Try a Kashmiri slow-cooked mutton with aromatic pulao and creamy paneer— savour the flavours of Kashmir.
”Kashmiri Pulao”
An aromatic pulao to prep the heart for almost Dashami.
Ingredients:
-Basmati rice: 1 medium cup
-Ghee: 4 tbsp for rice, 2 tbsp for saute
-Saffron: 1 tbsp
-Rose water: 1 tsp
-Finely sliced onion: 1 small
-Cashew: 10-12
-Raisins: 10-12
-Chopped cashew, raisin and almonds: 4 tbsp
-Full fat milk: 4 tbsp for saffron, 4 tbsp for raisins
-Lukewarm water: 1 ½ medium cup
-Salt: To taste
-Sugar: To taste
-Bay leaf: 1 large
-Cinnamon stick: 1 large
-Green cardamom: 3
-Black cardamom: 2
-Clove: 2
Method:
-Wash rice, strain excess water and let it air dry
-Soak raisins in milk
-Mix saffron in milk and keep it separately
-In a nonstick pan, add 2 tbsp ghee and heat well. Keep the flame low and fry the cashew and raisins until golden. Strain excess ghee and keep the dry fruits aside
-In a pressure cooker, add ghee and heat well. Now add bay leaf and the whole spices (cinnamon, cardamom and cloves)
-Add chopped onion and fry until golden brown
-Add rice and mix gently
-Pour the saffron milk, and add salt and sugar. Mix with a light hand
-Add water and give a quick but careful mix. The rice grains should be whole and not broken
-Cook for 1 whistle on low flame. Open and check the rice and seasoning. If there’s excess water or rice needs to be cooked a little bit more, place the lid loosely and cook on low to medium heat. Don’t forget to stir gently at regular intervals.
-Serve hot, garnished with chopped dry fruits
”Kashmiri Methi Chaman”
Paneer with a twist to make the Navami spread even more delicious.
Ingredients:
-Paneer cubes: 300gm
-Malai paste: 2 tbsp (Fresh cream can be used as an alternative)
-Vegetable oil: 2 tablespoons
-Methi leaves: 2.5 cups
-Spinach leaves (palak): 1 small cup
-Ice cubes: 4-6
-Cold water: 1 small pan
-Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
-Cinnamon: 1 small
-Cardamom: 2
-Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
-Kashmiri red chilli powder: 1 tsp
-Coriander powder: 1 tsp
-Roasted fennel powder: 1 tsp
-Ginger paste: 1 tsp
-Asafoetida (hing): 1 tsp
-Kasuri methi leaves: 1 tsp + a pinch for garnish
-Salt: To taste
-Sugar: To taste
-Sunflower or vegetable oil (shada tel): 2 tbsp (You can also use colourless sesame oil or olive oil)
-Full fat cream: 2 tbsp
Method:
-Boil the methi and spinach leaves for 2 minutes and blanch in ice-cold water
-Add a pinch of salt and sugar in a bowl of water and add the paneer cubes
-Make a smooth paste of the spinach and methi leaves
-Mix all the dry spices in a bowl
-Add oil in a kadhai and heat well
-Add the whole spices and saute well
-Add the powdered spice mix you made earlier
-Mix all the ingredients in the pan well and cool until oil separates and the spices are cooked, and keep the flame low
-Add the puree and cook with a pinch of salt and sugar for 3-5 minutes on low flame
-Add malai paste and full fat cream and mix well. Balance seasonings
-Strain the paneer cubes and add to the kadhai. Fold gently and mix with the gravy
-Hand crush kasuri methi leaves and sprinkle. Turn off the heat and cover for 1 minute.
-Serve hot
”Mutton Rogan Josh”
What’s a Kashmiri meal without the popular rogan josh. Spicy and succulent mutton to go with the light and nutty pulao —
Ingredients:
-Mutton: 1kg + 20gm mutton fat
-Bay leaves: 2 large
-Cinnamon stick: 1 large for cooking, 1 for marination
-Cloves: 2 for cooking, 2 for marination,
-Green cardamom: 4 for cooking, 2 for marination
-Black cardamom: 2 for cooking, 1 for marination
-Whole dry red chillies: 2
-Kashmiri red chilli powder: 1 tbsp
-Kashmiri red chilli paste: 1 tbsp
-Asafoetida (hing): 1 tsp
-Roasted fennel (saunf or bhaja mouri) powder: 1 tsp
-Hung curd: 1 medium cup
-Salt: To taste
-Sugar: To taste
-Mustard oil: 4 tbsp
-Black pepper powder: 1 tsp
-Black peppercorns: 1 tsp
-Ghee: 2 tbsp
-Ginger paste: 1 tbsp
-Ratanjot in hot oil for colour (This is a traditional step in making rogan josh and ratanjot is available in the market, but if you can’t find any a drop of red food colour also works)
Method:
-Wash the mutton well and strain any excess water
-Marinate the mutton with salt, black pepper powder and 1tbsp mustard oil and leave aside and you prepare the spices
-Dry roast cinnamon, cardamoms (green and black), cloves, black peppercorns and dry red chillies. Make a fine powder. Add this powder to the mutton and leave overnight in a covered utensil in the refrigerator
-Next day right before cooking, beat the hung curd into a lump free and smooth batter
-Cut the mutton fat in small pieces
-Add ghee, mutton fat and mustard oil in a kadhai and heat well. Allow the mutton fat to render well
-Add bay leaves and saute
-Now add the whole spices and saute until aromatic and they change colour
-Add fennel powder and ginger paste and saute well
-Add Kashmiri red chilli powder, a pinch of salt and Kashmiri red chilli paste. Cook the spice base until the oil separates
-Now add mutton and mix well with the spices. Add asafoetida and give a good mix
-Add ratanjot and a splash of water
-Now fry the mutton well for about 15-20 minutes on medium flame
-Once the mutton has started to change colour, add hung curd and mix well
-Cover and slow cook for around 2 hours on low flame until the mutton is fully cooked and the colour is red, rich and the gravy is slightly oily. – Serve piping hot
