Shami (Kashmiri Style)

Do you know that I have always been fascinated by the ingredients and recipes that are uncommon and not used in my household for everyday cooking. I have travelled to bazaars of South Asia to get uncommon ingredients as a quest to discovery. I do the same when it comes to finding cooking books and discovering regional and unique recipes. This recipe that I am sharing today is from the Kashmiri Cooking Book of Neeta Mehta that I bought from India two years ago. This is my first time testing this recipe and I loved the idea of cooking slices of meat (kababs).

These are mice slices cooked in yogurt gravy. I cooked these with beef mince but you can use chicken mince also.

Mince Rolls

250 gm mince (qeema)
1 tsp saunf powder (ground fennel seeds), 1/2 tsp sonth (dry ginger powder)
3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)
1 chhoti illaichi (green cardamom) and 1 moti illaichi (black cardamom) both powdered
1 tbsp oil

Gravy:

2-3 tbsp oil, 2-3 laung (cloves)
1 tez patt (bay
1 inch dalchini (cinnamon)
1 moti illaichi (black cardamom), 1 -2 chhoti illaichi (green cardamom)
1/2 tsp sonth (dry ginger powder), 1 tsp saunf (fennel powder)
salt to taste
1 cup yogurt - beaten till smooth

Method:

Mix all the ingredients under mince rolls and shape them into rolls.
For the gravy, heat oil. Add laung, tez patta, moti and chhoti illaichi and dalchini. Fry for 1-2 minutes.
Add 1 cup water, saunf and sonth powder.
Give one boil. Add mince rolls. Cover and cook till nearly cooked, for about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Beat yogurt well with salt till smooth.
Add to the liquid in which the rolls were cooked. Mix well and put on low heat. Keep stirring till it boils.
Cut rolls into small round pieces.
Add to the yogurt mixture. Cover and simmer on low heat till shami is fully cooked and a thick gravy remains.