Gosht Yakhni Pulao | Lamb Yakhni Pulao | Mutton Yakhni Pulao Recipe
Gosht Yakhni Pulao – Gosht yakhni pulao finds its origins in the Kashmiri cuisine. This signature gosht yakhni pulao recipe has succulent and tender pieces of mutton on the bone.
It is cooked with long-grained basmati rice cooked in a flavoured mutton stock made with a carefully selected blend of aromatic whole spices.
What is the difference between pulao & biryani?
The difference between pulao and biryani is that while pulao is made by cooking the meat in with warm aromatic spices in water till the meat is tender. Then the rice is added to the mutton broth along with mutton which is then sealed and cooked over low heat till it’s done.
Whereas for a biryani, the rice is boiled or parboiled separately in spiced water and then layered with meat curry or marinade, depending on the type of biryani being cooked, which is then sealed and cooked over low heat till it’s done.
In effect, Yakhni is the stock of the meat with few aromatic spices. The meat i.e. the Chicken or the Mutton or the Lamb, is boiled with the ingredients in a bouquet garni or potli for flavour infusion.
Kashmiri cuisine is known for its various meat preparations, cooked meticulously using a range of spices and flavouring agents. You find the same reflections in gosht yakhni pulao recipe too.
In a nutshell, gosht yakhni pulao is simply mutton or lamb cooked with masalas & stirred in with seasoned rice. The rice is then topped off with mutton stock and cooked.
How do you make mutton stock?
The broth/ stock is made using mutton and aromatics or whole garam masala which is tied in a muslin cloth. This muslin cloth fixture is called a bouquet garni.
All whole spice ingredients are put inside a cheesecloth or a muslin cloth and tied in a knot on the top. This bouquet garni is simply popped into the cooking pot.
Aromatic spices are the essence of this pulao or pilaf. Primarily, these include fennel seeds, dry ginger powder, cinnamon, cloves, black and green cardamom.
Yoghurt is another ingredient that is the key to combine all these flavours together and provides this pulao with its unique flavour.
Gosht yakhni pulao is ready
A Bit of History
Yakhni came to be known in Kashmir during Emperor Akbar’s rule. Yoghurt-based meat curries were an integral part of the Persian cuisine. Emperor Akbar introduced this style of cooking to his new state when he annexed it in 1586. Akbar, in fact, influenced various regional cuisines if northern India, which have now evolved to become exclusives cuisines in their own right.
Originally Gosht Yakhni meant a light curry made with lamb meat. Over the years it has gone on to include chicken and even vegetarian versions like Paneer Yakhni.
How is Gosht Yakhni made?
The meat is first cooked along with a handful of spices to acquire an aromatic broth. The meat pieces are again added back to with yoghurt and left to simmer. It is then slow-cooked for some more time to finally acquire the smooth texture with delicate meat.
The word ‘yakhni‘ first appeared in the book ‘Ain-i-Akbari’ which technically is a Persian journal during the time of Akbar the Great. This three-volume journal throws ample light on the Mughlai cuisine. Yakhni, the writer Abul Fazal wrote, was prepared by water, onion and lamb.
Yakhni dishes are also seen in Greek and Turkish cuisines, but what sets the Kashmiri Yakhni apart is the absence of tomatoes.
