Monday 9 January 2017

Punjabi Kadhi with Lamb Kebabs.



Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

It is such a typical Monday here.
The skies have been dark all morning and the rain has also lashed down.
I even overslept because it was so dark outside. Not fun. I'm one of those weird people who actually doesn't enjoy a lie in. Somehow, it makes me feel more groggy and tired. Early, productive mornings are my thing. I always find I get so much more done in the morning than at any other time of day.
And, how could I not when our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself prayed to Allah to grant abundance to his Ummah in their early mornings: "O Allah, bless my nation in their early mornings (i.e. what they do early in the morning)".
Anyway, late risings aside, the day must go on. First on today's long list is to share this Punjabi kadhi recipe with you all. This is my grandmother's recipe. I've previously shared the vegetarian version with pakoras before but this is her lamb version. 

Kadhi is a very typical Punjabi dish. The Punjab region uses a lot of dairy products in its cooking. And, this kadhi made with yoghurt is one of its best examples. The vegetarian take is more everyday whereas this one using thin, lamb kebabs is definitely a special one. Time is of the essence here as the longer the kadhi cooks, the better. It's not one to rush.

Kadhi, previously: gujarati kadhi kichri // punjabi kadhi pakora

A Simple List of Ingredients:

For the Punjabi Kadhi:
1. Onion
2. Green Chillies
3. Garlic
4. Cumin Seeds
5. Ground Coriander
6. Ground Turmeric
7. Red Chilli Powder
8. Salt
9. Fresh Coriander
10. Margarine
11. Plain Yoghurt
12. Gram Flour

For the Lamb Kebabs:
1. Lamb Mince
2. Gram Flour
3. Salt
4. Red Chilli Powder
5. Ground Coriander
6. Ground Cumin
7. An Egg

Bismillah, let's begin!

We'll start with the base for the Punjabi kadhi. Take a large, deep saucepan and place over a medium heat.

Add in 180g Margarine. My grandmother would always make her kadhi with margarine and so we always do the same.

Let the margarine melt and sizzle.

Meanwhile, take 1 large Onion and 2 Green Chillies.

Peel and slice the onion.

And, add to the pan.

Chop the green chillies.

And, throw them in too!

Peel 7 Garlic Cloves and add them in.

Stir everything together and let them fry until golden.

While the onions fry, we can blend together our yoghurt, gram flour and water. I used a jug blender but any blender will do.

Now, this method is all measured using your yoghurt pot. We will empty out the yoghurt and then use the same pot to measure the gram flour and then water.

So, take 1 pot Plain Yoghurt. Ours was approximately 450g.

Empty out all the yoghurt into your blender.

Then, it's time for the gram flour and water.

Fill the empty pot halfway with Gram Flour (Besan). For us, this was 115g.

And, add it to the yoghurt.

Next, the water. We will use a total of 5 pots of Water. For us, 1 pot was 490ml water. Be sure to keep count as we will be adding them in batches. Our blender is not big enough to hold all the water.

We started with 2 pots Water and poured them into the jug.

Blend everything together until smooth.

Pour the mixture into a large pan or bowl.

Add 2 pots of Water to the empty blender.

Blend away!

And, pour into the same pan.

Add in the final 1 pot Water to make a total of 5 pots of water.

Whisk together and then set aside until needed.

By now, the onions should be golden. If they turn golden before you are ready, just turn the heat down.

Next, add in 2 teaspoons Salt.

1 and 1/2 teaspoons Red Chilli Powder

1 teaspoon Ground Turmeric

2 teaspoons Cumin Seeds

And, 3 teaspoons Ground Coriander.

Once all these spices are in ....

... stir-fry for a few minutes until fragrant.

Add a splash of Water and stir-fry until the oil begins to rise.

Use the back of your spoon to squash down the whole pieces of garlic.

Once the oil has risen, we can add in our yoghurt mixture.

Pour the mixture in through a sieve. This will result in a smooth kadhi.

Stir everything together.

Let the kadhi slowly start coming to the boil over a medium heat. Give it a stir every now and then.

Meanwhile, we can make our simple lamb kebabs. These kebabs are very lightly spiced because the kadhi has plenty of spice already. Into a bowl, place 500g (1 pound) Lamb Mince.

60g (4 tablespoons) Gram Flour

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder

1 and 1/2 teaspoons Ground Coriander

And, 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin.

Once everything is in ...

... give the lamb a good mix.

Then, crack in 1 medium Egg.

Mix in the egg.

And, the lamb mince is ready.

To cook the kebabs, heat a few tablespoons Vegetable Oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.

For each kebab, take a small handful of the lamb and flatten to make a small, thin patty.

Add the patties to the hot oil.

Fry the kebabs until golden brown on both sides and cooked through.

