Neni Qaliya

Description

 * Ethnicity - Kashmiri, North Indian
 * Type of Meal Lunch, Dinner

Ingredients

 * 1 kg Meat
 * 100 gms Suet and Fatty portions of Intestines (cut into pieces)
 * 1 tea cup Milk
 * 1 tea cup Curd
 * 2 pcs Green or Dry Ginger (Approx 10 gms)
 * 1 tbsp Aniseed unground
 * 2 nos. Cardamoms Big
 * 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
 * 1/2 tsp Turmeric
 * 2 tsp Aniseed Powder
 * 1 tsp Dry Ginger Powder
 * 1 tsp. garam masala
 * 10 nos. Green Cardamoms
 * 3 nos. Cloves
 * 1/2 tsp Caraway Seeds
 * 2 pinches Asafoetida Powder
 * 1/2 tea cup Mustard Oil
 * 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
 * Salt to taste

Directions

 * 1) In a steel or tinned brass or copper 'Patila' of about three to four litres capacity, pour a litre of water and put in it the meat, along with the suet and fatty intestine pieces.
 * 2) Add green or dry ginger pieces, after crushing these a little by pounding.
 * 3) Also add 2 tsps. each of turmeric and whole aniseeds, along with half a tea spoon of chili powder, 2 crushed big cardamoms, 2 tsps of salt and a pinch of asafoetida.
 * 4) Stir well and put the 'Patila', after covering it with a lid, on medium heat to boil slowly for half an hour.
 * 5) Generally in Kashmir, to prepare this dish earthenware vessels, a 'Leij' for a kg. and a 'Deg' for 3 to 5 kgs. of meat, are used. These give a special aroma to this cherished Dish, which is a must in all big Dinners.
 * 6) Remove the vessel from the fire, and by straining through a colander or a strainer or a coarse cloth, collect all the soup in a bowl.
 * 7) Sort out all the semi-cooked meat pieces from the strained mass and discard all the boiled ginger pieces, aniseed, cardamoms, bone pieces etc.
 * 8) Wash the vessel and pour in it the soup.
 * 9) Add the milk and curd, after thoroughly churning these together along with powdered aniseed, remaining turmeric and powdered dry ginger.
 * 10) Bring it to boil again, while the contents of the 'Patila' are constantly being stirred by a wooden or a steel ladle, so that the curd and milk do not crack, and separate from the soup.
 * 11) When a homogeneously blended gravy is formed, add the sorted and half cooked meat, fatty intestines and suet.
 * 12) Occasionally stir the contents gently.
 * 13) Let it simmer on low heat. Meanwhile in a pan or a 'Kadahi' heat the mustard oil, till the foam disappears, and after removing the pan from the fire, let the oil cool a bit.
 * 14) Add a pinch of asafoetida, cloves and the cumin seeds.
 * 15) Stir till the cloves, cumin seeds and the asafoetida gets fried but not charred. This imparts an aroma to the oil.
 * 16) Add this oil along with fried Spices to the meat, while it is simmering.
 * 17) Stir with a ladle and let cook on low heat, till the meat is tender.
 * 18) Now add garam masala and caraway seeds, and a bit crushed green cardamoms. stir and remove the 'Patila' from the fire for serving the dish.

Note

 * 1) If the dish is not to be served immediately, then the garam masala, caraway seeds and green cardamoms, are added a little time before serving, while the dish is again brought to boil.
 * 2) 'Qaliya' should be piping hot while being served. In feasts it is always served as a first course, directly ladling it on the 'Bata' (Plain Cooked Rice).