Kashmiri meatballs

Method

1. Combine the lamb, ginger, cumin, coriander, ground cloves, ground cinnamon grated nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne, salt and 3 tablespoons of the yogurt in a bowl. Mix well.

2. Wet your hands with cold water and form 24 long koftas - sausage shapes about 6-7.5cm long and about 2.5cm thick.

3. Heat the oil in a large, preferably non-stick frying pan (or use 2 frying pans). When hot, put in the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, bay leaves and cloves. Stir for a second. Now put in the koftas in a single layer and fry them on medium-high heat until they are lightly browned on all sides. Beat the remaining yogurt into the 250ml warm water. Pour this over the koftas and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, turning the koftas around gently every 7-8 minutes. By the end of the 30 minutes, no liquid other than the fat should be left in the frying pan. If necessary, turn up the heat the achieve this.

4. When you get ready to serve, lift the koftas out of the fat with a slotted spoon. Leave the whole spices behind as well - they are not meant to be eaten.