KASHMIRI MUTSCH REVISITED ( Meatballs in a Spicy Gravy)

I have been eating mutsch since I was a child, breaking up the oblong meatballs with my hands and mashing them into soft, fluffy rice.( my mom makes the best!).

I have earlier posted the recipe of her mutsch which can be found here, (she makes it the way my father's family have always made it in Kashmir, having learned their ways as a young bride) however I recently came across another recipe of mutsch, probably a purer version at a kashmiri's blog- Anita of A Mad Tea Party, she lists them amongst the 5 things to eat before you die :), and rightly so!

Both me and mom were eager to give it a go, the results were very good, though I am probably more partial to my mom's recipe since I have grown up with it and the addition of yogurt gives the mutsch a delicious tang!

                              Mutsch   (recipe from here) 
         

• For the meatballs
  
• 500gms minced mutton
• 1 heaped T Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 ½ heaped T saunf (fennel) powder
• 1 t sonth (dry ginger powder)
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 cloves
• 2 black cardamoms
• 1 t Kashmiri garam masala ( see note below)
• salt
• 3-5 T mustard oil
• For the gravy
• 2 cloves
• 2 black cardamoms
• 1 bayleaf (Indian ones are 3-4” long)
• 1 T mustard oil
• 1 T Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 heaped T dhaniya(coriander) powder (optional)
• 1 heaped t sonth
• 2 heaped T saunf

To make  the meatballs
Place the ground mutton in a large mortar. Powder the cloves and the black cardamom (keep the outer husk aside) and add to the mince.

And the rest of the ingredients and pound well. Pinch off small portions, and shape into oblongs (I give it a gentle roll between the palms).  Let rest for 20-30 min.

                       I added 3 spoons of oil as stated in the original recipe to keep the mutsch soft

To prepare the gravy:
In a heavy flat bottomed pan heat some oil (1-2 T), when hot add the cloves and the bayleaf, dhaniya, saunf, and sonth powders, as you add the red chilli powder keep a cup of water at hand. Stir quickly to roast/fry the spices and then add water. Add another cup or cup and a half of water. Bring to a boil.

Grind the black cardamoms and add to the pan with the husk from the two used for the meatballs. Turn the heat to medium and carefully and gently lower the oblongs into the pan. Cover and let simmer for 30-40 minutes. The gravy will have reduced by a third and the meat will be done. Sprinkle a half teaspoon of Kashmiri garam masala and mix.Serve with warm steamed rice or paranthas.

If you don’t have Kashmiri garam masala: pound together one black cardamom, half inch piece of cinnamon, and 3 cloves, and use.

OTHER KASHMIRI DELICACIES ON THIS BLOG:

• Choaq Vagan (Hot and spicy kashmiri eggplant)
• Al Yakhni (Garlic flavoured bottlegourd) 
• Kashmiri Dhaniwal korma 
• Kong Firni (kashmiri saffron flavoured rice pudding)   
• a must read- Wazwan- The heart and soul of kashmiri Cuisine

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KONG FIRNI (Saffron flavored rice pudding) ...a unique kashmiri dessert

Kashmiri Cuisine has very few desserts and this is one of them, a cool creamy delicious rice based pudding served traditionally in small earthenware pots known as "kullars" like the one in the picture above.Fragrant long grain basmati rice is cooked with milk and flavored with zafran, the silver "varq"(thinly beaten sheet of silver) adds a royal touch to this special dessert.

I remember when we were kids Mom used to buy the "kullars", soak them in water overnight to get rid of any mud or dirt sticking to them and to impart a special smell (khushboo)of wet earth to them, then she used to set the firni in them.Ingredients required to make this-

• Full cream milk-1 litre


• Saffron- 1/4 tsp


• Basmati rice- 3/4 cup


• Khoya-1/2 cup


• Condensed milk-1/2 cup


• Sugar- acc. to taste


• Kewra (vetiver) essence- a few drops


• Almonds- soaked and sliced , a handful


• Pistachios-2 tbsp, sliced


• Silver varq- acc. to requirement.

