Saffron and Pearls
Page 5
Heat a thick granite stone about 5" thick and keep the stone about 4" above coals to cook the gosht. Brush the stone with ghee and allow it to get very hot. At that point, place the meat on the stone and let it cook well on both sides. Brush more ghee on the stone as needed and repeat till all the meat is cooked. Serve garnished with onion rings and lemon squeezed over.
SHIKAMPURI KABAB
This is a never-fail party favourite. You can make a big batch of the mince ahead of time to store in the freezer. The filling needs to be freshly-made, just before you fry the kababs. I make it for hungry children – and adults! – and it’s also a great meal on the go.
INGREDIENTS
½ kg minced mutton
16 green chillies
16 pods of garlic
2 onions, peeled and left whole
2 onions, sliced and deep-fried
1 bunch coriander leaves
½ bunch mint leaves
12 cashew nuts
4 cardamoms
4 cloves
2 1" cinnamon sticks
4 tablespoons gram dhal
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
½ teaspoon black cumin seeds
For filling
100 gm yogurt or juice of two limes
½ bunch coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
METHOD
Roast the poppy seeds lightly; grind into a fine powder and keep aside. Take out a tablespoon of raw mince and keep aside.
Place the rest of the mince in a deep pan or vessel and add two whole onions, the green chillies, the pods of garlic, half a bunch of mint leaves, cashew nuts and four tablespoons of gram dhal.
Cover with enough water to boil in and add two tablespoons of oil. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook until the meat is done and all of the water dries up. In a separate pan, heat a tablespoon of oil and sauté the cooked, seasoned mince until all of the moisture evaporates.
Grind the mince along with the poppy seeds, a handful of fried onions, and all of the cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon sticks and black cumin seeds. At this stage, the mince can either be refrigerated to be used in a few hours, or frozen. You can make also oval shapes of the mince, skip the filling and fry them to make shami kababs.
TO ASSEMBLE THE KABABS
Thaw the mince completely, if it was frozen. Prepare the filling by mixing all the raw ingredients together. Shape a portion of mince into a ball. Create a hollow in the centre, place a little filling in it and wrap the mince around it. Flatten to form a round patty. Shallow fry the kababs in batches to ensure each one is well-browned on both sides.
Serve garnished with onion rings and, if you like, squeeze a little lime juice over the kababs.
NARGISI KABAB
INGREDIENTS
1 kg minced meat
¼ kg yogurt
¼ kg ghee
¼ kg onions
8 green chillies, finely chopped
6 eggs, hard boiled and shelled
2 bunches coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 bunch mint leaves, finely chopped
5 tablespoons chana dhal
4 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon saffron strands, melted in a little water
Salt to taste
Roast lightly and grind together
6 teaspoons chironjee
5 teaspoons poppy seeds, soaked
1 teaspoon all-spice
Grind together
8 cloves
8 cardamoms
4 1" cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon black cumin seeds
METHOD
Wash minced meat and grind well.
Roast and grind the chironjee, poppy seeds and all-spice to a fine paste. Add chana dhal and grind again to amalgamate.
Fry onions until brown and grind to a paste, using water.
Mix all the masalas and the yogurt with the ground minced meat. Coat the eggs with this mixture.
Grease a dish with ghee and place all the coated eggs in it. Pour the remaining ghee, chopped coriander and mint leaves, green chillies and saffron over the eggs.
Heat oil in a deep tawa or pan. Fry each egg until well-browned, and remove onto a plate lined with absorbent paper.
Cut each kabab into half, carefully, and plate on a bed of salad leaves.
TALA HUA GOSHT
INGREDIENTS
1 kg boneless mutton, cut into small pieces
2 bunches mint leaves, chopped
4 small bunches coriander leaves, chopped
6 sprigs curry leaves, chopped
2 cups water
½ cup ghee
4 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
5 teaspoons red chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste
METHOD
Mix the meat with ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder and salt in a deep dish, and keep aside for at least 30 minutes. If you have the time, you can leave it to marinate for two hours, but not more than that. Mix half the chopped coriander, mint and curry leaves with the marinated meat. Cook the meat in a pressure cooker until the meat is tender and the juices dry up. This should take around 30 minutes.
Open the cooker once it is cool enough, heat ghee in a pan. Decant the cooked meat into the pan. Add in the chopped leaves that you had set aside earlier, along with green chillies, and red chilli powder. Let it cook on a medium flame until the gravy thickens. This should take about 15-20 minutes. Serve hot with rice or rotis of your choice.
ADRAK LASSAN GOSHT
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ kg yogurt
1 kg boneless mutton
¼ kg ginger-garlic paste
2 cups oil
Salt to taste
METHOD
Clean and cut the meat into small cubes. Place the meat cubes in a strainer and wash thoroughly. Let all the water drain off.
