This dish is unusual
and it is also exquisite. It is a combination of organic and artistic culinary
expression which culminated at the name of my second uncle in law, Jawahara
Mohammed, a chef of redoubtable fussiness and gargantuan gourmet vision. Uncle
Jay, as we affectionately call him, proclaims "It is achieved at the epoch, I
have formalised the tradition of centuries, my creation is your splendour, to
enjoy in it's perfection at your banquet". Uncle is inclined to the
grandiose.
In this dish the meat
is boiled, and in this dish you will chop an inordinate amount of coriander; it
is in fact extraordinary. You may cook lamb, or you may cook goat
which I prefer, or you may use chicken. If using chicken you must reduce
the boiling time to 20 minutes if you have jointed a chook, depending on the
size of the jointed pieces. If some are large and some are not so large, then
you will need to estimate I imagine, not having boiled a chook, or chook pieces,
in fact, if I were using chook in this recipe, which I would never do, I might
fry the pieces instead, perhaps in hot asotaefida'd mustard oil, adding
mustard seeds, garlic, salt, pepper and white wine, then cover for 30
minutes.....
1 kg of lamb or goat
meat suitable for casserole (usually shoulder)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
(ground)
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large black
cardamoms (optional)
1.
Place all in a pan with 3
cups of water and bring to boil, then simmer for 1 hour, at which time it should
be almost tender. Remove meat and keep the broth - it will be used at step 3.
5 tbs corn, macadamia
or olive oil
2 medium onions, cut
in half longwise, then across into fine half rings
2.
Heat oil in a large heavy
based, Italian, French or German frying pan to medium high and fry onions until
reddish brown and crisp. Remove and spread on absorbent paper.
3 cloves
5 whole black
peppercorns
3 cardamon pods
1 1/2 inch cinnamon
stick
4 cups plain yoghurt
(Jalna premium or a good Greek)
5 cloves garlic,
peeled and crushed
3.
Place spices into the onion oil (add oil if necessary) for a minute to
flavour the oil, then add the yoghurt and garlic. Keep stirring the mixture
until it has reduced to a thick white sauce then add the meat and cook for 3
minutes.
Freshly ground black
pepper
Washed and finely
chopped coriander to make 2 cups (about 200g)
4.
Pour the broth into the
mixture and cook on high heat until the stock comes up to about 1/3 of the meat.
Just before serving stir onions into pan with pepper and coriander, and
Jawahara's your second uncle. Bless him.