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Rista
رستہ (rista): Kashmiri pounded-mutton balls in a fiery red gravy tinted with Kashmiri chilli and cockscomb flower
Rista is gushtaba's scarlet twin on the wazwan spread, smaller, softer meatballs of pounded mutton cooked in a thin, glowing red gravy instead of yogurt. The colour comes from Kashmiri chillies and mawal, dried cockscomb flower steeped in hot water, and the flavour from fennel, dry ginger and black cardamom fried in mustard oil; it is aromatic rather than brutally hot. Kashmiri families in Azad Kashmir and in Pakistani cities serve it at weddings and big lunches with mounds of steamed rice, and it is often the dish guests remember. Under-pounding is the classic mistake, because coarse meat gives chewy, grainy balls. Chef's tip: if you cannot find mawal, the gravy is still right without it; for extra colour, add one extra teaspoon of Kashmiri chilli rather than food colouring.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1 ½ lb boneless mutton or lamb leg, very coldsinew removed, cubed
- 6 oz lamb fatchilled, cubed
- 4 tbsp ice-cold water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground green cardamom
For the gravy
- 4 tbsp mustard oil
- 2 black cardamom podslightly crushed
- 4 cloves
- 4 shallotspuréed
- 1 ½ tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powdermixed with 4 tbsp water
- 2 tsp ground fennel
- 3 ¾ cups hot water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp dried cockscomb flower (mawal) (optional)steeped in 100 ml hot water 20 minutes
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What you'll need
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Pulse 1 ½ lb boneless mutton or lamb leg, very cold and 6 oz lamb fat in a food processor in short bursts, adding 4 tbsp ice-cold water a spoonful at a time with 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp ground green cardamom. Scrape down often and keep going for 6–8 minutes until silky, sticky and shiny.
10 minStep 2: With wet hands, roll into 18 balls the size of a walnut, slapping each from palm to palm to firm it. Chill for 15 minutes.
8 minStep 3: Heat 4 tbsp mustard oil in a wide pan until it smokes, then take it off the heat for a minute.
2 minStep 4: Return to a medium heat, add 2 black cardamom pods, 4 cloves and 1 cinnamon stick, then 4 shallots, and fry for 2–3 minutes until fragrant but not brown.
3 minStep 5: Add the 1 ½ tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder paste, 2 tsp ground fennel and 1 tsp ground dry ginger (sonth) and fry for 2 minutes, stirring, until the oil turns red.
3 minStep 6: Pour in 3 ¾ cups hot water with 1 tsp salt and strain in the red liquid from 1 tbsp dried cockscomb flower (mawal). Bring to a gentle simmer.
3 minStep 7: Lower in the meatballs one at a time. Simmer uncovered on a low heat for 35–40 minutes, shaking the pan rather than stirring, until the balls are firm, cooked through (160°F in the centre) and the gravy has reduced by about a third, with red oil on top.
40 minStep 8: Serve with plain steamed rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 42 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rista take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of cloves?
- Ground cloves, ¼ tsp for every 3 whole cloves.
- What can I use instead of cinnamon stick?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
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