Soak rice overnight, next day grind finely with little water.Add saffron to milk and bring to a gentle boil, now combine rice and milk and bring to a rapid boil stirring continuously at least for 15-20 minutes till thick, now add the khoya, kewra and condensed milk and cook on slow flame, taste and adjust sugar.Once a thick and creamy, let cool.Pour into small serving bowls/earthenware bowls and garnish with pistachios, almonds and varq.Chill well before serving.

Enjoy firni with Led Zepp's "Kashmir" video on You tube.

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"DEJHAROO" a lovely Kashmiri Ornament...

Kashmiri women generally love jewellery,"Dejharoo" is the typical Kashmiri ornament that comprises of a pair of gold pendants that hang on a long gold chain which passes through holes in the ears.Dejharoo symbolises a married woman much like the "mangal sutra".

The above pictures are of Kashmiri friends of mine, the mother above is wearing a "dejharoo" with a pendant which is much heavier and elaborate, I came to know she got her inner ears pierced when she was a child whereas the daughter is wearing one which is much more delicate and has just got her ears pierced recently when she got married.

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KASHMIRI MUTSCH (KOFTAS/MEATBALLS IN A SPICY RED GRAVY)

My mom called up today at work to say she had made kasmiri "mutsch", my mouth started watering at the very thought and on my way back I bought half a kilo of mincemeat, that's the effect these have over you, they are absolutely the bestest you have ever had, one of those dishes that speak for themselves and all the flavors literally shine through...

She learnt this recipe from a renowned waza in the kitchens of Kashmir about 20 years back.I could regale you with a story about Kashmiri food, but I feel at a loss of words and for once let the pictures do the talking.

• To make these you require-Mincemeat (mutton)-1/2 kg (PLEASE BE CAREFUL about the quality of mince used, should be from hind leg (raan) and please ask the butcher to put it through the mincing machine thrice, THIS REALLY EFFECTS THE END RESULT)
• Thick curd-1/2 cup
• Kashmiri Garam masala-1 tsp(Grind together-Black cardamom(moti elaichi)-1,green cardamom(choti elaichi)-2,dry ginger(sonth)-1 small piece,cinnamon(dalchini)-1 small piece,Aniseed (saunf) -1/4 tsp)
• Kashmiri red chilli powder-1/2 tsp
• Cornflour-2-3 tbsp
• Mustard oil-1/2 cup
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Using a mortar and pestle, grind the mince breaking down the fibres and turning it into a smoother mince like in the pic below(takes about 15-20 mins)-



Add half of the garam masala, salt and the cornflour and mix well, heat oil in a large kadhai and let smoke so that the mustard oil is not bitter, turn off heat and let oil cool down a little(although the authentic recipe always calls for mustard oil, if you dislike it , pure desi ghee can be used) shape mince into small oblongs whilst wetting the palms of your hands and drop into the oil, after the last one has been shaped,stir carefully so that they are evenly cooked , now add about 1 cup water carefully with the heat lowered, now the cooking that is going on here is half frying and boiling at the same time, let cook for at least 10 minutes.Now add the kashmiri red chilli powder, the rest of the masala and then start adding the curd, little at a time(about 1 tbsp), till it is used up.Cover and cook for another 15 minutes.Traditionally these are served hot over a bed of freshly boiled rice.

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A KASHMIRI TARAMI

A search on google throws up the name of a few restaurants serving Kashmiri food, there is nothing I could find that shows the beauty of this traditional Kashmiri utensil, so painstakingly carved out of hand, look closely and you will be able to see the "chinar" leaves reminiscent of beloved Kashmir...and a bygone era...

Immerse yourself in the intricate workmanship and you will realize you are transported back in time...to the Valley...

'Gar firdaus bar rue zameen ast / hameen asto, hameen asto, hameen ast'


(If ever there is Paradise on Earth / It is here! It is here! It is here! )

- A farsi couplet of Amir Khusrau believed to have been uttered by Jahagir for paradise Kashmir.

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A 100 YEAR OLD TEASET AND A PRINCESS...

