Kashmiri cuisine is absolutely heavenly. And Kashmiri food is not restricted to restaurants; you can whip up some Kashmiri dishes right there in your kitchen. Here is the recipe for ‘Marchwagan Korma’ – mutton in Kashmiri chilli gravy and flavoured with Royal cumin seeds. You can serve this korma with roti, plain rice or pulao.

Ingredients:

500 g mutton – boneless
15 g Kashmiri chilli powder
250 ml oil or less (this dish is cooked with a lot more oil, but you reduce the amount of oil if you use a non-stick pan.)
3 pieces cinnamon
3 green cardamoms
4 cloves
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp dry ginger powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
5 g Royal cumin seeds
4 whole Kashmiri chillies – fried with stalks

Method:

• Wash the mutton in hot water and set aside.
• Mix the chilli powder in water and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and fry the mutton.
• After five minutes, add the chilli-water, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, garlic paste, dry ginger and turmeric powders.
• Add salt to taste, cover and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes under ‘dum’. (To cook under dum, the pan should be covered with a well-fitting heavy lid and sealed with wheat dough along the edges so that the steam does not escape.)
• When the mutton becomes tender, add the Royal cumin seeds and cover and cook for a few more minutes.
• Garnish with Kashmiri chillies and serve hot.