My heavens

A slice of my Delhi life, lived in my purple heavens!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Gourmet Legacy- Part 2: Mutton on my plate

Apart from the biryani, there is a whole world of sinful delicacies that vary in flavour, texture and taste. From baked and roasted to steamed and fried, mutton is as versatile as you can make it! To begin with, these can be categorised according to the cut of the meat. Whole pieces are used in gravy based dishes like the korma or the nahari (the latter's etymology rooted in the word 'nahar' or morning. It's eaten for breakfast, despite the rich taste of ghee and strong spices.) Ribs or 'chaap' are also marinated and fried. The next degree is what is called 'pasande', and i can't find an english word for this. It's boneless meat, thinly sliced and cooked in grave of curd and spices. It's flavor is as delicate as its texture, you can't stir it with a spoon, even wooden. Same case with koftas- my mom's trick is to lift up the whole deghchi or kadhav and lightly shake the meat balls to turn them. Koftas could be plain or stuffed with a chilli coriander mixture. And then there's the 'shabdegh', from shab or night and degh or a cooking pot. It's basically koftas with a different combination od spices along with turnips and carrots. And believe it or not, shabdegh has to be prepared on low flame, throughout the night to be served the following day, hence the name. Another variety is the nargisi kofta- delicate koftas, shaped big enough to hold a whole boiled egg at the center.
There are other varieties that I've missed on, a variety of soups, organ meats and much more that I might not have discovered yet. And of course, these are enjoyed with a range of breds- naans, kulchas, rumali rotis, taaftaan, tandoori rotis... Each different flavour is an experience in itself, waiting to be discovered.