My grandmother lived the life of a princess in Kashmir... before partition. She would reminiscence about the "Bals" a lot, (father and grandfather of the famous Indian designer- Rohit Bal") they were apparently great family friends! and also about the magnificent clothes she would wear, sometimes her dupattas had hand carved fishes set out in real gold, sewn on them, and all the great parties they would go to all the time, little did she know that it was all shortlived, and with the British Raj, all of this would also go away...

After partition the family fled Kashmir with whatever little they could carry, one of those things was a beautiful Teaset in pure silver, and with little money decided to start a new life.Her father soon met with simple young man hailing from Hoshiarpur (Punjab) who I am told had nothing to his credit but was hardworking which was the only quality seen and soon my grandmother was married off to him, after marriage the real struggles of life began and I am told that at times they had no money to eat also, and my nani would sell off her precious possessions one by one for the next meal.

Inspite of the trends of those times, she was well educated and a Dentist by profession, had done a number of courses specially in Food and preservation, and was a fabulous cook, her Chicken pulao was to die for!,some other things she used to make were not common in any Indian kitchen in those times, like her famous Brinjal sauce, Walnut cake, Caramel pudding and so on....my guess is that the influence of the British was apparent, but mind you her recipes were a closely guarded secret and one she would never like to disclose and alas!..have all gone with her, though otherwise she was kind, spent all her time in the kitchen and never scolded her two children!My family says I take after her where cooking is concerned..but I have tried to recreate her pulao hmmm with little success...

Time passed by and I think because of all that she went through my nani developed an Obsessive compulsive disorder and would never throw out even a piece of scrap, she also turned into a miser and a hoarder of mammoth proportions!, as my grandfather worked hard and was sucessful, my grandmother refused to budge and would always keep aside money in case bad times would befall upon them again, you will not believe me but when she passed away and we went through her stuff, it was heart wrenching to see that she had hoarded sugar, ghee, spices, dry fruits in her bedroom!, we also came across like a zillion metres of fabric, and atleast six pairs of the same design of shoes and sandals!

Well coming to the heirloom, more than a 100 year old pure silver teaset, I wonder how it never got sold off!, I guess so that I could blog about it here!!...

It is actually poetry in silver, with the signature "chinar" leaf , the beauty and spirit of Kashmir etched out by hand by a master craftsman...

so peaceful and serene hiding all the turmoil within, just like the Valley...

Savour the pictures...

If you are interested in Kashmir or in the cuisine of the Valley do read my previous posts- Wazwaan the heart and soul of Kashmir

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CHOAQ VAGAN (HOT & SPICY KASHMIRI EGGPLANT)

Choaq Vagan are a favorite in all kashmiri homes, we love these sour and spicy eggplant with rice, and I feel they are the perfect accompaniment for any meat dish, the sourness perfectly offsets the meaty flavors,I sometimes pack up some with a parantha for a quick, spicy snack!

If you are interested in authentic kashmiri food, do check out my other posts in the sidebar, for newbies I also have an illustrated list of special kashmiri ingredients here.

• Ingredients-


• Small brinjals/eggplant-1/2 kg


• Tamarind imli-1 walnut sized ball, boiled in a cup of water and strained


• Garlic paste-1/2 tsp


• Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp


• Kashmiri red chilli powder-1 tsp


• Onion paste-2 tbsp


• Turmeric-1/2 tsp


• Green cardamom powder- a pinch


• Cinnamon powder-1/4 tsp


• Black cardamom powder-a pinch


• Dry ginger powder-1/4 tsp


• Refined oil for deep frying


• Yogurt 1/2 cup

Method-

Score eggplants into four and wash well, heat oil and fry a few at a time till reddish, drain and keep aside.Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds, onion paste and garlic paste, fry till brown add the rest of the ingredients and season with salt, fry till masala leaves sides of pan, add a cup of water and then add eggplant, cook for another 10 minutes, serve piping hot!

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"AL YAKKHN" Kashmiri garlic-flavoured bottlegourd

In continuation of my quest of recreating authentic Kashmiri dishes, I made this delicately spiced yogurt based dish, which has a subtle touch of garlic and has literally transformed the humble bottlegourd to gourmet level!