Heat oil in a pan and sauté the ginger-garlic paste until it browns. Then add the meat, yogurt and salt. Cover and cook on a low flame until the meat softens and all the liquid dries up. You will need to stir the dish often to prevent the yogurt from sticking to the pan. The oil will rise to the surface towards the end of cooking and, if you like, you can drain it off. This dish does not have much of a gravy and you can either serve it with rice and dhal, or roll the meat into a paratha with some chopped onions and mint chutney.
Adrak Lassan Gosht
PALAK GOSHT
This is our family’s version of a very classic dish. As with the Shahi Raan, it is best made for parties or other celebrations; serve with simple accompaniments to let the richness of the Gosht come through.
INGREDIENTS
1 kg mutton nalli and botis
¾ kg spinach
3 onions, finely sliced
5 cardamoms
4 cloves
1” cinnamon stick
2 heaped teaspoons chilli powder
2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
3 teaspoons oil
1 teaspoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste
METHOD
De-stem the spinach leaves and roughly chop them.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions. When these start to turn brown, add in the whole spices, ginger-garlic paste and a few drops for water.
Sauté for a few minutes. Then add the powdered masalas, a little more water and add the meat.
Cook until there is no moisture in the pan.
Add salt, two cups of water and cover the dish. Turn the flame down and let it cook until the meat is nearly done. (If you prefer, you can do this in a pressure cooker.) When the meat is almost cooked, add the spinach leaves, cover the dish and let the greens wilt.
Serve hot with rotis.
SHAHI RAAN
Impressive, delicious and decadent, this is an ideal dish for parties. I like se
rving it with accompaniments that will highlight and not compete with its richness – white rice or a simple pulao, Khatti Dhal and a kachumber.
INGREDIENTS
½ kg leg of mutton, washed and dried
½ kg tomato puree
2 cups sour cream
1 cup yogurt
1 cup oil
4 glasses water
20 almonds, blanched
4 teaspoons ginger paste
3-2 teaspoons chilli powder
2 teaspoons garlic paste
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
Salt to taste
METHOD
Prepare the marinade by mixing tomato puree, sour cream, yogurt, ginger and garlic pastes, garam masala and salt. Set aside.
Use a fork to prick the mutton leg all over. Place in a deep dish and coat it with the marinade. Cover and keep aside for four hours. The meat can be marinated overnight and it will actually cook better so if you can do this ahead of time, please do.
TO COOK
Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan. Place the mutton leg in the hot oil and cook until it is light-brown in colour, turning it on all sides to ensure it is evenly cooked through.
Addf the marinade and water to the pan, lower the flame and cook the meat until it is tender. You might need to turn it over a few times to make sure it does not stick to the pan, or burn. When the gravy thickens and coats the meat completely, the dish is ready.
Garnish with blanched almonds and serve.
MUTTON CHAAP
INGREDIENTS
1 kg pasinda meat
1 cup water
½ cup oil
2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
Salt to taste
For garnishing
½ kg onions, finely sliced
½ kg potatoes, finely sliced
3 tomatoes, finely sliced
METHOD
Wash meat well. Place it in a pressure cooker and add ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder, water and salt. Pressure cook for three whistles and take the cooker off the flame. Once the pressure reduces, open the cooker and place it back on the stove, with the lid off. Cook on a low flame until much of the liquid evaporates, and there’s about a tablespoon of gravy coating the meat.
Heat oil in a kadhai as the meat cooks on a low flame. Sauté the onion slices until they turn transparent. Remove onto a plate lined with absorbent paper, and set aside. In the same oil, shallow fry the potatoes until they turn crisp and light brown in colour. Remove onto a separate plate lined with absorbent paper. Finally, fry the tomatoes for a quick minute, just to soften the slices and decant onto a third, lined plate.
Take the meat out of the cooker and sauté it in the same oil until all the moisture dries up. Sprinkle with chilli powder as you sauté it.
Place the meat in a flat, wide dish. Cover it with the potatoes, then the onions and finally the tomatoes. This is traditionally served with rice and Khatti Dhal (page 50).
Tip: The leftovers from this dish can be made into a delicious meal. Cut the meat into small pieces and sauté in a pan with two tablespoons of oil. Break two eggs into the pan and scramble well with the sautéed meat. This can either be used as the filling for rolls, or served with parathas on the side.
GOSHT KI KADHI
INGREDIENTS
½ kg seene ka gosht, or mutton ribs
½ kg tomatoes, finely chopped
1 bunch curry leaves
1 bunch coriander leaves
10 green chillies
2 medium-sized onions, finely sliced
5 cups water
2 cups tamarind juice
¾ cup rice
½ cup oil
3 tablespoons coriander powder
3 tablespoons cumin powder
2 tablespoons chilli powder
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
METHOD
Wash the meat with the sliced onions and then drain. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and tomatoes. Pressure cook the meat till it is soft. Soak the rice in two cups of water for about an hour. Grind to a fine paste and add two cups of water.
