Rampur Mutton Stew | Royal Cuisine | Easy Lamb Stew Recipe

Rampur mutton stew is a delicately spiced dish from the royal kitchens of the former nawabs of Rampur, an erstwhile princely state in Uttar Pradesh.

Our Rampur mutton stew recipe results in a mouth-watering dish in which mutton pieces are cooked in a melange of aromatics and spices like  mild dried red chillies, black peppercorn, bay leaf (tej patta), black cardamom (badi elaichi), clove (laung), coriander seeds, cumin seeds, nutmeg powder (jaiphal), mace powder (javitri), and cinnamon powder, along with yoghurt (curd).
 

Rampur lamb stew is tender, subtly spicy, delicately perfumed, and delicious. This scrumptious mutton stew recipe is one of the delectable dishes prepared by the chefs or khansamas of the kitchen of the nawabs of Rampur.
 

While we consider this to be the best Rampur mutton stew recipe, it is important to note that the method to make this is simple and is meant for easy home cooking. Learn how to make mutton stew by following our easy mutton stew recipe below.

Rampuri cuisine incorporates elements from Awadhi, Mughlai, and Afghani cuisine, but has its own distinct identity as well. It is similar to the cuisine of Delhi, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, and Shahjahanpur, which all lie in the same geographical belt.
 

Royal Rampuri cuisine may be less well known than Awadhi cuisine from neighbouring Lucknow but is no less delicious. Both cuisines are basically the food of the Mughals. However, there are some basic differences between the two. Unlike Awadhi cuisine, Rampuri cuisine does not use flavourings like kevda (keora), ittar, or rosewater, and tends to use spices like saffron and nutmeg in smaller quantities. Royal Rampuri cuisine is more subtle and nuanced in its use of dry spices and masalas, and generally uses less animal fat and oil. It has its own unique blend of spices and uses ingredients like lotus stem, pineapple, khus root, jackfruit, fig, and Indian gooseberry (amla) in its dishes in interesting ways.
 

Tips on making the best Mutton Stew Recipe:

• Use tender mutton or lamb for the best Rampur mutton stew. The better quality the meat, the better the end result will be on the table. In fact, that is applicable to all mutton stew ingredients here – better quality, better results.
   
• Sauté onions till soft and translucent before adding the other spices.
   

• Brown or bhuno the mutton well before adding water. This caramelizing is an important step to bring out the natural flavor of the mutton and onions in this delicate Rampur mutton stew recipe.
   
• While we have prepared this easy mutton stew recipe in a pressure cooker, it can also be cooked on dum in a tightly sealed utensil, though that is a much longer process.
   
• You can garnish Rampur mutton stew with slivers of fried onions, juliennes of ginger, and fresh coriander, if you like.
   

Serve Rampur mutton stew hot with rice (plain rice or saffron rice), or with lachha paratha, tandoori roti, rumali roti, butter naan, or sheermal.
 

For a typically royal Rampuri feast, serve Rampur lamb stew with yakhni pulao (cooked in mutton stock), annanas (pineapple pulao), Dal-e-Mumtaz (a dal of eight local lentils), mahi seekh kebab, and adrak ka halwa, arbi ka salan (colocasia in a gravy of yoghurt and fried onions and kasuri methi), and keema hari mirch (hand-pounded minced lamb with ground spices cooked on dum with green chillies).
 

Wash Rampur mutton stew down with aam panna (mango drink).
 

For a sweet ending, serve traditional desserts like shahi phirni, shahi tukda, gulatthi (made mostly of khoya and milk), millet kheer, kulfi, Taar Gosht and zarda pulao.

If you enjoyed this recipe, you may want to try our:

Yakhni | Kashmiri Yakhni Recipe

Or see all our Mutton Recipes right here!

Give this delicately spiced mutton stew recipe from the royal kitchens of Rampur a try. Learn how to make the best Rampur mutton stew with easy step by step recipe and video below.