Shab deg
AI-drafted · awaiting admin review
Mutton and whole turnips slow-cooked overnight with spices in a sealed pot, a winter dish of Kashmir.
Region: Kashmir valleyOccasion: Winter, especially for family gatheringsTime: 4–6 hours (slow cooking)Serves: 6Non-vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 kg mutton on the bone
- 500 g small turnips, peeled and pricked
- 4 tbsp mustard oil
- 4 green cardamoms, 2 black cardamoms, 4 cloves and 1 stick cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup curd, whisked
- 2 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 2 tsp fennel powder
- 1 tsp dry ginger powder
- Salt to taste
Method
- Heat the mustard oil and lightly fry the turnips until they have brown spots. Lift them out.
- Fry the whole spices and bay leaves, then add the mutton and brown it well.
- Add the chilli powder mixed with water and stir, then add the curd slowly, stirring.
- Add fennel, dry ginger, salt, the turnips and enough water to cover.
- Seal the pot with a tight lid or a ring of dough and cook on the lowest heat for several hours, or overnight on dying embers.
- Open the pot when the meat is very tender and the turnips have soaked up the gravy. Serve with rice.
History
Shab means night and deg a large cooking pot. The dish was traditionally left to cook overnight on the embers of the kitchen hearth.
Significance
Turnips store well in winter, and shab deg is a warming dish for the coldest weeks, made when the family gathers.