Khyber's Maas Rista or spiced saffron meatballs

1. Pound the boneless mutton and mutton fat together, using a wooden mallet. Mix until a paste is formed.

2. Next, add black cardamom and green cardamom powder, a little salt and one teaspoon ginger powder.

3. Mix the minced meat and spices together and bind them into small balls. Note: Wet your hands and roll the balls very lightly to make small golf ball-sized meatballs.

4. Heat oil in a large vessel, a glass of water, salt, asafoetida and red chilli paste. Keep stirring until red colour develops. 

5. Add one - litre of water to this mix and keep on full flame. 

6. Now, place the spices - cardamom, cinnamon, fennel, dry ginger powder, cloves, (about 1 tablespoon), caraway seeds in a muslin cloth and tie it, making a knot, so that all the ingredients remain inside the cloth - akin to  a bouquet garni. Drop the spice sack and tej patta or bay leaves into the vessel, cover it with a lid and let it boil until only a little water is left.

6. Remove the spice sack and squeeze into the vessel and turn off the flame.

7. Heat one ladle of mustard oil or ghee (clarified butter) in a pan, add chopped onions, fry till they turn golden brown and then blend into a paste.

8. In another pan, add oil and heat it. Then, add ginger-garlic paste and put the onion paste back in the pan, along with the red chilli powder. Turn the heat to a low flame till a deep red colour is achieved. Into this paste add one glass of water and boil it.

9. Add saffron, black cardamom and clarified butter, and continue cooking for another three minutes on a low flame. Mix both the pastes - spice blend and onion, ginger and garlic, add the meat balls and simmer for one hour.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with boiled rice.