Pakistan – Mutton Makhani Handi

by Dahiza Umar

INTRODUCTION TO THE DISH

This is amazing dish made up of especially mutton but can be made by any sort of meat like beef, chicken and can be made on varieties of the other things to complement this dish like smoky flavor, tikka flavor or simple traditional dish like this.

The literary meaning of the dish is comes from the word ”MAKHANI” that come from the word MAKHAN means butter in urdu so the things used to called makhani because it has butter into it or cooked into butter and some dishes having cream into it also called makhani because of the texture and the buttery creamy flavor.

WHAT IS HANDI?

Handi is a clay pot usually found at the rural areas in which cooking is done on the regular basis in the villages but in citioes when some traditional and clay flavor is required this pot is used.

This is the shape of the pot made up of clay in which all the things can cook to give a very smoky clay flavor to enhance the texture and taste of the dish. The food of daily routine is made in this pot the areas of old ages like old villages or rural areas so the flavor and taste of the dish made in this pot is so unique and flavorful it cannot beat any dish made in other iron, steel pots.

VARIETIES OF MAKHANI HANDI

• Chicken makhani handi
• white mutton handi
• white chicken handi
• Malai boti handi
• karahi makhani handi
• Tikka makhani handi etc.

HISTORY OF THE DISH

This dish is the recipe of the time in areas of Punjab, before division in Indian subcontinent and after division in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. This is the traditional recipe when the dishes usually cooked in the pot through out the region and after the evolution and addition of the spices with accordance to the taste is giving the dish full unique flavor other than authentic flavors because of the spices, now their are many more herbs and spices are used but in the old ages, traditional unique and original fresh spices like cumin, fenugreek seeds, fresh butter and cream is used.

TIME REQUIRED

• Preparation time : 10 minutes
• cooking time: 30 minutes
• Total time : 40 minutes

NUTRITIONAL ASPECTS OF THE DISH

• Calories : 278
• protein : 8 grams
• carbohydrates : 20 grams
• fiber : 6 gams
• fats : 29 grams

INGREDIENTS

• Mutton : 1 kg
• onions : 2 large
• garlic paste : 2 tbsp
• ginger paste : 4 tbsp
• green chilies paste : 5 tbsp
• yogurt : 1 cup
• cream : 1 cup
• butter: 8 tbsp
• oil : 1/4 cup
• salt : 1 tsp
• white pepper : 1 tsp
• cumin powder : 1 tsp
• coriander powder : 4 tbsp
• dried feenugeek leaves ( sukhi metthi) : 2 tbsp

METHOD OF COOKING

• Take a large cooking pot add mutton into it with 1/2 tsp of salt and 12 glasses of water and let it cook on medium heat for 20 minutes to make the mutton flavored stock.
• Now on other side take a cooking pot add butter with oil into it and add onions, stir for a while than add garlic ginger paste, green chilies paste and stir it until all the aromas started appearing and onion turned little golden .
• Now its time to check either mutton cooked or not we have to cook about 75% of mutton so after assembling it must me infuses with the other things.
• Check if mutton is 75% done and stock is of around 3 glasses is ready with the original oil and buttery texture of the mutton add the stock with mutton into the onion mixture with all the dried ingredients.
• Now add yogurt and cream into the mixture and cook the mutton with all the ingredients for 20 minutes.
• Now mutton is done gravy is cooked and thick with flaovrs can be served with rogani naan and salad.
• Enjoy!

CUISINE: ASIAN , PAKISTANI

COURSE: MAIN DISH

SERVINGS: 5 PERSON