Today when I was making this Yakkhn, the aroma transported me back in time to my mother's tiny kitchen in Dehradun, where we all used to sit together and she would serve us Kashmiri food hot off the stove on cold winter nights.

If you are a new here do read my previous posts on Wazwan and Kashmiri spices and ingredients and if you like lamb do look up Kashmiri dhaniwal korma ,.....here is my first vegetarian recipe from the Valley.

      

"Al Yakkhn" -Kashmiri garlic flavoured bottlegourd, warm in my Nanima's (grandmother's)  hand-embroidered Kashmiri shawl

Ingredients-

• Bottle gourd (lauki)-1/2 kg, young and tender
• Cooked yogurt -1/2 cup
• Black cumin seeds (shah zeera)- 1/4 tsp
• Pure desi ghee (clarified butter)-2 tsp
• Turmeric (haldi)-1/4 tsp
• Garlic (lasan) water - 1/2 tbsp
• Cinnamon (dalchini)-2 sticks
• Aniseed (moti saunf)- 1 tsp
• Black cardamom (moti elaichi)- 1
• Green cardamom (choti elaichi)- 4
• Dry ginger powder (sonth)- 1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method-

Peel the gourd and cut into discs, quarter the discs and remove the seeds like below

Add 1/2 tsp salt to these pieces, and wash well after 15 minutes, fry these pieces in refined oil till light golden.

Combine ghee, turmeric, bruised cardamoms, dry ginger powder, garlic water,cinnamon, salt, and aniseed  in a large pan and boil for 10 minutes with 2 cups water, strain.

Add the fried gourd and cooked yogurt, cook till gourd is meltingly tender and gravy is thick, sprinkle black cumin seeds and serve with fresh boiled rice.

      

                                                          "Al Yakkhn"

               I am sending this over to dear Sunita's event - Think spice,think garlic

Technorati Tags: kashmiri garlic flavoured bottlegourd

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KASHMIRI "DHANIWAL KORMA" (Lamb in a yogurt gravy garnished with coriander)

I have already acquainted you all with WAZWAN- Traditional Kashmiri Cuisine in this previous post and about basic recipes and ingredients in this one, and for all those who are visiting this blog for the first time ,I would just like to say that this Cuisine is unparalleled and the recipes are closely guarded secrets, here I have coaxed my mother- who learnt from the great Waza's (head chef's) herself during her stay in Kashmir to pass them to me as heirlooms!!!

Yes, that's how precious they are!!!!!

I can only just imagine how my mom , a shy young bride then, who had never set foot in the kitchen earlier would meticulously go about learning the nuances of a totally new culture and cuisine , and serve it up on the dinner table to a huge new family .... all for love!!

Now let's get down to cooking this heavenly mutton curry which is so very welcome in this freezing cold-

                         

                                             Kashmiri Dhaniwal Korma

Ingredients-

• Leg of lamb- 1/2 kg (washed and cut into pieces)
• Pure desi ghee- 1/2 cup
• Cooked yogurt- 1 cup (find recipe for this here)
• Turmeric- 1/2 teaspoon
• Coriander powder-1 tsp.
• Black pepper powder- 1/2 tsp.
• Cloves- 3-4
• Green cardamoms- 3-4
• Saffron (zafran)- 1/4 tsp.
• Onion- 1/2 cup (pureed)
• Garlic- 1 tsp (ground)
• Salt to taste
• Cayenne pepper (deggi mirch)-1/2 tsp
• Fresh coriander leaves- a handful

Method-

Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan and add the onion and  the garlic and fry till onion turns golden brown , at this stage add the yogurt and all the spices (masalas) and fry very well till ghee separates, now add the lamb pieces and cook on a slow flame stirring frequently.The authentic recipe now calls for the mutton to be cooked, by adding hot water as required till it is tender (will take atleast an hour or more), for all of us hard pressed for time, can make use of the pressure cooker , simply add 3/4 cup HOT water to the cooker ,tip in the lamb which has been previously cooking in the yogurt mixture and give 5-6 whistles ,let pressure drop by itself, garnish with coriander leaves, serve hot with fragrant basmati rice or chapatis.                                       

Technorati Tags: authentic kashmiri lamb curry kashmiri dhaniwal korma (lamb curry),wazwan

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WAZWAAN~An Introducion to special Kashmiri Ingredients and basic recipes.

