MUTTON YAKHNI

The Kashmiri Pandit repertoire of dishes predates the Kashmiri Wazwan, with its Persian or West Asian influences, by a few centuries. But today the one dish that can be seen as a clear bridge between the two is Mutton Yakhni, which refers to a robust stew of meat in a yoghurt based gravy flavoured minimally but adequately with fennel, cardamom, cloves and a hint of saffron. Usually, the mutton that goes into the yakhni is a fatty cut from the ribs that deepens the flavour of the gravy manifold. Make some extra gravy to enjoy as a shorba or soup too – there is little else that is as heart warming!

Recipe

• Pour  oil in the pressure cooker in low flame : 2 big spoons 
• Nicely saute Asafoetida powder (Heeng) in the oil​:  ½ teaspoon
• Add cumin (Zeera)   : ½ spoon             
• After the Asafoetida powder & cumin releases its smell, add the mutton : ½ kg
• Fry the mutton for about 5-7 minutes
• Mildly grind 2 cardamom pods (Elaichee) and 1 black cardamom (Badi Elaichee) & add it to the mutton     
• Mix everything together
• Add salt (Namak) : 1 ½ teaspoon or salt to taste & ginger (Adrakh) powder : ½ teaspoon
• Stir well
•  Generously add the fennel (Saunf) powder into the mixture : 2 table spoons 
•  Mix all the spices with the meat
•  Sprinkle garam masala : ½ spoon
• Pour  water in the pressure cooker : 1½ glasses
• Bring your flame to high & stir everything until the fennel powder dissolves in the water
• Put the lid on & let it cook for 4-5 whistles
• Put the flame on sim & cook for another 5 minutes so that the spice mix seeps into the meat
• Take 3 bowls of curd and beat it thoroughly 
• While you pour the curd into the gravy,  constantly stir the mixture so that the curd does not split
• Continue to stir the dish until the gravy boils 
• Sprinkle some elaichi powder to add more fragrance in the dish
• In a small pan, pour ghee : 1 table spoon
• Fry the onions till they turn brown in color
• Sauté the cumin (Zeera) in the ghee 
•  Add the onion mixture to the boiling yakhni
  
• Let it boil for another 5-7 minutes so that the ghee & the onion mixes with the dish
  
• Garnish it with garam masala & elaichi powder : ½ spoon 

• Serve it with steamed rice

Ingredients

• Mutton
• Water
• Oil
• Fennel powder (Saunf)​
• Asafoetida powder (Heeng) 
• ​Salt (Namak)
• Cumin  (Zeera)
• Cardamoms 
• Black cardamom (Badi Elaichee)
• Ginger powder (Adrakh)
• Garam masala
• Curd
• Elaichi powder
• Clove
• Ghee (optional)
• Onions (optional)

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