Mutton Yakhni

Mutton Yakhni is one of the most prominent dishes in the Kashmiri household. The word Yakhni translates to curry or broth. The key ingredient in Yakhni is Dahi which adds richness to the broth.

I mentioned earlier in my Rogan Josh post, before cooking any lamb dish, it is essential to ensure that the appropriate cut of meat is used, and in this dish, we will use the breast cut off the lamb. As with all of the Kashmiri dishes I've written about on this blog, this recipe does not involve any onions and tomatoes.

The recipe I have listed below is for about 3-4 servings with a prep time of 10 mins and a cooking time of 40 mins.

The key ingredients for this dish are patience and commitment. The rest can be bought online or from your nearest supermarket.

Ingredients

1. Lamb with the bone (breast cut) – 1 kg

2. Badi elaichi/Black cardamom –1

3. Elaichi/Green Cardamom – 3

4. Heeng/Asafoetida – ¼ tsp

5. Mustard oil – ½ cup

6. Laung/Cloves – 2

7. Zeera/Cumin – ¼ tsp

8. Tej patta/bay leaf – 1

9. Haldi/Turmeric – a pinch

10. Saunth /dry ginger powder – 1 tsp

11. Saunf powder/fennel powder– 6 tsp

12. Salt – 1 tsp

13. Whisked Dahi/curd – 750 ml

14. Water – 100 ml

Procedure

1. Heat the mustard oil in a pressure cooker till it starts to smoke, then quickly lower the flame to medium, add Heeng, Badi Elaichi, Elaichi, Tej Patta, Zeera, and Laung.

2. Once the whole spices start releasing the aroma, add the lamb and mix well with the spices.

3. Keep mixing the lamb for 5-7 mins, then add Haldi, Saunth, Saunf, and salt.

4. Mix the spices and add water so that the spices don’t stick to the cooker's surface. Cover the lid and wait for 5 whistles.

5. After the 5 whistles, remove the lid and check if it is tender enough. If not, I would recommend that you go for two more whistles.

6. After the meat is cooked, start adding the Dahi to the meat and keep stirring it with the wooden spatula so that the Dahi does not curdle. Stirring the mixture till it starts to boil.

7. Then, let it simmer for about 15 mins on medium flame.

8. Serve hot with rice.