After all this time since my last post about Wazwan, it is NOW that I have finally managed to extract a few "secret recipes" from my mom, considering that she learnt them from a renowned Waza , this was no mean feat, Whew! She just gave in inch by inch and then I made them over and over again till SHE  was fully satisfied with the end result, now over the course of next few weeks I would be posting some VERY authentic recipes, so keep a lookout!

I would like to start with the basics - without which any attempts at authentic Kashmiri Cuisine will be futile, so let's acquaint ourselves with these basic ingredients and recipes-

1. DRY MINT LEAVES(pudina/pudn)- A herb used to lend a distinct aroma to certain dishes.

2. CINNAMON(dalchini)- This is actually the bark of the cassia tree which is often substituted for the real cinnamon, this however is more aromatic.

3.CLOVES(laung/roung)- These are  dried flower buds and are used in most Indian Homes.

4.TURMERIC(haldi,lader)- This gives food that characteristic yellow colour, it is an orange-yellow rhizome.

5. CUMIN SEEDS(jeera/zur)-In some dishes the white variety is used and in some the black one, both are an integral part of Indian Cooking

6.BLACK CARDAMOM(bari elaichi/badaul)-A very different tasting cardamom from the green variety which has a lighter taste.

7.DRY FENUGREEK LEAVES(kasoori methi)- A special variety of methi which is very aromatic, hence the name- kasoori.

8.SAFFRON(zafran/kong)- The most expensive spice in the world, it is usually used mixed in milk.

9.DRY COCKSCOMB FLOWER(mawal)-This is specifically used in Kashmiri Cuisine and is indigenous to the region.

10. CORIANDER(dhaniya/dhaniwal)-A very important ingredient , the seeds as well as the green leaves are both used a lot.

11.DRY GINGER POWDER(sonth/shount)- This is obtained by drying fresh ginger and the taste is very different from the fresh one.

12. FENNEL SEEDS(saunf/badayna)

13. GREEN CARDAMOM(choti elaichi/eaul)- These are very aromatic and have a delicate flavor, most of the flavor is in the seeds.

14.CASHEW NUTS(kaju)

15.WALNUTS(akhrot/doon)

16. ALMONDS(badam)

17.TAMARIND(imli/tamar)-Highly acidic with a bitter-sweet taste.

18.SHALLOTS(praan)-These belong to the Onion family,but once they are cooked they are more easy to digest.

19.DRIED PLUMS(alubukhara/alubukhar)-These are available at any dry fruit shop, and can be used to make alubukhara koftas(mincemeat stuffed dried plums)

20.ZIRISH- These are small, dry berries indigenous to Kashmir

21.PISTACHIOS(pista)

22. RED CHILLI PEPPER(lal mirch/marchwagan)

SOME BASIC KASHMIRI RECIPES-

VER PASTE

Dry roast 1/2  kg dried Kashmiri red chillies, 25 gm black cardamom, 1/2 tbsp. black cumin seeds(shah jeera), 1/2 tbsp. green cardamom seeds, 1/2 tbsp. cinnamon powder, 1/2 tbsp dry ginger powder  , cool and grind to a fine powder.

Take 125 gm shallots and 125 gm garlic and grind to a coarse paste, add to the above powder and shape into patty cakes with a hole in the middle , to pass a thin rope, dry cakes in the sun till no moisture is left

GARLIC WATER

Take 2 tbsp. fresh garlic ,add 1/4 cup water ,let stand for 10 minutes ,strain and use as required.

COOKED YOGURT

Take about 1 cup yogurt and whisk, cook on high heat till mixture is thick and approx. half the original quantity and has changed colour, use as required

Technorati Tags: special kashmiri culinary ingredients

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