Yakhni — Yoghurt-Braised Meat and Curd Stabilisation (यखनी)

Yakhni is a Kashmiri and Central Asian preparation; the yoghurt-braised meat technique entered Indian cooking through Persian culinary influence on the Mughal court and the specific Kashmiri adaptation of Central Asian boiled-meat traditions

Yakhni (यखनी, from Persian — 'boiled meat') is the Kashmiri technique of braising meat in yoghurt-based sauce that requires specific curd stabilisation to prevent the yoghurt from breaking (splitting into grainy curds and whey) when heated. The two stabilisation methods: constant stirring direction (always in one direction, never reversing) and tempering the yoghurt with a small amount of hot cooking liquid before adding to the pot. Well-executed yakhni has a smooth, white sauce with subtle fragrance from Kashmiri spices; broken yakhni has a grainy, watery texture and an unpleasant curdled appearance.

Yakhni's pale, subtly fragrant yoghurt sauce against fragrant Kashmiri spices (fennel, cardamom, dried ginger) creates a dish of understated elegance — its mildness reveals the quality of the meat and the subtlety of the spice composition in a way that tomato-based curries cannot.