A feast from the Valley

Packed with robust flavours, Kashmiri cuisine has a lot to offer for those looking to try something new.

Rajmah Kababa
400 gm kidney beans
100 gm refined oil
10 gm turmeric
50 gm ginger paste
50 gm garlic paste
2 gm cinnamon powder
5 gm cardamom powder
1 gm saffron
30 gm red chilly powder        
5 gm sandal powder
5 gm bay leaf
Salt to taste

Method
Soak rajma for two hours. Then add water, bay leaf, ginger, garlic paste, turmeric, saffron, red chili powder and salt, simmer properly until it is completely tender.
Once it is cooked, drain the water. Use a grinder to mince the rajma. Grind it to a fine paste.
Mix this well, and add the rest of the spices like sandal powder, cinnamon and cardamom powder etc.
Prepare the patty according your choice.
Fry it on a tawa using a small amount of refined oil or pure ghee.
Your Rajmah Kababa is ready.

Rogan Josh
1.2 kg mutton curry pieces
10 gm yellow butter
10 pc green cardamom
100 gm onion
30 gm garlic
8 pc green chillies
20 pc almonds
225 gm yoghurt
120 ml cream
3 gm green cardamom, powdered
5 gm coriander
Some pieces of silver leaf
Salt, to taste

Method:
For the paste:
Peel, wash and roughly chop onions.
Peel the garlic.
Remove stems, wash, slit and deseed green chillies.
Blanch, cool and peel almonds.
Put the ingredients in a blender, add 50 ml of water and make a fine paste.
For the chicken:
Whisk yoghurt in a separate bowl, while you clean, wash and chop the coriander.
Melt butter in a handi, add cardamom and stir over low heat for 30 seconds.
Add the paste to the handi and stir.
Add chicken, yoghurt, salt and about 750 ml of water. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until tender.
Increase to medium heat, add cream and bring to boil.
Sprinkle pepper, stir and add cardamom powder and stir again.
Your Rogan Josh is ready.

Tabak Maaz
Ingredient
1 kg Lamb Ribs (full fillet)
5-6-litre water
50 gm garlic paste
15 gm salt
3-litre cold water
5 gm dry ginger powder
8 nos of clove
8 nos of black cardamom
10 gm turmeric powder
500 gm pure ghee

Method:
Bring some water to boil. Add the ribs to the water. Slowly removing the scum that rises into the surface. Repeat until the water is clear. Boil covered till the ribs are half done.
Add garlic paste and mix well. Continue to boil for another 10 minutes.
 Add the salt and cover it. Let it cook till the flesh can be pierced with thumbs. Remove the pan from the heat and drain the water.
Cool the ribs in a pan with cold water and keep aside.
Chop the ribs with a chopper into rectangular pieces of 2 into 1 inches approx.
Once again, boil some water and add the chop ribs, salt, dry ginger, cloves, black cardamom and turmeric powder. Mix well.
Let it boil until the bones can be extracted from the membranes easily.
Remove the pan from heat and take out the ribs with a slotted spoon. Keep aside and discard the water.
Arrange the ribs in a large frying pan so that it doesn’t overlap. Pour the pure ghee on them. Fry until they are reddish brown overall. Turn ocassionally. Drain out pure ghee before serving.
Your Tabak Maaz is ready.

Recipe courtesy: Sofitel Mumbai BKC