Safed Maas
pale, creamy mutton braised with cashew, yogurt and white pepper instead of red chilli
Allergens in Safed Maas: milk, tree nuts.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4.
- 800g, on the bone, cut into 4cm pieces Mutton
- 20, soaked in hot water 20 minutes Cashew
- 15, blanched and skinned Almondsthe skins would speckle the white gravy
- 1 tbsp, soaked Poppy Seeds
- 1 tbsp, soaked Melon Seedsoptional
- 250g, whisked smooth Yogurt
- 60ml Cream
- 5 tbsp Ghee
- 2 medium, boiled 10 minutes and ground Onionboiled, never browned. Brown onion would colour the gravy
- 1 tbsp, paste Garlic
- 1 tbsp, paste Ginger
- 1.5 tsp, freshly ground White Pepperthe heat of this dish
- 3, slit Green Chilli
- 5 Cardamom
- 4 Cloves
- 1 piece, 3cm Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Maceoptional
- 1/2 tsp Kewra Wateroptional
- 500ml Water
- to taste Salt
Cookware
stovetop, blender, pressure cooker
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Soak the cashew, almonds, poppy and melon seeds together in hot water for 20 minutes, then blend to a completely smooth paste with 100ml water. Any grit shows in the finished gravy.
- Boil and grind the onion in advance and let it cool. Hot onion paste added to yogurt encourages splitting.
- Bring the yogurt to room temperature and whisk it until pourable before you start.
Method
- Heat the ghee on medium and fry the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and mace 30 seconds, without letting them colour.Any browning at this stage tints the gravy; keep the flame moderate.
- Add the ginger and garlic pastes and cook 2 minutes until the raw edge goes but no colour develops.
- Stir in the boiled onion paste and cook 5 minutes on low, stirring, until it thickens and smells sweet.
- Add the mutton and turn it in the paste 6 minutes over medium heat, sealing, not browning.
- Take the pan off the heat, stir in the whisked yogurt, then return to the lowest flame and cook 8 minutes until it thickens and the ghee edges out.Off the heat first, always. This is where safed maas is usually lost.
- Add the nut paste, white pepper, green chillies, salt and water. Pressure-cook 5 whistles, or cover and simmer 60 minutes until the meat is tender.
- Uncover and simmer 8 minutes to reduce until the gravy coats the back of a spoon.
- Stir in the cream and kewra water, warm through 2 minutes without boiling, and rest 10 minutes before serving.Boiling after the cream goes in makes the gravy grainy.
Safe temperatures: Whole cuts of mutton, beef and pork are done at 63°C / 145°F, rested 3 minutes. A long braise passes that well before the meat is tender. Reheat leftovers to 74°C / 165°F. FoodSafety.gov
Storage
Keeps 2 days refrigerated. Reheat over low heat only, stirring, with a splash of milk to bring the gravy back together. Do not freeze. The nut and cream gravy turns grainy.
Nutrition Medium estimate
One serving of Safed Maas (466 g) is about 544 calories, or 117 calories per 100 g.
High protein: 47 g a serving, 35% of the calories
| Per serving466 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 544 kcal | 117 kcal |
| Protein | 47.4 g | 10 g |
| Carbohydrate | 14.2 g | 3 g |
| of which sugars | 6.2 g | 1 g |
| Fibre | 2.6 g | 1 g |
| Fat | 33.1 g | 7 g |
| of which saturated | 16.8 g | 4 g |
| of which unsaturated | 13.9 g | 3 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Nearest database match used for mutton. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Gluten-free Indian recipes · Rajasthani recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.