"Its been a while, but now, post a Food Trail in Kashmir with 12 other foodies, it has reaffirmed my passion for sharing food... So here goes a recipe for Mutton Alu Bukhara, which was made for us in a Wazas house as a light lunch, a pre-curser to a 10 course Kashmiri wazwan diner. This for me was as close to perfection as possible, the rich velvety korma, sweetened with alu bukharas (dried plums), with pieces of chicken sponging up all the flavours, leading to an explosion in my mouth, yummm..., an unforgettable taste. Trying to recreate it here, with help from the Waza's recipe as verbally told and remembered by us and a Kashmiri cook book by Krishna prasad dar. Sudhir dar who was part of the trail, presented us with his father's book and generously shared with us his food memories. It cannot match up to the original, but its a great dish in itself, a gem for all those looking for Kashmiri food off the beaten track, enjoy..."
Ingredients:
- 1 kg goats meat (shoulder/ front leg)
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 1/2 cup curd
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 100 grams dried plums
- 4 tsp fennel seeds (powdered)
- 2 tsp sonth (ground dried ginger)
- 4" piece cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 small cardamom
- 6 cloves
- 2-4 whole red kashmiri red chilies (soaked in 1/2 cup hot water & pureed)
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp red colour
- 4 tsp almond slivers (optional)
Method:
- Soak the dried plums in hot water for 20 min (till soft), remove flesh and chop into small pieces, discard the stone and keep the soaking water
- Take a thick bottomed utensil, add the ghee heat through, add the curd and cook on medium heat stirring all the time, till curd becomes golden brown
- Add the plums and ginger-garlic stir fry for 10 minutes till well mixed and softened in the ghee-curd mixture on medium heat
- Increasing heat, sear the mutton for 10 minutes till brown
- Adding all the dry spices, stir fry for another 5 minutes
- Now pour in all the liquid ingredients (the plum soaking liquid, colour &the red chili paste), the liquid should cover the meat, add water if needed
- Pressure cook for 4-5 whistles on high and 15 minutes on low or slow cook covered till meat is tender
- Decorate with almond and serve with steaming hot rice, for a decadent meal
Notes:
- Use ghee if possible for this recipe, as that delivers the best results, else oil is an alternate
- Number of dried kashmiri red chilies, depends on the spice level of the chilies and your own preference. This dish is not a spicy dish, just a perfect balance between sweet & spicy
