Roganjosh

Roganjosh is my favorite authentic kashmiri dish and when ever I have ordered it in a restaurant I have been disappointed given that the restaurants make it gravy based where as it is supposed to be dry. Its made with lamb/goat meat chops...its spicy as hell & scrumptious as heaven...

lets get going here

Ingredients:

2 lb lamb/goat meat (chops)

1 cup beaten yogurt

5 black cardamoms

3 bay leaves

8 - 10 cloves

a pinch of asafoedita

1 table spoons red chilli powder - this depends on how hot you want to make the dish.

2 table spoon fennel powder

1 table spoon ginger powder

salt to taste

2-3 table spoon oil

Prepare:

Crush the black cardamoms, bay leaves, cloves, mix them in the yogurt and marinate the chops in this batter for 10-15 minutes.

On the stove:

Add the oil into the pan, let it heat up and then add the asafoetida, salt and meat. Cook with occasional stirring till all the yogurt dries out and the meat turns brown in color. This should take about 15-20 mins on medium heat.

Add the red chilli, fennel and ginger powders and mix it well. Sprinkle a little water if you think the meat is sticking to the pan or is getting too dry.

Add 1.5 cups of water and bring the meat to a boil, simmer the heat and let it cook with a cover on the pan for about 40-45 mins with occasional stirring to make sure the meat doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

YUMM ROGANJOSH IS READY TO BE SERVED WITH STEAMED RICE !!! NJOY

Palak Chicken

So this is another dish that I make once in a while when its time for some green leafy veggies... Can't forget one of the richest sources of iron. Wiki search on spinach says a 180 g serving of spinach contains 6.43 mg of iron, whereas one 170 g ground hamburger patty contains at most 4.42 mg of iron.

lets get going here

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken - about 1 inch cubes of boneless skinless chicken breast meat
• 2 bunches of spinach
• 5 black cardamoms
• 3 bay leaves
• 10 cloves
• a pinch of asafoedita
• 1 - 2 table spoons red chilli powder - this depends on how hot you want to make the dish.
• 2 table spoon fennel powder
• 0.75 table spoon ginger powder
• salt to taste
• 2-3 table spoon oil

On the stove:

Add the oil into the pan, let it heat up and then add the cardamoms, bay leaves, cloves, asafoetida, salt and the chicken into the oil and cook with occasional stirring till chicken turns golden brown in color. This should take about 10 mins on medium heat.

Add the spinach and keep stirring till the spinach reduces in volume. This should take about 3-5 mins on medium heat. You can also try covering the vessel for spinach to secrete all its water and reduce in volume.

Add the red chilli, fennel and ginger powder and mix it well with the chicken/spinach mix and let it cook for 3-4 minutes.

Bring the chicken to a boil, simmer the heat and let it cook with a cover on the pan for about 40-45 mins with occasional stirring to make sure the chicken doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

YUMM PALAK CHICKEN IS READY TO BE SERVED WITH STEAMED RICE !!! NJOY

Yakhni - A traditional Kashmiri yogurt based gravy

Yakhni is a traditional Kashmiri recipe which has a yogurt based gravy. It's not hot, which one typically thinks of when indian cuisine is discussed, but actually brings out the rich flavor and aroma of cardamoms and bay leaves.

lets get going here

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken - about 1 inch cubes of boneless skinless chicken breast meat

4 black cardamoms

2 bay leaves

5 cloves

a pinch of asafoedita

1.5 cups beaten yogurt

1.5 table spoon fennel powder

0.75 table spoon ginger powder

salt to taste

2-3 table spoon oil

On the stove:

Add the oil into the pan, let it heat up and then add the cardamoms, bay leaves, cloves, asafoetida, salt and the meat into the oil and cook with occasional stirring till chicken turns golden brown in color. This should take about 10 min on medium heat.

Add the fennel and ginger powder and mix it well with the chicken and let it cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add water to the 1.5 cups of yogurt to make it 2 cups and start adding it slowly to the chicken with constant stirring till the mixture comes to a boil. Continuous stirring is required to avoid curdling of the yogurt.

Bring the chicken to a boil, simmer the heat and let it cook with a cover on the pan for about 30-40 mins with occasional stirring to make sure the chicken doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

YUMM CHICKEN YAKHI IS READY TO BE SERVED WITH STEAMED RICE !!! NJOY

Pointers:

The choice of pan here is kindda important since you need to make sure that all the meat is soaked in the yogurt eventually.

Cooking on low heat for longer allows the flavors to really get into the meat rather than leaving the meat bland on the inside.

Chicken can be replaced with other meats like lamb, goat or beef. The cooking time will vary with the kind of meat.