Lamb Curry Khada Masala 1, Balti Mutton
Balti Gosht Khada Masala 1
Shagufta Shahin
I first tasted this dish on holiday in Pakistan. We had travelled to Murree and then taken a little coach ride to Ayubia, which is a remote town further up the mountains. These are the foothills of the Himalayas, also known as the Switzerland of Asia! We told the cook that we were going for a walk up the mountains and would be back in an hour. Could he make us something filling and tasty. He looked at us as if to say "shouldn't everything always be tasty?" Anyway we had a delicious and memorable meal and it gives me great pleasure to be able to pass this on to others to savour! The list of ingredients looks long but it is an easy to cook dish, the actual cooking time is perhaps 15-20 minutes.
The words Khada masala mean 'whole spice'. Some people say it means uncooked or raw spices.
Note: 1st four pictures show it cooking in a pan.
The last 5 pictures are of it cooking in a slow cooker. Just put everything in and cook on high until it comes to boil and then leave to cook on medium for 6-8 hours.
Ingredients
1 kg. good quality mutton or lamb leg or shoulder meat, cut into cubes. Ask your butcher to cut it for you, leaving the bones in. Other meats can also be cooked in the same way.
2 medium sized onions (300 gm. total), peeled and coarsely chopped
5 cloves of garlic, whole or roughly chopped
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, coarsely chopped/grated
1 1/2 tsp. salt, adjust to taste
1/2 tsp. red chilli powder
2 tsp. coarsely ground coriander seeds or coriander powder
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. coarsely ground cumin seeds (jeera)
1/4 tsp. nigella seeds or kalonji/kalaunji (nigella sativa)
5-6 whole cloves (laung or lavang)
6-8 whole black peppers (kali mirch)
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 large sized tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 heaped tbsp. tomato puree (optional)
3 green chillies, slit lengthways
3-4 sprigs of fresh garden mint, washed and chopped (or 1 tbsp. dry mint leaves)
2 tbsp. dry fenugreek/methi leaves (optional)
A handful of fresh green coriander leaves
Instructions
Put all of the above ingredients, except the last five, in a large, heavy based saucepan that has a tight fitting lid, to seal all the moisture/steam.
Add only 1/2 cup water, as the onions and meat will release water. If not, you can always add some towards the end.
Bring to boil. Leave to cook gently (simmer) for around 1 hour or until the meat is tender. Poorer the quality of meat, longer it takes to cook.
Remove the lid and dry the sauce slowly, mashing the onions and garlic with a spatula.
Add the fresh tomatoes, green chillies, tomato puree, methi and mint leaves. Stir until the tomatoes have been reduced and the whole mixture looks like a sauce. If the mixture sticks to the bottom of the pan, add a little water at a time as you go along. Once the mixture starts releasing the oil, it is ready.
Add fresh coriander, cover and remove from heat.
Balti gosht is ready. It is best eaten with hot Tandoori Roti 2 or Nan or Chapatties and a few good friends!!
To cook in a slow cooker, put everything together in a slow cooker, close the lid and switch it on high until it comes to a simmer. Then turn it down to low- medium and leave for five six hours. If you prefer, you can brown the meat in a pan, before putting it in a slow cooker.
Notes
Remember to keep all ingredients as near to fresh and unprocessed as possible.
The amounts given are for a mildly hot curry but you can increase or decrease the amount of chillies according to your taste. All other ingredients remain the same.
Kalonji can be spelled as Kalowunji on some packets.