
Khusk Pasande
Slow-roasted marinated meat steaks coated in a thick, nutty paste of poppy seeds, yogurt, and aromatic spices. The meat turns meltingly tender with a concentrated, savoury crust.
First marinade spice
0.3 gWhisked into the ginger-garlic mixture (step 1)Poppy seed spice
25 gToasted with chironji seeds in a dry pan (step 3)Everything else
Method
- Crush 200 g garlic and 24 g ginger into a fine paste. Scrape into a large bowl, whisk in 61.2 g lime juice, 8.7 g salt, and the first marinade spice, then thoroughly rub this paste across 2000 g meat. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours.
- Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
- Gently toast 150 g chironji seeds and the poppy seed spice in a dry skillet until fragrant. Grind to a fine meal in a spice mill, then stir into the marinated meat along with 517 g yogurt and 26.4 g ghee.
- Arrange the meat in a shallow baking tray and bake for 1½ hours. Lower the heat to 180°C (350°F) and continue roasting for another 1 hour, flipping the pieces once or twice, until the meat is thoroughly tender. Finish with garnish to taste before serving.
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Garlic

Garlic pasteUse equal weight. Fry gently in oil or ghee with the ginger; incorporates smoothly into curries without visible minced bits.
Garlic powderUse 15% to 20% of the weight (about 1 g for every 5 to 6 g fresh cloves). Whisk into sauces; gives a savoury, toasted garlic flavour without raw pungency.
ShallotUse 1.5 times the weight, very finely minced. Sauté until golden; provides savoury allium sweetness, though it lacks garlic's pungent sulphur bite.

Ginger

Fresh gingerUse equal weight; scrape off the skin and grate or finely julienne according to the recipe.
Ginger pasteUse equal weight; stir straight into the sizzling aromatics, taking care as the extra moisture may spit.
Ground gingerUse 15 to 20% of the weight; add alongside ground spices, noting it imparts warm, dry heat rather than zesty freshness.

Lime juice

Lemon juiceUse equal volume or weight; slightly sweeter and less pungent, but otherwise an imperceptible swap.
Dried mango powderUse 25% of the weight; imparts dry, fruity sourness, best stirred in right at the end of cooking.
Tamarind extractUse 50% of the weight; delivers pleasant fruity tang but turns pale sauces considerably darker.

Chilli powder

Red chilli powderUse 100% of the weight. Provides direct, sharp heat and red colour in equal measure.
Kashmiri chilli powderUse 150% to 200% of the weight if matching colour, but add a pinch of black pepper or hot chilli if you need equivalent fiery heat.
Cayenne pepperUse 75% to 100% of the weight. Offers a sharp, clean heat with slightly less earthy depth and less crimson colour.

Pasanda

Lamb filletUse the same weight, sliced and beaten thin; it is tender and cooks in the same time.
Boneless lambUse the same weight, cut across the grain and beat thin; simmer a little longer if it is from the shoulder.
Chicken breastUse the same weight, sliced and beaten thin; it cooks faster, so add it later and simmer for 8–10 minutes only.

Chironji seed

AlmondUse the same weight, soak and peel for a closer texture; slightly sweeter.
Cashew nutUse the same weight, soak 20 minutes; softer and creamier when ground.
PistachioUse the same weight, blanch and peel; stronger and greener in flavour.

Poppy seed

Cashew nutUse equal weight. Soak in warm water for 20 minutes and grind to a smooth paste; produces an even creamier, slightly richer gravy than poppy seeds.
White sesame seedUse equal weight. Soak and grind finely; provides similar thickening and body with a slightly nuttier, faintly bitter edge.
AlmondUse equal weight. Blanch, peel, and grind finely with a splash of water; lends a velvety body and gentle sweetness to gravies.

Yogurt

Plain yogurtUse 100% of the weight. Whisk thoroughly until smooth before stirring into warm gravies to prevent curdling.
Single creamUse 90% of the weight combined with 10% lemon juice to replicate the lactic tang and rich body in marinades and curries.

Ghee

Unsalted butterUse 120% of the weight; melt gently over low heat to avoid burning the milk solids, which will yield a softer, creamier richness rather than a nutty aroma.
Vegetable oilUse 85% of the weight; holds high cooking temperatures without smoking, but the final dish will lack traditional dairy depth.
Mustard oilUse equal weight; heat to smoking point and cool slightly before cooking, bearing in mind it introduces an assertive, pungent edge.

Lime wedge and onion ring

- Lemon wedge and onion ring
Use the same weight; lemon is sharper, so use a slightly smaller wedge if the dish is already sour.
Lime wedgeUse the same weight of lime wedge and add a separate onion ring if you have it; keeps the citrus note.
Onion ringUse the same weight; only if lime is already covered; the garnish loses its sour lift.
Similar dishes

- Same: Pasande ki Seekh shares with this dish the use of pasanda, yogurt, poppy seeds, garlic, chilli powder, ghee, and lime-onion garnish, and both are dry, tender meat kebabs.
- Different: Unlike this dish, Pasande ki Seekh adds dried kachri, dried fig, onion, and garam masala, uses much less garlic and yogurt, skips ginger, lime juice, and chironji, and is charcoal-smoked on skewers instead of slow-roasted as steaks.

- Same: Both dishes feature red meat cooked with yogurt, ghee, garlic, ginger, and chilli powder.
- Different: Dahi ka Dungara Gosht is braised and charcoal-smoked using onions, coriander, mint, and green chillies with far more ghee, omitting this dish's poppy seeds and lime juice marinade.

- Same: Kachhe Keeme ki Tikya shares poppy seeds, chironji, ghee, yogurt, and ginger with this dish, and both are meat dishes cooked with a thick spiced coating or filling.
- Different: Kachhe Keeme ki Tikya uses minced lamb, raw papaya, chana dal, onion, garam masala, cinnamon, green chilli, and coriander leaf, while this dish uses whole pasanda steaks, a large amount of garlic and lime juice, and a poppy-seed-yogurt-chironji paste for slow roasting.

- Same: Kaleji ka Salan shares a rich base of yogurt seasoned with garlic, ginger, and chilli powder with this dish.
- Different: Kaleji ka Salan uses liver simmered into a gravy with onions and vegetable oil, whereas this dish slow-roasts meat steaks dry with poppy seeds, lime juice, and ghee.


























