Ghushtaba - pounded mutton meatballs in a yoghurt gravy
This Kashmiri dish of large, mutton meatballs cooked in a yoghurt gravy is often eaten as part of a wazwan, a multi-course Kashmiri banquet. Ghushtaba are typically served as the grand finale to the whole banquet, which can feature several dozen different dishes. Traditionally, the meat would be pounded on a stone with a large wooden mallet to give it a smooth and bouncy texture. If you don’t have a mallet to hand, you can also use a food processor - although the texture won’t be quite the same!
Extracted from On The Himalayan Trail by Romy Gill (Hardie Grant, £27)
Romy says: "Often served at wedding celebrations and restaurants, ghushtaba is also an important part of the wazwan. Simple meatballs are simmered in a yoghurt-based gravy, in a flavoursome dish known by Kashmiri Muslims as ‘The Dish of Kings’."
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
For the meatballs
For the stock
- 1l water
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 4 black cardamom pods
- 4 cloves
- 5cm of cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp salt
For the gravy
- 2 tbsp of ghee, or rapeseed oil
- 600g of Greek yoghurt, whisked with 300ml water
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp dried mint
- white rice, for serving
Equipment
- Wooden mallet
Method
For the meatballs, remove any fat from the meat and reserve the bones for the stock.
- 600g of goat leg, or use mutton or lamb leg
Cut the meat into pieces and rub with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt
- 1/2 tsp salt
Place the meat on a wooden board (or smooth stone) and pound with a wooden mallet. Remove any pieces of sinew and keep pounding until the texture and colour of the meat
resembles pâté
Add the lard, ghee or oil and continue to pound
- 1 tbsp of lard, or used ghee or rapeseed oil
Finally, add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pound until everything is well combined and the meat has a paste-like texture. Alternatively, use a food processor to blitz it all to a fine paste
- 1/2 tsp salt
Divide the mixture and shape into 4 large balls with wet hands
For the stock, place the bones in a large pan and add the water, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon and salt
- 1l water
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 4 black cardamom pods
- 4 cloves
- 5cm of cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp salt
Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, until the stock is reduced by half to 500ml. Remove and discard any scum that comes to the top. Once reduced, set aside
Make shallot paste: Pour the ghee into a heavy-based saucepan and heat to 170°C/340°F on a digital thermometer. Alternatively, you can drop in a tiny piece of shallot: if it floats to the surface, then the ghee is hot enough; if it sinks, the ghee is not hot enough yet
- 125g of ghee
Once the ghee is hot, add the chopped shallots in batches and fry until golden brown and crispy
- 1kg shallots, peeled and finely chopped
Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain and cool
When the crispy golden shallots have cooled down, grind to a fine paste with a pestle and mortar. You must have patience to get the right consistency. Keep grinding until the mixture changes colour to creamy white and the texture becomes like a paste. If you don’t have a pestle and mortar, you can blitz in a blender, but the taste and texture won’t be the same. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use in dishes when required. It will keep for up to a week
To make the gravy, heat the ghee or oil in a separate large pan over a low heat. Add the whisked yoghurt and cook for 5 minutes, whisking continuously so that the mixture doesn’t curdle
- 2 tbsp of ghee, or rapeseed oil
- 600g of Greek yoghurt, whisked with 300ml water
Add the crushed garlic and 2 tsp shallot paste, along with the ground ginger and fennel. Now, add the meatballs, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground fennel seeds
Add the stock and cook for a further 15 minutes until the gravy thickens. Mix in the dried mint and leave to rest for 30 minutes. Resting helpings the broth to seep in the meatballs
- 1/2 tsp dried mint
Serve hot, with steamed rice
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