries little red chilli, so it suits children and anyone feeling unwell, and it is a winter staple when carrots and peas are in season. The flavour comes from browning the onion and meat well and then simmering slowly.

Ingredients

5 servings

For 5 servings

Measures

Whole spices

Vegetables

To finish

Method

  1. Heat the oil and ghee in a heavy pot on medium heat. Add the whole spices and let them sizzle for 30 seconds, then add the onions and fry until golden brown.

    ⏱ 10 min

  2. Add the mutton and ginger-garlic paste and fry on high heat until the meat is browned and its water dries up.

    ⏱ 10 min

  3. Lower the heat, add the yogurt, salt, black pepper, red chilli and coriander powder, and bhuno until the oil separates.

    ⏱ 6 min

  4. Add the hot water, cover and simmer on low heat until the mutton is almost tender.

    ⏱ 60 min

  5. Add the potatoes and carrots, cover again and simmer until both are tender.

    ⏱ 20 min

  6. Add the peas and whole green chillies and simmer uncovered until the peas are cooked and the gravy has thickened slightly; it should stay pourable.

    ⏱ 8 min

  7. Stir in the garam masala, scatter the coriander and serve.

Tips for the best result

  • For a thicker, restaurant-style stew, mash one of the cooked potato halves into the gravy.
  • In a pressure cooker, cook the meat for 20 minutes after full pressure, then add the vegetables and simmer with the lid off.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the vegetables with the raw meat. They fall apart long before the mutton is tender.
  • Skimping on browning. Stew has little chilli, so the colour and flavour must come from well-fried onion and meat.

How to serve

Serve hot with roti, paratha or plain rice.

Storing and reheating

Keeps 3 days in the fridge. Freezes for 2 months, though the potatoes turn a little grainy.

Nutrition and cost

Worked out from the ingredients, not measured in a lab. Treat both as a rough guide.

Per serving Estimate

Calories
875kcal
Protein
39g
Fat
64g
Carbs
36g
Fibre
7.1g
Sodium
1100mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), public domain values for the raw ingredients (100% of the recipe by weight had data). Deep-frying oil is counted at 20%; bones and water lost in cooking are not subtracted, so bone-in and fried dishes can read high. Not medical advice. Method

Cost per servingEstimate

≈ Rs 510

Whole dish ≈ Rs 2,560 · 82% of ingredients by weight priced

From the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics weekly SPI, week ended 29 Oct 2026. Spices, herbs and some vegetables are not in the SPI and are left out unless you add your price, so the real cost is a little higher. How this works

Mutton Stew: questions people ask

What is the difference between stew and qorma?

Both use browned onion and whole spices, but qorma is richer, with more yogurt and fat and a thick gravy. Stew is lighter, peppery rather than hot, and cooked with vegetables.

Can I make this stew with chicken?

Yes. Use 1 kg of chicken on the bone, simmer it for 15 minutes before adding the vegetables, and use 3 cups of water.

Serve it with, and similar recipes

All slow-cooked recipes

Read this recipe in Urdu: مٹن اسٹو بنانے کا طریقہ

https://handi.danixsoft.com/recipes/mutton-stew · Handi, DanixSoft