KABARGAH

Serves: 4 as part of an Indian meal.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Dietary Style: GF.

This is one of those time consuming and multi-step dishes where the effort really does show in the end result: kabargah are milk-cooked and deep fried, spiced lamb ribs that are eaten at the festive Kashmiri table. Dad always called them “fatty lamb ribs”. For him this dish was pure excess. Pure delight. I love it, too. The weight of fat and the addition of time cooking gives these ribs an abundance of structure that enables elegant and soft spice carriage. The end mouthful is rich, nuanced, deeply flavourful and completely moreish.

I serve with raita to provide a little contrast, and just a really beautifully cooked thali of fluffy Basmati rice.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 kg lamb ribs
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 large bay leaf
• 1 tsp aniseed
• 2 tsp fennel powder
• 3 tsp cumin seed
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 6 clove buds
• 6 black cardamom

• 1 tsp ground red hot chilli
• 2 tbsp cold water
• 1 pinch asafoetida
• 2 cups besan flour
• 1 cup yoghurt
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli
• 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 1 cup ghee for frying
• gold leaf to decorate

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1. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, place the lamb ribs and the milk and put to high heat on the stovetop until the milk comes to a boil, around 10 minutes depending on the intensity of your stovetop. Once the milk is boiling, turn down to low-medium heat until it is simmering gently. Cook down until the milk is halfway evaporated, around 30 to 45 minutes.

2. Dilute the hot ground red chilli in two tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl. Once the milk has evaporated to half, put 2 tsp white salt, bay leaf, aniseed, ground ginger, clove buds, black cardamom, asafoetida and diluted chilli into the pot. Stir through.

3. Keep the pot on low heat and continue cooking until all the milk and lamb fat splits, the liquid is absorbed, and the ribs are caramelised. It is important to stir through this process once the liquid gets low to prevent the dish from sticking and burning. This process will take around 45 minutes.

4. Once cooked down, remove the pot from the heat.

5. In a mixing bowl, place the yoghurt, 1 tsp salt and Kashmiri chilli and stir through. With a whisk, whisk through cold water in small amounts until the yoghurt has the consistency of a thin pancake batter.

6. On a flat plate, tip the two cups of besan flour for breading the lamb ribs.

7. Once the lamb ribs have cooled, dip each rib individually in the yoghurt mix, then bread with the besan flour and set onto a separate clean plate.

8. In a deep cast iron wok, heavy-bottomed pot or deep fry, heat the vegetable oil and ghee on high heat until very hot. Fry the flour and yoghurt coated ribs in small batches for 15 to 20 seconds each, only until the besan flour has browned.

9. Drain on a paper towel. Apply gold leaf as an optional festive touch to the finished ribs. Serve as part of a festive meal with pulao, cooling raita and a piquant pickle.

   Note

   • Besan flour is chickpea flour and can be sourced from health food stores, supermarkets and Indian grocers.