Tin mutton also known as Corned Mutton curry was a quick and easy meal that my family always made when I was growing up. It could be a curry with a nice sauce or it could be a dryer fried curry. My dad would use tin mutton as a filling when he made samosas and it was my absolute favorite. So I figured why not turn these tin mutton samosas into Rice Paper Dumplings?!
So what is Corned Mutton? Corned mutton is a canned meat. Mutton comes from an older sheep, where lamb is comes from a sheep younger than one year old. The Spruce Eats gives a great explanation of the difference between lamb and mutton that can be found here. I haven’t found Corned Mutton in New England, although I am sure I could if I really hunted in a specialty store. Whenever we have our family travel to Sacramento, CA. we stock up on a few cans from a Fiji store on the west coast. So needless to say, its something that I don’t cook too often.
Tin Mutton Fiji Style
Tin mutton can also be really fatty, you don’t need to cook with too much oil when using the whole can as is. However when I thought about making these rice paper dumplings, I knew that I didn’t want the mutton to be too fatty. Rice paper dumplings are really thin and pan fried. I took an additional step to steam the mutton before cooking the filling. It was my first time steaming mutton. You don’t have to take this step, in fact its the fatty aspect of mutton that does make it so delicious. Feel free to omit this step should you not want to steam your mutton to reduce the fattiness.
The rice paper dumpling idea came from the tik tok trend created by Okonomi Kitchen. I thought it’d be a fun twist on our usual samosas. You can make the filling in advance and refrigerate if preparing ahead of time. The process of making the dumplings is quite simple once the filling is made. Its the perfect combination of crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
Tin Mutton Fiji Style – Samosa Filling – Dumpling Filling
Serve these with a dipping sauce of your choice. I used Tamarind Chutney, but you can use hot sauce or another sauce of your liking.
Please note: I recommend eating these dumplings right away. They become chewy if you wait to eat them or try to eat them the next day. This same filling can be used in samosas as well.
| Prep Time | 30 mins |
| Cook Time | 45 mins |
| Servings |
dumplings
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- 1 can corned mutton
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 whole potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 cup mixed veggies
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
- 1/2 tsp salt to taste
- 1 tsp cumin seed, mustard seed, fenugreek mixture
- 1/4 cup Water as needed
- 1-2 whole fresh thai chilis sliced optional if you'd like spicy
- 1 package spring roll wrappers
- 1 bowl Water
- tin mutton filling
Ingredients
Tin Mutton Filling
Rice Paper Dumplings
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- OPTIONAL STEP: To steam your mutton prior to making your filling, Fill a medium sized pot with water. Bring to a boil. Place a strainer with the mutton above the pot.
- OPTIONAL STEP: Let mutton steam for about 10 minutes mixing it a few times. The fat drippings will go into the pot.
- While your mutton is steaming, boil your potatoes until tender, should take about 8-10 minutes. (I only do this step when making a tin mutton filling, not for other tin mutton dishes, this step helps expedite the cook time for the filling)
- To begin making the tin mutton mixture, heat oil in a non-stick pan.
- Once oil is warmed up, add your seed mixture and hear for about 20-30 secs.
- Add in onions and curry leaves. Sauté until onions become translucent. 2-3mins. Next add in garlic and cook for an addition 30-60 secs until garlic becomes aromatic.
- Add turmeric, garam masala and salt. Fry your masala for about 1 minute. If the mixture is too dry, you can add a little bit of water during this step so the fry mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Up to 1/4 cup.
- Add in cooked potatoes, tin mutton and frozen veggies. Mix well. Cover and cook for 15-20 mins.
- Remove curry leaves. Let cool
- Follow instructions on spring roll wrapper. Fill a shallow bowl or plate with lukewarm water, submerge one wrapper at time for 10 seconds.
- Place soaked wrapper onto a paper towel for 30 secs to dry a bit.
- This might take a few tries and that's okay. Be prepared to waste a few if it is your first time.
- Place filling in the center of the wrapper. A spoonful.
- Take bottom of wrapper and bring it up just beyond your mixture. Fold right flap towards center. Fold left flap toward the center. Tuck in and roll mixture to ensure your roll is compact.
- Repeat one more time for a double layer to ensure it does not break when cooking. To keep the same thickness on all sides, place the first wrapped dumpling folded side down.
- Pan-fry the dumplings on medium heat for a few minutes on each side until lightly golden.
- Serve with your choice of dipping sauce. I chose tamarind (imly) chutney.
