RECIPES FROM 1979

Pineapple and Mutton Curry

Mutton curry with pineapple, sultanas, chutney and coconut.

SURPRISINGLY GOOD

2 HOURS 15 MINS

SERVES 4

ABOUT THE RECIPE

Pineapple in a mutton curry might make you look twice, which is half the fun of opening an old cookbook. Sultanas and fruit chutney add to the sweetness, with a little coconut stirred through the sauce.

The mutton simmers gently with onions, green capsicum and mild curry powder, then gets a squeeze of lemon just before serving. Spoon it alongside rice to soak up the sauce.

JUMP TO RECIPE

THE ORIGINAL RECIPE

Original 1979 Ward 9 cookbook page for Pineapple & Mutton Curry.

THE MODERN CONVERSION

From 1979 to today’s kitchen.

The original recipe, reworked with clearer measurements, modern steps and everything you need to make it now.

Ingredients

450 g boneless mutton (or boneless lamb shoulder), trimmed and cut into 2.5 cm cubes

55 g butter, divided

2 medium brown onions, thinly sliced

1 medium green capsicum, deseeded and sliced

1 × 425 g tin pineapple pieces in juice, using ½ cup drained pieces and 125 ml juice

3 tsp sultanas

2 tsp mild curry powder

3 tsp fruit chutney

2 tsp desiccated coconut

2 tsp cornflour

125 ml beef stock

Juice of ½ lemon

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Rice, to serve

Method

Melt roughly half the butter in a heavy-based saucepan or casserole with a lid over medium heat. Add the onions, capsicum and measured pineapple pieces. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, then transfer to a bowl.

Add the remaining butter to the pan. Brown the mutton over medium to medium-high heat, adjusting the heat so the butter does not burn.

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the curry powder, sultanas, cornflour, desiccated coconut and chutney until the mutton is coated. Start adding the liquid promptly so the dry ingredients do not catch.

Gradually stir in the measured pineapple juice and beef stock, scraping up the browned bits. Return the onions, capsicum, pineapple and any accumulated juices to the pan. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and turn the heat to low. Cook for approximately 1½–2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mutton is fork-tender. Start checking at 90 minutes and cook longer if needed. Add a small splash of water or stock if the sauce becomes too dry, and keep the pan covered between checks.

Stir in the lemon juice just before serving. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper, then serve with rice.

Recipe book compiled by Ward 9w Hutt Hospital December 1979 City Slicker.

THE TASTE TEST

So, was it worth making again?

The honest verdict after cooking from the 1979 page.

I wasn’t expecting to love this curry quite so much, but it was absolutely delicious. The pineapple and lamb worked beautifully together, and I was completely won over after the first taste.

I wouldn’t change the ingredients or adjust the method next time. I’d happily make it again, with no notes, no changes and a very enthusiastic 1979 10 out of 10.

SAMANTHA'S NOTES

Lamb shoulder

Pineapple in juice

A gentle simmer

If you can’t find mutton, you can use boneless lamb shoulder. Cut the meat into evenly sized cubes so the pieces cook at a similar rate.

Choose tinned pineapple in juice, as both the fruit and liquid go into the curry. You’ll only need ½ cup of drained pieces and 125 ml juice, so measure these out before you start and save the remainder.

Keep the curry gently simmering with the lid on. If the sauce starts drying out before the meat is tender, add a small splash of water or stock. The meat’s tenderness is a better guide than the clock.

KEEP COOKING