Rista

Rista (Meat-balls with red gravy)

Ingredients:

• 1 kg boneless mutton from the leg
• 1 cup of  mutton fat
• 1 cup of moval** extract
• 1 teaspoon
  saffron (soaked in a cup of water)
• 1 teaspoon red
  chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried ginger
  powder
• 4 black cardamoms
• 3 black fennel
  powder
• 2-3 bay
  leaves
• 3 cloves
• 2 pieces cinnamon
  sticks
• 1 teaspoon
  asafoetida powder
• 1 cup of mustard
  oil
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Pound boneless meat on a smooth stone with a wooden mallet and add the
   meat fat while pounding.
2. Make sure the pulp is mixed well to make the round balls.
3. Add brown cardamom powder, a little salt and 1 teaspoon ginger powder.
4. After mixing well make round balls about 3 inches diameter.
5. Heat oil in a large, heavy pan, sauté salt, asafoetida and a glass of
   water and red chili powder.
6. Keep on stirring until it leaves the red colour.
7. Add about 8 glasses of water and the rest of the spices and bring to a
   boil.
8. While the gravy is boiling add meat balls slowly and gently boil for an
   hour.
9. Add the moval extract and simmer for 15 minutes.
10. Serve with steaming
    plain rice.

Moval is a dried flower available only in Kashmir.
Generally it is used for coloring dishes. To prepare moval
extract- soak moval in a cup of water for about an hour, drain and store. As an
alternative we may use saffron
extract. Soak 1 tsp saffron in a cup of water and add to the dish.