Drain the kebabs on paper towels and continue frying the rest. This mixture will make more kebabs than are needed for the kadhi. We ate the extra ones for lunch with coriander yoghurt and a salad.

By now, the kadhi should have started to bubble and come to the boil. You'll notice that it has also begun to thicken a little.

Take 1 medium bunch of Fresh Coriander.

Slice it up.

And, add to the kadhi.

Stir it in.

Then, leave for the kadhi for 15 minutes over a low heat.

Partially cover it with a lid.

After 15 minutes ...

... it's time for the kebabs.

Drop the kebabs in. We added in 12.

Taste the kadhi for salt and add more, if needed.

Then, leave the kadhi to simmer away for 1 hour or so until the oil has properly risen to the surface.


Cover partially with a lid during this hour. This kadhi cooks low and slow. If you're unsure as to whether it's ready or not, let it simmer for a few more minutes.


Once the oil has risen to the surface and the kadhi is thick, it's done!


This kadhi can be served straight away or over the course of a few days. Since this is a pretty big batch, we like to freeze a few portions of it. Simply let the kadhi get completely cold, portion into containers and freeze.



We always eat our kadhi with roti but I'm sure boiled rice would be delicious too!

Punjabi Kadhi with Lamb Kebabs.

Prep Time: About 30 minutes.
Cook Time: About 2 hours.
Serves: About 8 people.

Ingredients:

For the Punjabi Kadhi
180g Margarine
1 large Onion, peeled and sliced
2 Green Chillies, chopped
7 Garlic Cloves, peeled
1 pot of Plain Yoghurt (ours was approx. 450g)
1/2 pot of Gram Flour (ours was 115g)
5 pots of Water (for us, 1 pot was 490ml)
2 teaspoons Salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Red Chilli Powder
1 teaspoon Ground Turmeric
2 teaspoons Cumin Seeds
3 teaspoons Ground Coriander
1 medium bunch Fresh Coriander, chopped

For the Lamb Kebabs
500g (1 pound) Lamb Mince
60g (4 tablespoons) Gram Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1 and 1/2 teaspoon Ground Coriander
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 medium Egg
Vegetable Oil, to fry

To cook the Punjabi Kadhi, first fry the onions:
Melt the margarine in a large, deep pan over a medium heat. Once it's sizzling, add in the onions, green chillies and garlic cloves. Stir-fry and let everything cook until golden.

Blend up the yoghurt, gram flour and water:
Meanwhile, into a jug blender, place 1 pot of yoghurt. Fill the empty pot halfway with gram flour and add to the blender. We will use the empty yoghurt pot to measure our water as well. We will use a total of 5 pots water which will be added in batches because the blender isn't big enough. So, we added in 2 pots of water to the blender and blended with the yoghurt and gram flour to smooth. Pour the mixture into a large bowl/pan, and whisk in another 3 pots of water. Set aside until needed.

Time for the spices:
To the fried onions, add salt, red chilli powder, ground turmeric, cumin seeds and ground coriander. Stir-fry for a minute until fragrant. Add a splash of water and stir-fry until the oil begins to rise. Use the back of your spoon to squash the whole garlic cloves.

Add in the yoghurt mixture:
Pour the yoghurt mixture through a sieve into the pan. Stir to combine and let it slowly come to a boil over a medium heat. Give it a stir every now and then.

Make the lamb kebab mixture:
While the kadhi is slowly coming to the boil, mix together the kebabs. Place all the ingredients except the egg and vegetable oil into a bowl. Mix well with you hands or a spoon. Crack in the egg and mix well.

Fry the lamb kebabs:
Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat. For each kebab, take a small handful of the lamb and flatten to make small, thin patty. Continue with the rest of the kebabs. Fry them, in batches, until golden and cooked. Drain on paper towels and continue with the rest. Set the kebabs aside until needed. This recipe makes more kebabs than is needed for the kadhi.

Time to simmer and thicken the kadhi:
Once the kadhi has come to the boil, turn the heat down and add in the fresh coriander. Stir in and leave the kadhi partially covered with a lid for 15 minutes.

Add the kebabs and more simmer time:
Then, drop in the kebabs. We added in 12. Taste the kadhi for salt and add more if needed. Then, leave the kadhi to simmer away for a good 1 hour or so until the oil has risen well to the surface. A proper Punjabi kadhi needs to simmer and thicken low and slow for a very long time. If you're unsure about whether it's ready or not, it's better to let it go for a few more minutes.

To serve:
This kadhi is always served with fresh roti but I'm sure it would be just as good with steamed rice. Proper Punjabi comfort food.

This Time One Year Ago:

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This Time Four Years Ago:
Keep me in your duas please, and enjoy your kadhi!

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!


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