[Sca-cooks] Another not-Mughal Indian recipe

[jimandandi at cox.net]

Sakhran- Nimatnama, p.93

Now the method for making sakhran has been written: take good mast, put ground potherbs into it, and strain it through a cloth. Add camphor, musk, cardamom, cloves and rosewater and prepare it with the perfume of flowers. When the flower perfume has been absorbed, throw away the flowers. Then cut up sections of the fruit of bananas very small and put them into it. Put the pulp of twelve bananas into the mast.

My redaction:
4 cups plain, full-fat yogurt (do not use low fat yogurt of any variety, only "cream top")
2 cups fresh spinach
8-10 fresh mint leaves
1/4 c fresh dill
8 fresh curry leaves
a few leaves of fresh sorrel
6 bruised cardamom pods
4 whole cloves, bruised
1/4 tsp edible musk
 1/4 tsp ground edible camphor
1/4 tsp. rosewater
2 firm yellow bananas

Beat yogurt well. Take all fresh herbs and mince finely. Place potherbs in mortar and pound until it becomes a thick homogeneous paste. Add herb paste to yogurt and mix thoroughly. Line a large bowl with a piece of cheesecloth folded over several times or any kind of fine cloth. Dump yogurt and potherb mixture into cloth. Quickly gather the corners and edges and tie with a string. Hang the cloth over the sink for 3-4 hours.

Take the yogurt down and dump into a bowl Add all spices and beat thoroughly. Chill mixture. Just before serving, add chopped banana and stir in, and add salt to taste.

This is a surprisingly delicious relish, similar to a modern raita. I have never tried soaking flowers in the mixture to imbue it with their essence, as the flowers I know they would have used for this purpose I have not been able to find here. 

*winking at Cariadoc*

Madhavi