Pound saffron in mortar and pestle, then dissolve in the boiling water. Put pistachios and almonds into electric blender and grind finely, or pound with mortar and pestle. Heat the ghee or butter in a small pan and fry the ground nuts, stirring constantly. Add the saffron, cream, milk, cardamom, salt and pepper and simmer, stirring constantly, until sauce is thick. Serve with kebabs.

Trim lamb, discarding excess fat. Any sinewy bits may be saved for stock or for adding to a curry. Cut the lean meat into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes and put into a large howl. Combine all the remaining ingredients, mixing well. Marinate lamb in the mixture, kneading the spices well into the meat. Cover and leave for 2 or 3 hours, or refrigerate and leave for as long as 4 days. Thread 4 or 5 pieces of meat on each skewer and barbecue over glowing coals or under a preheated griller until crisp and brown all over, turning to ensure lamb is well cooked. Serve with parathas and Indian sas(sauce) which is given above.

Put lamb, onion, dhal, ginger, garlic, salt and water into a heavy saucepan and bring io the boll. stirring. Cover and mok over low heat until meat. lentils and onions are soft, about 45 minutes. Then uncover and cook, stirring now and then, until all the liquid has been absorbed. This may take at least I hour. Leave to cool, then mix in the garam masala and yoghurt or cream. Add I tablespoon of beaten egg and mix well. If mixture is not too moist add more of the beaten egg. Knead very well for I 0 minutes or until mixture is completely smooth. Divide into 8 portions and form each into a flat circle. Put 14 teaspoonful of filling in the middle. close the meat mixture around it, pinching edges together. Flatten gently to form a small round patty. Shallow fry on a heavy griddle or frying pan lighth greased with ghee or oil. Serve hot. If serving these as cocktail snacks and making them bite-size, it is easier not to use a filling but to serve with mint chutney from our Chutney section for dipping. Filling: Chop spring onion very finely. Mix all the ingredients together. Combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly, kneading well until mixture becomes very smooth. Divide between 6 skewers and shape into long sausages. (Use skewers that are rectangular in crosssection, because the -mixture will slip on round skewers.) Cook over glowing coals on a barbecue or under a preheated griller until browned on all sides and cooked through. Serve with rice or Indian bread, or as part of a waswan feast