DAAHI WALEY Lamb Meat balls cooked in a flagrant rich creamy hung yoghurt sauce

Some years back when I was travelling through Jammu and Kashmir, I enjoyed the Wazwaan Cuisine and was impressed enjoying Gushtaba, fairly large lamb meatballs, very velvety and soft in texture and subtle spiced sauce. Later, I discovered that Wazwaan Chefs painstakingly pound the meat for hours to achieve the perfect texture of the meat before shaping them into large balls.

I was certainly inspired by this delicacy and am proudly offering a simpler version with similar seasonings and the taste that I enjoyed in Kashmir.

Ingredients:

1 kg. Lamb finely ground
12 green cardamom pods seeded and crushed
1 whole egg well beaten
1 tbs. clarified butter
2 tsp. Deghi Mirch
1 tbs. salt
11/2 liters of warm water
1 bay leaf
2 tbs. fennel powder
1 tbs. cumin powder
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
1 tsp. coriander powder
1 tbs. ginger powder
1 tbs. Fresh mint leaves finely chopped
1 tbs. cumin seed
2 bay leaves

3 tbs. clarified butter
1 onion finely chopped
1 tsp. garlic paste
6”X6” piece of cheese cloth
2 black cardamoms crushed
2 pieces of cinnamon 1’’ long
6 whole cloves
1 tsp. cumin seeds
11/2 cups hung yoghurt
˝ cup of full cream
Fresh coriander for garnish

Method:

In a mixing bowl add the finely ground lamb and add half the salt, green cardamom seeds,. deghi mirch, beaten egg,. clarified butter and mix well. With wet hands form nice smooth round lamb balls about the size of golf ball and set aside.

Next in a large saucepan add the water, remaining salt, deghi mirch, fennel, cumin, coriander, ginger, cinnamon powders, bay leaf and fresh mint leaves and bring the water to a boil. Gently slide the meatballs into the boiling water and continue to cook on medium heat until all the liquid evaporates. Remove the bay leaves from the pan and discard. Gently remove the meatball from the pan, cover and keep aside.

In a clean saucepan heat the butter and add a cheesecloth pouch containing cardamom, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, cloves and cumin. Next add the chopped onions and the garlic paste and sauté the mixture to a nice golden brown color. Remove the spice pouch and discard. Next grind the browned onions to a nice paste. Gently whisk in the yogurt and cream into the pan and simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes and add the cooked meatballs with any liquid into the yoghurt cream sauce. Gently stir and simmer the mixture for another 10 minutes on low heat.

Plate this delicacy in a serving bowl and garnish with fresh coriander and serve it hot with rice or buttered Naan.