Heat oil in a pan and add the meat. Sauté until the oil rises up to the surface and then add coriander and cumin powders, curry leaves and green chillies. Finally, add the tamarind juice and a cup of water. When it comes to a boil, pour in the rice paste in a slow stream. Mix well and simmer for 15 minutes. This dish is best served with plain white rice.
DHANIYA KHORMA
INGREDIENTS
1 kg mutton bone marrow and gizzards
2 large onions, ground
2 large onions, sliced
2 cups yogurt
4 tablespoons coriander powder, not roasted
4 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
2 teaspoons chilli powder
For the garam masala
4 peppercorns
4 cardamoms
2 cloves
½ teaspoon black cumin seeds
METHOD
Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions until golden brown. Remove onto a plate lined with absorbent paper. To the same pan, add the meat and ginger-garlic paste; cover and cook for 20 minutes. Then, add the ground onion, mix well and cover again. Cook further for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle in the coriander and chilli powders. Add yogurt and a little water. Cook until the meat is soft and a rich gravy forms – this takes about 20 minutes. Add the fried onions and garam masala. Keep the dish on dhum for 5 minutes, and it’s ready to serve.
Gosht Ki Kadhi
NALLI GOSHT
INGREDIENTS
2 kgs lamb shanks (about 15 pieces)
2 litres mutton stock
½ kg yogurt
150 gm onions, chopped
100 gm onions, finely sliced
100 gm Kashmiri chilli paste
75 gm garlic cloves
1 gm saffron strands
100 ml oil
1 bunch coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 2" piece ginger, cut into strips
8 green cardamoms
5 1" cinnamon sticks
5 cloves
5 bay leaves
5 drops vetiver
8 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
4 teaspoons kewda water
4 teaspoons rose water
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
1 teaspoon green cardamom powder
METHOD
Fry the chopped onions until very crisp. Remove onto a plate lined with absorbent paper.
Fry the garlic cloves until they turn a deep brown. Grind these along with the fried onions with a little water to form a paste.
Heat oil in a pan and add the whole spices. When it splutters, add in the finely sliced onions and fry them to a golden brown. Then, add the ginger-garlic paste and the lamb shanks first. Mix well and add salt and chilli paste. Let the meat cook until the spices coat it – this should take about 15 minutes.
Mix in the browned garlic and onion paste and yogurt. Leave it on a low heat for 15-20 minutes. Pour in the stock and seal the pan with dough. Lower the flame completely and let cook until the mutton is tender. This should take 20-30 minutes. Check if the meat is soft, and if it is not, please return the pan to the stove for another 15-20 minutes.
Strain the stock, remove the lamb shanks and set them aside. Pour the stock into a thick-bottomed pan and return to the stove; let it reduce to the thickness you would prefer for the gravy. Check the seasoning and add the lamb shanks back in.
Sprinkle with the cardamom powder, garam masala powder, kewda water, rose water, vetiver and saffron. Mix well to combine and take the pan off the flame. Serve garnished with chopped coriander leaves and ginger strips.
KALI
MIRCH RAAN
INGREDIENTS
2 raans, weighing about 2 ½ kg each
1 kg new potatoes
2 litres water
1 cup oil
5 level tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
Salt to taste
METHOD
Clean and wash the raans well. Boil the potatoes and let them cool. Peel and set aside. Place the raans in a large pan and pour in the water. Add salt and ginger-garlic paste.
Cook the raans on a slow flame until the meat softens and the water reduces to nearly ¾ its original volume. At this point, pour in the oil and bring back to a boil. When the liquid starts to boil, add the potatoes and pepper. Reduce the heat again and cook for 15 more minutes, until the gravy is quite thick. Serve garnished with more pepper, if you would like some more spice.
Kali Mirch Raan
MUTTON ISTEW
INGREDIENTS
1 kg marrow bones
100 gm French beans
100 gm carrots
1 potato, cubed
1 cup milk
2 1" cinnamon sticks
4 cardamoms
4 cloves
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon pepper powder
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon maida
Salt to taste
METHOD
Heat the butter in a pan and toss in the whole spices first. When fragrant, add the ginger-garlic paste. Sauté for a few minutes and then add in the meat. Once the meat turns brown, pour in three cups of water and let it come to a boil. Now, lower the flame and let the meat cook.
Stir the maida into the cup of milk and make sure there are no lumps. When the meat is nearly done, add the vegetables and cook until soft. Pour in the milk and maida mixture and stir well to help it amalgamate. The gravy will thicken in a few minutes. Add the pepper before you take the pan off the flame. The Istew can be served in deep bowls, with bread on the side.
KOFTE KA SAALAN
INGREDIENTS
1 kg minced meat
¼ kg yogurt
2 large onions, finely sliced
½ dried coconut, roasted and ground
¼ cup oil
6 tablespoons Bengal gram, roasted and ground with very little water
5 teaspoons poppy seeds, roasted and ground with very little water
5 teaspoons chironjee, roasted and ground