Gushtaba (گُشتابا)

Soft mutton meatballs poached in a yogurt-milk gravy with fennel, cardamom, and ginger — a formal Kashmiri wazwan classic.

Cuisine: Kashmiri (Kashmir) · Style: Curry · Protein: Mutton · Total time: 75 minutes · Difficulty: medium · Servings: 4 · Spice: 2/5

Ingredients

• 500g mutton keema
• 1 tsp meat fat or soft lamb fat
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
• 2 cups curd
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves
• 2 green cardamoms
• 1 black cardamom
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp fennel powder
• 1 tsp dry ginger powder
• 1 tsp asafoetida
• 1 tsp dried mint
• 2 tbsp mustard oil
• Salt to taste

Steps

1. Pound the mutton keema with fat, cardamom powder, ginger, and salt until it turns smooth and cohesive.
2. Shape the mixture into small meatballs and keep them chilled so they hold their shape.
3. Heat mustard oil with asafoetida, bay leaf, cloves, cardamoms, and cinnamon.
4. Whisk curd with water and milk, then add it to the pot over low heat.
5. Add fennel powder and dry ginger, then gently lower in the meatballs.
6. Simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the gravy is silky. Finish with dried mint and serve hot.
7. Use the softest heat you can manage so the meatballs stay tender.

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