Matz chhiear (meatballs stuffed with apricots)

This recipe was introduced to me by my dearest chef friend, Prateek. These tender meatballs, flavoured with sweet dried apricots, chilli and spices, are the perfect combination of sweet and savoury and one of many savoury dishes to use this popular Kashmiri fruit. Serve with hot rice or your favourite freshly baked Kashmiri bread.

Credit: Murdoch Books

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 500 g minced (ground) lamb
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground fennel
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 4 tsp ground black cardamom seeds
• 2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
• 1½ tsp salt
• 4 tsp sunflower oil or rapeseed (canola) oil
• 150 g dried apricots, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, then drained and finely diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 cm cinnamon stick
• ½ tsp asafoetida powder
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• 750 ml (3 cups) water
• steamed rice or flatbreads, to serve

Chilling time: 30 minutes.

Instructions

1. Put the minced lamb in a food processor and blitz to a smooth texture.
2. Transfer the resulting meat paste into a bowl, and add ½ tsp each of the ground ginger, fennel, cumin, black cardamom seeds, chilli powder and salt, along with 2 tsp of the oil. Mix well, then divide the mixture into equal portions, then roll each one into a ball around the size of a golf ball. Stuff 5–6 pieces of chopped apricots into the middle of each ball, making sure the apricots are completely enclosed. Place all the meatballs on a tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tsp of oil in a large, wide saucepan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. As soon as they start to sizzle, mix in the asafoetida, then add the remaining ground spices and salt, plus the turmeric and ground cloves, and cook for 1 minute. Add the water and bring the mixture to the boil, then cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes.
4. Add the meatballs to the gravy and cook for about 15 minutes until cooked through and the gravy has thickened. Serve with rice or flatbreads.

 

Recipe and image from On the Himalayan Trail: Recipes and Stories from Kashmir to Ladakh by Romy Gill, photography by Poras Chaudhary and Matt Russel (Hardie Grant Books, RRP $55, available in-stores nationally). Read an extract from the book here. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.