Staying Fit
Laura Edwards
Serves 6 to 8
This was the raan made the night before I left my home — my henna night — the meal my mother fed me by hand. In some ways, for me, that was the night of my biggest loss … leaving Ammu. But in my loss there lay ahead my victory — when I could recreate this meal for others; where I used food to empower myself and other women around me.
It is an auspicious dish that takes time to cook, but it is worth the wait. The story behind this dish is that it was made for the defeated Indian king Porus by the chefs of Alexander the Great after the Battle of Hydaspes in 326 B.C. The battle took place along the banks of the River Jhelum (which is now in modern-day Punjab in Pakistan). This special raan was made for a banquet to honor the agreement between the two kings. The original recipe is, of course, lost in the mists of time, so this is my family’s version. The use of the local Himalayan pink salt and the pungent, sulphuric black salt, kala namak, is what makes this recipe so unusual.
This raan goes well with any bread, such as paratha or roti.
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Ingredients
- 2 small legs of spring lamb, about 2 lb., 3 oz. (1 kg) each (alternatively, use a shoulder of lamb or a medium leg of mutton or lamb, cut into 2 pieces)
- Generous 3/4 cup (200 g) ghee
Marinade
- 6 tbsp. Himalayan pink salt
- 3 tbsp. mild chile powder
- 4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 4 tbsp. ginger paste
- 4 tbsp. garlic paste
- 2 tbsp. black cumin seeds (shah zeera), 4 large Indian bay leaves (tej patta)
- 3 x 1 in. (2.5 cm) pieces of cassia bark (or cinnamon stick)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) malt or cider vinegar
Masala
- 1⁄2 tsp. cumin seeds
- 2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
- 1 in. (2.5 cm) piece of cassia bark (or cinnamon stick)
- 2 cloves
- 2 green cardamom pods
- 1 tbsp. white peppercorns
- 1 tsp. kala namak (black salt)
- 2 tsp. amchur (dried mango powder), or juice of 1⁄2 lime
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