Saleem Rashid with his site Zainab and mother-in-law Yasmin Ismail, whose mutton dhall gosh has more than 12 million view online.
Image: SUPPLIED
Cooking for 52‑year‑old Saleem Rashid of Clare Estate in Durban began as a necessity for survival, then became a passion, and is now a business and career move.
Orphaned as a young boy when his mother passed away, Rashid was placed in an orphanage. The teenager took to cooking when he moved in with Zainab Botha, an elder sister. Together they would make samosas to sell to the community in Pietermaritzburg.
“I grew up as an orphan and living with my sister inspired me to cook as she was and still is an excellent cook. She was a true master in samosa making and taught me her unique skills. Everything stemmed from there,” said Rashid.
Twenty‑six years ago, while working as a driver at a pizza establishment, Rashid met his wife, who was a cashier at the pizza place. Building a family with his wife and mother‑in‑law, Yasmin Ismail, Rashid furthered his understanding of spices and cooking.
“After marriage, I learnt that my mother‑in‑law was an exceptional cook as well, and she has taught me many different recipes passed down from her grandmother. I learned to cook the best biryani and dhall gosht from her. I am proud to share one of her recipes on how to make mutton dhall gosht. They are the two ladies that inspire me to cook and share my recipes to the world via my social media.”
Reflecting on his journey, Rashid recalls his early days of marriage, when he would call his mother‑in‑law and ask her for recipes. “Learning to cook is a process, and I am still learning. Over the years I have overboiled, burned and added too much salt to many recipes she gave me. But my wife is the quality controller. She helps me refine the recipes and always tells me when I get something wrong, until I get it right.”
Another skill Rashid is perfecting is mixing the family masala recipe. “I learned to make the best masala for all curries and biryani from my mother‑in‑law, which was passed down to her by her granny. I use this masala for all my recipes, which I have turned into a small business.”
Since posting his step‑by‑step instructions online, Rashid has garnered more than 12 million views for his samoosa making video. His biryani and dhall gosht recipes have also gone viral worldwide.
Delicious dhall gosth curried by Saleem Rashid who has "perfected" a four generational old recipe.
Image: SUPPLIED
Mutton Dhall Gosht Recipe
Ingredients required
250 grams pea dhall
250 grams pink dhall
250 grams oil dhall
250 millilitres vegetable oil
one tablespoon jeera/cumin seeds
20 cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
6 medium onions
3 medium tomatoes
10 chilies
One stem Curry leaves
6 tablespoons Saleem's Kitchen all-purpose Kashmiri masala
One Cup water
Two kg lamb Curry pieces
2 tablespoons ginger and garlic paste
4 teaspoons salt
One litre water
One bunch dhania
One bunch mint
Quarter teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 flat teaspoons garam masala
2 flat teaspoons jeera powder
one tablespoon roasted jeera seeds
200 grams butter.
Method
Boil dhall with marked ingredients. Fry onions to golden brown with whole spices. Add in tomatoes, chillies, Curry leaves and 1 cup of water.
Cook for 5 minutes. Add Saleem’s kitchen all-purpose Kashmiri masala. Add in the lamb pieces, salt, ginger and garlic paste, one litre water, cook for 45 minutes.
Add in coriander, mint leaves, cinnamon powder, garam masala, cumin powder, roasted jeera seeds and 200 grams butter.
Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.
Serve with rice, poppadom, Pickles, salad or bread.