The time of the year when Muslims make sacrifices to commemorate the memory of Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S.) and Hazrat Ismael (A.S.) is here. Eid-ul-azha, also known as Bakra Eid marks the second Eid of the Muslim calendar year.
Every year, Muslims invest in buying sacrificial animals, take care of them, and then, on the tenth of Zilhajj (the last month of the Muslim calendar year), make the sacrifice, aka the Qurbani.
When all sacrifices are done, packed, and put away in the refrigerator, the women of the house start making several festive dishes one after another.
Tandoori Raan Roast was my mother’s special to make for big dawat post bakra Eid, and the whole family was invited. I remember she would rub the masala from the bowl on several mutton legs scheduled to cook the next day.
Children were given to chop and grind many condiments to make several big bowls of raita and chutney that go with the feast.
Here is the recipe from the archives of my mother’s recipe book.
How to Make Tandoori Raan Roast
Ingredients:
- 1 whole mutton leg
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 3 tbsp oil
- 150 g yoghurt
- Vegetables (as you see fit)
- 1 tbsp red chili
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri lal mirch
- 1 tbsp salt
- ½ tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp coriander
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp meat tenderizer
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp orange food colour
- Butter or oil
How to Cook Tandoori Raan Roast
- Wash and dry the mutton leg completely. If needed, remove the fat; otherwise, the fat is also great for building the overall taste.
- You will need a sharp knife to make a deep cut at the joint for ease in storing and cooking.
- Next, make some more cuts, not as deep across the leg, flip and repeat.
- In a bowl, mix all marinade ingredients.
- Now place the leg on the baking tray and pour all the marinade. Use gloves and massage all the marinade into the cervices and cuts.
- Cover the leg with a foil and keep it in the refrigerator to marinade. I recommend marinade overnight; if not possible, six hours should do too.
- Next day, take it out of the refrigerator an hour before baking. The idea is to bring it to room temperature; meanwhile, preheat the oven at 185oC.
- Place the tray in the oven. You will be baking it for roughly three hours. Once halfway into one and a half hours, flip it to bake it evenly.
- When you think mutton is well baked and would require another thirty minutes to be perfectly done, take the baking tray out and put all the vegetables.
- I prep all the vegetables with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Other times, I just use the excess marinade mix on the tray and coat the vegetables. I usually use green peppers, carrots, potatoes, broccoli, and peas on the side (If you are using peas, add them to the baking tray in the last ten minutes).
- Put the tray back in the oven to bake for another half hour.
- Once the time is up, brush that mutton raan with some butter or oil.
- Serve with naan, rice, raita, and chutney.
For Raita
- One cup Yoghurt
- Zeera 1 tsp
- Crush black pepper ¼ tsp
- Salt (to taste)
Whisk yoghurt to form a fine paste-like texture. Add some zeera and black pepper. If you like your raita’s consistency thick, don’t add salt until you serve it.
For Chutney
- Imli Pulp – half cup
- Handful of coriander (hara dhaniya) and mint leaves (pudina)
- Himalayan Black pepper ¼ tsp
- Crush red chilli ¼ tsp
- Salt (to taste)
Take some cleaned Imli pulp. Blend it with mint leaves and coriander. Add a pinch of Himalayan black salt, pepper, crush red chilli, and salt.
Green Chutney
- Handful of coriander and mint leaves
- Green Chilli
- Salt (a pinch)
- 1 Lemon Juice
- Water
Blend a handful of coriander, mint leaves, green chilli, and salt with lemon juice. Add water for the desired consistency. I like it thick and I use more mint leaves to get that distinct pudina taste.
Tips and Tricks
My mother was pretty strict about using fewer box masalas, and chemicals. She always used raw papaya instead of meat tenderizer. She would sometimes marinate the mutton leg two days in advance. I remember the meat would cook in less time, and it would come off the bones like malai. If I have raw papaya ready, I use it for all my red meat marinade recipes.
I remember Mum stopped leaving the fat on the mutton leg after Dad reached not-cool levels of cholesterol. If you have people with cardiac issues, it is best to clean all the fats before marinating. My family is in good shape, so I leave some of it for extra flavour, but in exchange, I reduce the butter and oil I use to brush on the mutton leg. End the meal with a nice cup of green tea to wash off any guilt.
If I am making it for dawat, I bake the mutton leg until it’s 70% done. Rest I can do the next day, so it doesn’t take up most of my time. Also, if I am making other things that need an oven, the oven is hogged for a very long time.
Parting Thoughts
I hope you have the time, health, and blessings this month. And you get to host people in your home. Usually, when in Pakistan, you don’t have to make an effort to make such days festive.
But here, I found it very hard to find people and have those festive days, and weeks booked for dawat after another.
What I dreaded as a child, now I miss it the most in this desi, cold, and distant land. Cherish these little things; I pray you can make a little home for yourself away from home.