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Rista Recipe
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Rista Recipe

Rista recipe is a type of Kashmiri Mutton Kofta, cooked in bright red gravy. Though it takes time and effort to prepare this recipe. But here we will share with you some easy techniques for cooking this recipe easily at home. In this recipe mutton balls that dissolve as soon as you put it into your mouth in yummy bright red gravy not only look good but are wonderful in taste.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian, Kashmiri
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 495kcal
Author Punam Paul

Ingredients

for preparation of Rista meatballs

  • 500 grams minced mutton (बकरे के मांस का कीमा) from the leg of lamb
  • 100 grams of meat fat (मांस की चरबी)
  • 1 piece raw egg (कच्चा अंडा) (optional)
  • 2 tablespoon cornflour/corn starch (छिलका रहित मक्के के दाने का आटा) (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder (बेकिंग पाउडर) (optional)
  • 1/8 teaspoon black cardamom powder (बड़ी इलायची पाउडर)
  • 1/8 teaspoon green cardamom powder (छोटी इलायची पाउडर)
  • 1 pinch cloves powder (लौंग पाउडर)
  • 1.5 teaspoon fennel seeds powder (सौंफ का पाउडर)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry ginger powder (सोंठ पाउडर)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (नमक)

for cooking Rista meatballs

  • 1 liter water (पानी)
  • 1 tablespoon clarified butter (घी)
  • 1 inch cinnamon stick (दालचीनी)
  • 2 pieces Indian bay leaf (तेज पत्ता)
  • 1 piece black cardamom (बड़ी इलायची)
  • 4 pieces of green cardamom (छोटी इलायची)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (नमक)

for Rista Recipe Gravy

  • 1 tablespoon garlic paste (लहसुन का पेस्ट)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger paste (अदरक का पेस्ट)
  • 2 pieces chopped onion (कटा हुआ प्याज) medium size
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds powder (सौंफ का पाउडर)
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder (धनिया पाउडर)
  • 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (कश्मीरी लाल मिर्च पाउडर)
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder (लाल मिर्च पाउडर)
  • 1/2 teaspoon moval extract (cockscomb) or saffron
  • 1 pinch asafoetida (हींग)
  • 2 tablespoon clarified butter (घी) or refined oil (रिफाइंड तेल)
  • salt to taste (नमक स्वाद अनुसार)

Instructions

How to prepare meat paste for Rista meatballs

  • Firstly we need to prepare a paste of meat. For this, we will put the minced meat in a mixer jar and grind it for two to three minutes.
  • To this add the meat fat and again grind it for 2-3 minutes. If you are health conscious and do not want to use meat fat, then you can replace meat fat with 1 raw egg.
  • Now to this meat paste add 1/8 teaspoon black cardamom powder, 1/8 teaspoon green cardamom powder, 1 pinch cloves powder, one and a half teaspoon fennel seeds powder, half teaspoon dry ginger powder and half teaspoon salt to it.
  • Again grind it for 1 to 2 minutes so that the spices get mixed well and the paste turns into a spicy smooth paste - perfect to prepare meatballs.
  • Transfer this paste to a bowl. Meanwhile, we do some preparation for cooking it.

Preparing water to cook Rista meatballs

  • Take a wide deep and heavy-bottomed pan, add 1 liter of water to it and put over medium flame. Add half teaspoon of salt.
  • Add whole spices -1/2 inch cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves, 1 black cardamom, and 4 green cardamoms. Before adding cardamoms in water, break and open green and black cardamom.
  • Mix 1 tablespoon of clarified butter (desi ghee) to this water.
  • Cook it covering the lid till water starts boiling. While boiling the water, the spices leave its aroma and flavor into this water. Switch off the stove and let the water cool down a little.
  • When the water cools down a little take another large bowl and place a large strainer on it. Pour the water over this strainer, thus separate the whole spices. Clean spicy and aromatic water stays at the bottom. Discard the whole spices and keep the spicy water. We will use this water for cooking our meatballs.

How to make meatballs for Rista Recipe

  • Wet your hand and take a small portion of meat paste, which is enough to prepare a ball of a small size lemon. Fold your fingers slightly as if you hold a handful of water for drinking. Hold the meat paste between your palm and fingers lightly. Then shake your palm left and right gently, to roll the meat paste into a ball. This will help in forming a spongy ball of meat paste. Never squeeze the meatballs between your palm and fingers while making meatballs.
  • If you are facing difficulty in making meatballs and your meats balls are cracking, then you can add 2 tablespoons of cornflour and 1 tablespoon of baking powder and again run the paste in your mixer to mix these items well in meat paste. Now again start making meatballs from this paste, with gentle hands as told above.
  • Pour this meatball immediately in the warm spicy water prepared earlier and close the lid.
  • Similarly repeat the above steps, to form meatballs form the rest of the meat paste. But do not forget to dip your hands in water before preparing the next meatball. Wetting your hands acts as a greasing, thus helps in preparing meatballs. Thus, meat doesn't stick to your hand.

Cooking Rista Meatballs

  • When all the meatballs are ready. Transfer the bowl with spicy water and meatballs over a low flame and cook it for around 1 hour with closed lid.

Preparing Moval or Saffron Extract

  • In traditional Rista recipe, moval extract is used to get a bright red color of the gravy. Moval is a bright red color flower available only in Kashmir that looks similar to the comb of a cock. Thus it is also known as cockscomb. Since it is not easy to get the flower, you may also use the saffron extract in this recipe.
  • In a half teaspoon of Moval extract or half teaspoon of saffron (as per availability) add half cup boiling water and leave it aside for around half an hour. We will use it later while preparation of gravy.

Preparing Rista Gravy

  • While the meatballs are getting cooked let's start preparing gravy for this Rista Recipe.
  • For this, heat 1 tablespoon of clarified butter in a pan, add 1 tablespoon of garlic paste and 1 tablespoon of ginger paste. Fry till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away.
  • Now add 1 teaspoon of coriander powder and 1 tablespoon of fennel seeds powder fry a little.
  • Then add chopped onions, fry them till brown. Remove the fried onions from the wok, let it cool down a little. Then grind it in a mixer grinder to form a smooth paste of onion.
  • In the same clarified butter in which we have fried the onions, add salt, asafoetida, and a glass of water and red chili powder. Keep on stirring until you get the red color.
  • Add previously prepared saffron extract or moval extract as per your availability or choice to this.
  • Meanwhile, your meatballs would have got cooked well in spicy water (The spicy water in which we are cooking the meatballs will turn into mutton stock with the flavor of meat in it). While cooking meatballs when these meatballs start floating above the water, remove the meatballs and put this mutton stock in the above pan in which we are cooking the gravy for this Rista recipe.
  • Stir well and let this gravy boil for 4-5 minutes.
  • Now add cooked meatballs into this gravy and let it boil for another 5-10 minutes in this gravy with closed lid.
  • Check for salt and add salt according to taste. Remember we have added salt in water. And also added salt while preparing meatballs. Thus, add salt accordingly.
  • Cook it uncovered on medium flame till you get the desired consistency of the gravy as per your choice.
  • Close the flame after getting the desired consistency of the gravy. Your hot delicious Rista recipe is ready to serve.
  • Garnish with coriander and serve hot with steamed rice.