Pakistan – Kunna

by Adan Umar

KUNNA

Kunna is an aromatic, flavorful dish made up of lamb usually.

It is a gravy/ curry made up of lamb when cooked on low heat in a clay pot. Traditional spices are put with lamb and buried inside the sand for 12 hours or more.

This dish is very tender and flavorful.

This recipe is also referred as MATKA GOSHT because it gives the earthy scent and texture to the curry. Matka is known as sand or clay pot in Pakistan.

Bone marrow come out of bone and mixed in the stew that enhance the richness of the dish. It is cooked and served in a clay pot.

It is although a time consuming recipe but its flavors are just mouth watering

ORIGIN OF KUNNA

Its origin is from very old ages when people used to cook from natural resources and preserve them. But now its traditional is continued.
It is Indian subcontinent dish that is famous today as the traditional dish of old ages.

KUNNA IN PAKISTAN

This is famous in chiniot, city of Pakistan, Punjab. Kunna is famous here as CHINIOTI KUNNA, because near chiniot a small desert is located so they cooked there and serve the delicious flavors to people.

The slow cooking technique give mouth melting texture to the meat

TECHNIQUE USED TO MAKE KUNNA

Method of making this dish is similar to early ages. It is right to say that we just keep the tradition as it was.

Clay pot is used to make this dish, the opening of clay is sealed tightly to make maximum steam that allow the meat to shimmer for few hours.

INGREDIENTS

• Lamb leg : 1 kilogram
• Onion : 2 large
• Tomatoes : 2 large
• Garlic paste : 2 tbsp
• Ginger paste : 2 tbsp
• Salt : 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder : 1 tsp
• Red chili powder : 1 tbsp
• Whole black peppers : 4
• Green cardamom : 2
• Black cardamom : 1
• Cloves : 3
• Bay leaves : 1
• Cinnamon stick : 1 inch
• Nutmeg : 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds : 1 tsp
• Milk : 1 glass
• Wheat flour : 4 tbsp
• Green chilies : 4
• Fresh coriander : a bunch
• Oil : 1 cup

METHOD

• Heat oil in a pan and add onion, garlic, ginger and tomatoes into it, saute little.
• Than add meat with salt, red pepper, turmeric into it and cook it for 20 minutes on high flame
• Now add 4 to 5 glasses of water into meat and simmer it for 4 to 5 hours, traditionally underground but can be on stove with sealed lid.
• On the other hand take all the whole spices and grind it into powder.
• Check the meat, when it is tendered enough add the spice mix into the curry.
• Saute the curry by adding half cup of water if required so it may not burn the spices.
• Now let it cook for 2 hours more so the bone marrows comes out and meat fall off the bones.
• Serve it on a traditional clay pot and garnished it with fresh coriander and green chilies.

Servings : 6 persons
Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 6 hours