Dahi Aanthelu Kaju Gos (Curds Marinated Smoked Tender Lamb in Cashew Cream)
~ Dahi Aanthelu Kaju Gos ~
(Curds Marinated Smoked Tender Lamb in Cashew Cream)
by Rohinton Batlivala
▪️1 kg tender baby goat mutton (shoulder portion). Clean n cut into large chunky pieces – ‘meat-on-bone’. Wash in 3 running waters with a sea salt rub before the last rinse. Keep aside in boiyu (colander) to drain out.
▪️4-5 large onions cut fine (Vagharno kando) fried crisp golden brown. Keep aside
▪️2 tblsn freshly stone-crushed ginger/garlic paste.
▪️1 cup curds
▪️100-125 gms broken cashew nuts blended in a mixie to a smooth thick creamy paste with just about enough water and keep aside.
▪️1 tomato cut small n fine (optional)
▪️1/2 cup freshly cut cilantro (kothmir) (optional)
▪️1/2 tsp nutmeg pwdr or grated nutmeg
▪️Oil + pure desi ghee
MARINATE the mutton with salt, g/g (as above), 1/2 tsp haldi, 2-3 tsp red chili pwdr (Kashmiri), 1/2 tsp jeeru pwdr, 1-2 tblsp sakelu dhana pwdr, 1-2 large tblsp full biryani/tandoor masala (I always use only Jeff’s ‘Sunday Special’ masala for the last 20-25 years as did my mum from many years before), 1/2 tsp full All Spices Garam Masala pwdr (agn Jeff’s), 1 cup curds, 2 tblsp crisp golden fried onion barsihta (crushed) and 2 small ladles of oil (I use Leonardo Brand ‘All Cooking’ Olive Pomace Oil). Rub the masalas, crushed fried onions n salt along with the curds n oil well into the meat and leave to marinate for atleast 4-6 hrs or best left overnight in the refrigerator but remember to remove from the fridge atleast half an hour before you start cooking.
In a thick bottomed pan or pressure cooker add 2 tblsp desi ghee on medium to high flame and splutter in it 2-3 small bay leaves, 4-5 green cardamoms, a thick stick of cinnamon, 2-3 star anise, 4-5 cloves and 1/2 tsp full peppercorns then immediately add in the marinated mutton pieces first and then after a minute or two of roasting n stirring continuously add the marinade masala too.
Add 1/2 glass water into the empty marinade dish to wash up all the leftover marinade to use later. Now fry well stirring the pot frequently for atleast 5-7 min then add in the remaining crisp golden fried onion and continue cooking on medium to high flame for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato n cilantro (both optional) and continue roasting stirring occasionally adding little little leftover marinade masala water lowering the flame to medium to sim.
After about 12-14 minutes in all frm the start when u see oil beginning to float, add in the cashew paste and keep stirring to mix it all up well. Add 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder or simply grate a little bit of nutmeg over it like we do for our sev n ravo n mix it in. When it all begins to bubble again, let cook now on full sim adding more water frm washing up the leftover cashew paste in the mixie.
After 3-5 minutes of sim cooking chk for salt and adjust the taste as per your requirement then add desired quantity of water (1-1.5 glasses), tightly cover and by very slow cook method cook for 35-45 minutes on full sim or alternately for quick cooking, shut the cooker lid and cook on high flame until two whistles then lower to full sim and slow cook until 2 more whistles then shut off. Let cool till the lid pops on its own. Now simply smoke it up with a hot burning charcoal placed in the centre of the pan in a steel bowl n pour a tsp of hot melted ghee or oil over it and cover up the whole pan tightly with an air tight lid for the meat to consume all the charcoal smoke within itself to give you the rustic woody flavour n taste. Voila you are done!
Serve hot garnished with golden fried potato wedges and some lightly fried broken cashew nuts with hot hot rotlis or nan, yumm. Enjoy… 
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