Recipe Recommendations
| Cooking Tools Recommended | Recommended Ingredients |
Gosht Yakhni Pulao | Lamb Yakhni Pulao | Mutton Yakhni Pulao Recipe
Ingredients
For Boiling Mutton & Making Mutton Stock
- 1 Kilogram Mutton On the bone
- 1 Tablespoon Clarified Butter Ghee
- 0.5 Teaspoon Salt Namak (To Taste)
- 6 Cups Water Paani
- 1/2 Teaspoon Coriander Seeds Sookha Dhaniya
- 1 Teaspoon Fennel Seeds Saunf
- 2 Piece Bay Leaves Tej Patta
- 2 inches Ginger Adrak (Cut into small chunks)
- 1 inch Cinnamon Dal Chini
- 7 piece Cloves Laung
- 5 piece Cardamom Hari Elaichi
- 1 Piece Onions Medium Size; Sliced
For Making Mutton Yakhni Pulao
- 1/2 Teaspoon Black Cumin Seeds Shahi Jeera
- 1 Inch Cinnamon Dal Chini
- 2 Piece Bay Leaves Tej Patta
- 6 Piece Cloves Laung
- 10 Piece Black Peppercorns Khadi Kali Mirch
- 2 Piece Onions Medium-Sized; Sliced
- 1 Tablespoon Ginger Paste Adrak ka Paste
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic Paste Lehsun ka Paste
- 1 Tablespoon Mint Leaves Hara Pudina (For garnishing)
- 1 Cup Curd Dahi
- 1 Teaspoon Garam Masala
- 4 Piece Green Chillies Hari Mirch
- 1.5 Teaspoon Kewra Water
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sugar Chini
- 4 Tablespoon Clarified Butter (Ghee0
Instructions
- Get your ingredients ready.
- Wash and dry the mutton. Clean and soak 2 cups of basmati rice. Fry one medium onion till golden brown and keep aside.
- Heat ghee to a stew pot and saute 1 kg of mutton chunks on the bone.
- Add 1.5 teaspoons of salt and fry for 5 minutes.
- Add 6 cups of water.
- Make a potli (bouquet garni) with muslin cloth with coriander seeds, fennel seeds, bay leaves, ginger chunks, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and roughly chopped onion. Tie it up firmly.
- Immerse this potli into the stew pot with mutton and water.
- Cook covered for one hour.
- Remove the bouquet garni (potli) and separate mutton from the yakhni stock.
- Measure the remaining stock. You should be around 4 cups remaining.
- Clean the stew pot and heat 4 tablespoons of ghee.
- Add 1.5 teaspoons of shahi jeera, cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves, black pepper and saute till they are fragrant.
- Now add 2 medium-sized sliced onions and cook until light brown.
- Now add 1 tablespoon each of ginger and garlic paste.
- Add the boiled gosht (mutton) and fry for a couple of minutes.
- Then add 1 cup of curd and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.
- Mix well and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add green chillies and garam masala.
- Mix well and add two cups of soaked rice.
- Mix well for a couple of minutes and then add reserved 4 cups of mutton stock.
- Add 1 teaspoon of kewra water and salt to taste.
- Boil the rice and then lower the heat to minimum-till cooked.
- Garnish gosht yakhni pulao with mint leaves and fried onions. Add 1/2 teaspoons of kewra water now.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- Always buy fresh meat of a smaller animal for this.
- You can always use a pressure cooker to make this faster.
Make Gosht Yakhni Pulao (Step by Step)
Are Gosht Yakhni Pulao and Gosht Biryani the same?
No, actually they are not as I stated before too. The distinction is made by the way they are cooked.
A Pulao is a dish where we cook the meat/vegetables along with the rice without any layering. On the other hand, in a biryani, there are alternate layers of rice and meat. And we semi cook the rice (boil the rice) before the layer.
Biryanis are often Dum and has the flavoured and cooked rice. While in yakhni pulao recipe, the rice is uncooked and just soaked in water. Here, we cook rice together with spices, meat and curd.
I know, many people get confused with the term biryani and pulao, as both of them are rice oriented delicacy, seasoned with fried onions, coriander and mint leaves.
How to serve Gosht Yakhni Pulao?
This tempting combination of mutton yakhni pulao is best served with mixed vegetable raita and people of all age groups will love it. Nothing more is needed.
FINALLY, TO SUM IT UP
Gosht yakhni pulao is ready
Gosht Yakhni Pulao or Mutton Yakhni Pulao is a traditional pulao recipe preparation of long grain basmati rice cooked in aromatic spiced mutton stock with delicious melt in your mouth meat. It is a must-have so go for it.
Yakhni is an integral part of the Kashmiri cuisine in India. However, Pakistanis and Afghanis also stake a claim on it. This is possible enough since Pakistan was a part of India before partition. And, Afghanistan was the gateway for the Mughal invaders to reach India and an outpost for the Mughal empire.
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