Kalia Kesar

This recipe is from  the book " The Maharajas "
This a kashmiri dish eaten in winter time!

Ingredients:
Mutton or lamb- 1 kg,
Ghee or oil - 2tbsp,
Onion -2 medium thinely sliced,
Coriander powder- 4 tsp ( heapful),
Garlic paste-4 tsp,
Almonds-24 to 30 ( blanched,peeled and ground with water to a paste),
Curd-200 gms (beaten),
Salt to taste,
Malai or cream- 4 tsp ( beaten),
Garam masala- 2 big pinch,
Saffron- 2 pinch- diluted in warm water.

( I have not added yellow colour or kewada water)

Method:
Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a non stick kadhai and stir fry the onions in high heat to golden brown.

Remove and grind with water to a smooth paste and keep aside.

In the same kadhai add 1 tbsp of ghee and add the meat  along with coriander powder,garlic paste and almond paste.

Mix well and keep adding few tbsp of curd to the mutton mixture from time to time till all the curd is used.

Keep stirring the mutton in high heat.

Add 1 and 1/2 cup of water and salt.

Let the gravy come to boil.
Lower the heat once the gravy comes to a boiling point.
Cover and let it cook for 40 minute or till the meat is tender.Close gas.

We have to remove the meat pieces from the  gravy.
In the small bowl fill 1/2 cup of water.
In the second bowl put a strainer with a muslin cloth over it.
Dip each piece of mutton in water to remove any coating and keep in a plate.

Once all the mutton pieces are washed ,add the water  of the small bowl to the gravy in the kadhai.

Take the kadahi and pour all the  liquid gravy through the muslin cloth squeezing well to extract maximum flavour.

Put the cooked mutton pieces and the strained liquid back to the kadhai and put to  high heat.

Add the  fried onion paste and stir.

Taste salt.
Mix malai or cream and saffron water  in a small bowl( if you are using malai,cream it well).
Add to the mutton and stir.

Sprinkle 2 big pinches of garam masala and lower the heat and cover for 5 minutes or till you see specks  of ghee  floating on the surface of the gravy.

It is a very light and tasty dish.
Kashmiri dishes are usually served with rice but it  goes very well with hot rotis too.