I. Kosha Mangsho
Cuisine: Bengali
Great Place To Get It At: Kosha Mangsho at Golbari Golbari Shyam Bazar, Kolkata, @ Rs 200, or Oh! Calcutta, Elgin, Kolkata @ Rs 520.
Feeling adventurous in the kitchen? Go ahead and make it yourself!
II. Gongura Mutton
Cuisine: Andhra
Great Place To Get It At: Might be time to make some new friends, this one's definitely its most authentic when made at home.
III. Andhra Mutton Curry
Cuisine: Andhra
A rich blend of onion, juicy tomatoes and freshly-chopped coriander make for the primary base of this dish. Added to this is buttery shredded coconut and the slightest sprinkle of tamarind to boost the flavour. The aroma of this delicious yet ridiculously simple dish, when served alongside hot steamed rice, is a meal to aspire to every day.
Great Place To Get It At: If you want a personal touch, try it at Rayalaseema Ruchulu in Hyderabad @ Rs.339, Kamat Restaurant in Vishakhapattinam @ Rs.210 or at Andhra Mess in Manipal.
Making it at home? Good on you. Try this recipe out for size, but your eyes are definitely going to burn. Don't say we didn't warn you!
IV. Laal Maas
Cuisine: Rajasthani
Great Place To Get It At: Just in case you are a little too busy for a trip to Rajasthan, you can head to Out of the Blue, Khar, Mumbai.
V. Jungly Maas
Cuisine: Rajasthani
Great Place To Get It At: Out of the Blue in Mumbai again for this scrumptious treat.
Home chef? Just keep it simple and try your hand at this one - and don't forget to let us know how it turns out!
VI. Gushtaba
Cuisine: Kashmiri
Great Place To Get It At: Whip up your own Wazwan wherever you are - here, these recipes might help you out.
VII. Vindaloo
Cuisine: Goan
Great Place To Get It At: A perfect replica of this Goan dish is available at new Martin Hotel and Military Cafe in Mumbai.
Making it at home? Go ahead and bring the coastal flavours home in your own kitchen.
VIII. Appam Mutton Stew
Cuisine: Kerala
Great Place To Get It: We've heard a few good things about Appam Corner in Bangalore.
Making it at home? But of course, nothing beats homemade appam and mutton curry.
IX. Railway Mutton Curry
Cuisine: Indian Railway Kitchens (And according to most, Bengali in origin)
Gone are the days when railways food were an affair to remember right from bedmi-aloo puri to the delectable railway mutton curry that we now refer to on this list. Once said to have belonged only on trays in the first-class compartments of trains, this curry's broken all class barriers and is served everywhere from the trains itself to station dhabas across the country, eagerly mopped up with the easiest carbs available by hungry travellers. But where did this mutton that's always on the move come from?
Great Place To Get It: Just about any station dhaba.
Making it at home? Give it a shot with this recipe.
X. Chettinad Mutton Curry
Cuisine: Tamil Nadu
Great Place To Get It At: This shouldn't be much of an effort as it is available at Dakshin Coast in Mumbai.
Making it at home? You know it's home chefs who take the cake time and again. Give it a shot yourself.
XI. Elumbu Kalambu
Cuisine: Kerala
Great Place To Get It At: ...Since this one's a particularly special dish, we suggest you keep it a homemade affair.
XII. Mutton Varutharachathu
Cuisine: Kerala
Great place to get it at: Nagarjuna in Bangalore knows how to nail these flavours.
Making it at home? We're suckers for homemade food - and with good reason - so here's how you can make this happen.
XIII. Mutton Ghee Roast
Cuisine: Karnataka
Great Place To Get It At: You should definitely check out Royal Andhra Spice or Nagarjuna in Bangalore for a bite of this.
If not, make it at home. We did say home-style for a reason!
XIV. Mutton Sukka Varuval
Cuisine: Tamil Nadu (Madurai)
Something of a staple at evening stalls around Madurai's streets, it's served up more of an evening snack but thanks to its incredible flavours, people tend to eat enough of it to avoid dinner altogether. Whether or not they're scraping off the best bits with rotis and parathas. Marinated in some of the usual suspects (think ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, black peppercorns and more) and then fried off till dry, flaky and delicious the skin has the most appetizing dark brown glaze while the extra burned bits of masala with flesh could keep us salivating for days even as we simply talk about it.
Great Place To Get It At: If you can afford a quick flight then Madhuvan Serai in Manipal is a great option but Mahesh Lunch Home in Mumbai does a fine job as well.
Making it at home? We salute you. Try this authentic madurai recipe out for a serious challenge.
XV. Mutton Kola Urundai
Cuisine: Tamil Nadu
Great Place To Get It: Adupadi in Bangalore but the best ones are at those Madurai street stall again. Time to take a trip!
Making It At Home? Definitely a better option.
XVI. Sheek Kebab
Cuisine: Madhya Pradesh
Great Place To Get It: Don't be lazy. Everybody has their own favourite places in their home cities so ask around and find out.
Making It At Home? Sanjeev Kapoor to the rescue.
XVII. Nihari
Cuisine: South Asian
Great Place To Get It At: Just about any authentic restaurant in Hyderabad does it best but if you want something closer to home, Mumbai's Persian Durbar knows what it's doing.
Making It At Home? We're afraid of encouraging this one, but encourage we must. Here you go. Let's hope Sanjeev Kapoor at his best doesn't equal you at your worst.
Words: Gouri Bhuyan