The festive season is here and guests are all set to knock at your door. What better way to impress them than with traditional Awadhi dishes.
Dum Phukt cuisine allows the meat to cook in its own juices resulting in a tender, flavourful dish. Here are some dishes that never fail to impress.
Seekh Kabab Imtiazi
Ingredients
900 gms lamb mince
150 gms lamb fat
¼ cup onions, finely chopped
¼ cup ginger, finely chopped
8 green chillies, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped coriander
2/3 cup cashew nuts powder
2 eggs
3 tbsp groundnut oil
½ tsp white pepper powder
Salt to taste
2 tsp garam masala
Butter for basting
Method:
In a large bowl add in all the ingredients like onions, ginger, green chillies, chopped coriander, cashew nuts along with whisked eggs and groundnut oil to the lamb mince and mix well. Season the mixture with salt, garam masala and white pepper powder and let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.
Divide the mince mixture into 12 equal portions and make balls. Using a wet hand spread the mince balls onto the skewers. Make sure the kababs are atleast two inches apart from each other.
Pre heat your oven to 325 degree F and moderately roast you’re the kababs for eight to 10 minutes. You could also cook your seekhs in hot tandoor for eight minutes or even in a charcoal grill for about the same time. Remove and rest the skewers to let the excess moisture drip off, baste the seekhs with butter and roast again for two minutes, and serve hot.
Nahari Gosht
Ingredients
700 gms leg of spring lamb
450 gms spring lamb chops
175 gms ghee
250 gms onions — sliced and chopped
5 green cardamom
5 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks (1 inch)
2 bay leaves
10 gms coriander powder
1 tsp red Chilli powder
½ tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
3 tbsp ginger paste
3 tbsp garlic paste
2/3 cup yoghurt
2 tsp flour
2 tsp gramflour
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp mace and green
Cardamom powder
2 drops vetiver (khus)
Method:
Heat 150 gms of ghee in a handi and sauté sliced onions until golden brown. Add in the lamb, chopped onions, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves and sauté until the liquid evaporates. Season the mixture with coriander, red chillies, turmeric powder and salt, along with the ginger garlic pastes and sauté until the fat leaves the masala.
Add in the yoghurt and bring it to a boil. Add three cups of water and cover the handi and simmer until the lamb is tender. Once cooked, remove the meat from the gravy and keep it aside. Heat the remaining ghee in a pan and add flour and gramflour and stir until the flour mixture turns light brown.
Pour in the the gravy and stir, ensure there are no lumps. Strain and return the meat and bring the gravy to a boil. Add some garam masala, mace and cardamom powder and add salt. Finish by adding in the vetiver and simmer for 10 mins. Serve hot with roti’s or kulchas.
The writer is a a master Chef and heads Minar at Hotel Savera in Chennai
