Persian

Dum Pukht

Name: Dum Pukht
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: Persian
Ingredients: 180 g lamb shoulder; 60 g full-fat yoghurt; 1 onion; 1 tbsp ghee; 1 tsp ginger and garlic paste; 2 green cardamom pods; 3 cloves; 0.25 tsp garam masala; 0.5 tsp ground coriander; 0.25 tsp red chilli powder; saffron; 1 tbsp milk; 0.5 tsp salt; 3 tbsp water; 0.25 tsp kewra water; 1 green chilli; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 bay leaf; 40 g plain flour

The old Persian way of cooking food slowly in its own steam: lamb marinated in yoghurt and spices goes into a heavy pot with saffron, fried onions and kewra, the lid is sealed with a rope of dough, and nothing escapes until you crack it open at the table.

Lunch & dinner 25g+ protein 8g+ fibre

90 min20 prep · 70 cookMedium686 kcalper serving

Method

Put 180 g of lamb shoulder in a bowl with 60 g of whisked yoghurt, 1 tsp of ginger and garlic paste, 0.5 tsp of ground coriander, 0.25 tsp of red chilli powder and 0.5 tsp of salt. Rub it well into the meat, cover and leave at room temperature for 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight and bring back to room temperature before cooking.
Warm 1 tbsp of ghee in a small heavy handi or cast-iron casserole over medium heat. Add 1 thinly sliced onion and fry for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until evenly deep golden and crisp at the edges. Lift out half of it with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper to use as birista later, leaving the rest and all the fat in the pot.
Drop 2 green cardamom pods, 3 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 bay leaf into the hot fat and let them crackle for 20 seconds. Tip in the marinated lamb with all its yoghurt and cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, turning the pieces, until the yoghurt has tightened around the meat and no longer looks raw and white.