LAMB YAKHNI
The
Preparation I am sharing today is Lamb Yakhni.
Yakhni is a
yogurt based lamb dish from Kashmir, which originated in Persia and brought to India
during Akbar rule in late 1500. The earliest documentation of Yakhni is found
in Ain-I-Akbar. And sometime during the British Raj Yakhni was modified for vegetarians as well.
And using
this I give you option of cooking this dish with Lamb/ Chicken or Potatoes.
Yakhni is a
perfect example where 7 very simple ingredients can give you a very complex
dish which has layers of flavor. This is one of very few Indian recipes which don’t
have onions& tomatoes in the gravy.
Lets move
to the recipe
Recipe
Ingredients:
1. Mustard oil 6 Tbsp
2 Asafetida (Heeng ) – 1/2 tsp
3.Aniseed (Saunf ) – 4 Tbsp ground to a powder
4.Cinnamon (Dalchini) – 1/2 stick
5. Yogurt – 1 Kg (Preferably home made
or unsweetened curd)
6. Lamb – 1 Kg (preferable cut of meat-
Neck Chest – Soft cuts )(Replace it with chicken/ potatoes if you want)
7. Red chilli powder – 2 tsp (Deghi mirch for a better color)
Preparation:
1. Powder the Aniseed
2. Clean and wash the lamb
3. Whisk the curd to ensure that there
are no lumps and, it’s all smooth
Cooking:
1. Put the lamb to cook in a pressure
cooker for approx. 25 minutes sprinkle
1tsp aniseed powder for additional flavor
2. Turn on the heat and take a wide pan
with a heavy bottom (Like a kadai/dekchi)
3. Put mustard oil and let it burn and
loose the strong mustard flavor
4. Once the oil starts smoking turn the
heat off and let it cool for couple of minutes
5. Turn the heat on , add asafetida and
cinnamon and stir it for a minute
6. Mix aniseed powder with half cup
water and add to the cooking mixture
7. Keep stirring all through the while
ensuring it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan
8. Cook till the mixture turns reddish
in color
9. Turn the gas low
10. Add yogurt and keep stirring all the
time till the time. Ensure that yogurt is simmering and doesn't boil
11. Add Chilli powder and keep simmering
it should not take more than 25-30 minutes
12. Keep cooking till the fat from
yogurt comes on top and the gravy turns reddish in color, add salt and more
chilli powder as per your taste
13. Take the cooked lamb and strain the
liquid add it to the top
** don’t throw the liquid it could be used to thin the gravy if you
require, you can use it as a base of soup or to cook rice. It has a lot of flavor
I love to add some spice in the broth and turn into a soup (but let’s keep that
recipe for some other time)
14. Bring the pot to boil and cook for 5 more minutes
15. Serve it with long grain rice and
enjoy Kashmiri cuisine right at your home
