Sip a piping-hot bowl of soothing yakhni soup. Bone-in mutton, beef, or chicken cooks with aromatics and spices to create a wonderfully bone broth soup.
What is Yakhni?
In Hindi and Urdu, ‘yakhni’ means stock or broth. It is a flavorful broth made by simmering bones in a pressure cooker or stockpot for an extended period. It’s a truly delicious soup that was traditionally made to help those with colds, stomachaches, and morning sickness.
I was pregnant when my sweet mother-in-law first suggested the soup. By this point, I had been hospitalized twice due to morning sickness and dehydration. I couldn’t keep anything down, but I finally gave in and let her make it for me. Game-changer!
The soup is a staple in my house. I make it in large batches and freeze it so I can sip on a soothing bowl of yakhni soup whenever I want.
Enjoy the fragrant broth as it is, or use it as a base for popular meals like mutton yakhni pulao and chicken yakhni pulao.
Key Ingredients
- Ghee: Ghee is a staple in Indian and Pakistani cuisine and develops a deep, nutty base for the dish.
- Onion: Use 1-2 white or yellow onions for this recipe.
- Garlic: I suggest using four garlic cloves, but measure with your heart.
- Ginger: Ginger cooks in the broth, but you can also use fresh ginger as a garnish for the soup.
- Green Chili: Add heat by using whole green chilies.
- Cinnamon Stick: Impart aromatics with a cinnamon stick, and I don’t recommend replacing the cinnamon stick with ground cinnamon since that will alter the taste of the broth.
- Mutton: The purpose of yakhni is to consume the nutrients from bone-in meat; this recipe uses goat, but you can also make it with beef, lamb, or chicken.
- Whole Spices: Prepare homemade yakhni masala with fresh, whole spices like black cardamon, green cardamon, black cloves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, star anise, and bay leaves.
- Salt: Taste and season the bone broth with salt.
How to Make Yakhni
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Add the whole spices to a spice ball and set it aside.
Step 2: Warm ghee in an Instant Pot on saute mode. Add the onions and cook until they soften. Stir in the crushed garlic, ginger, green chilies, and cinnamon stick. Cook for another minute.
Step 3: Rinse the goat meat and transfer them to the Instant Pot. Brown on saute mode for 3-5 minutes.
Step 4: Cover the meat with water and add the salt. Nestle the spice ball in the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and cook on manual high pressure for 40 minutes, followed by a 10-minute natural release.
What does natural release mean?
Natural release on the Instant Pot means allowing the pressure inside the pot to gradually decrease on its own after cooking finishes, without manually opening the pressure release valve. This process takes 10–30 minutes, depending on the amount of liquid inside the pot.
As the pressure decreases, the float valve will drop, signaling that it’s safe to open the lid. Natural release is ideal for soups, stews, or liquid-heavy recipes to prevent splattering.
Step 5: Remove the lid and transfer the goat and bones to an airtight container. Pour the broth through a large mesh strainer into a mixing bowl to remove any impurities.
If you enjoy yakhni, try one of these bone broth soup recipes!
Serving Suggestions
You will have tender goat pieces after making the soup. I reserve the meat and broth separately to make a favorite of our family- a dish called yakhni pulao. If you choose to go that route, be sure to set aside 1 ½ cup of the yakhni broth along with the meat.
Ladle the bone broth into a bowl or mug and garnish with fresh ginger, chopped cilantro or chilies, and lemon slices. You can even serve it with chapati, roti, or naan to soak up the broth.
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: If you have a thick layer of solidified fat on top of the cooled soup, refrigerate the bone broth for 1-2 weeks.
- Freeze: Let the soup cool, and transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag. Yakhni freezes for 4-6 months.
- Thaw: Defrost the broth in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat: Warm the leftovers on the stovetop or microwave, prepare your fresh toppings, and enjoy.
- Repurpose: Add a few pieces of mutton to the yakhni and eat it as a soup, or reserve some of the broth and add it to long-grained basmati rice to make mutton yakhni pulao. You can also use it as a base for other soups and stews.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this recipe on the stovetop?
1. Add the whole spices for the masala to a spice ball and set it aside.
2. Warm the ghee in a stockpot or Dutch oven. Add onion and fry until the onions become soft and translucent.
3. Stir in the crushed garlic cloves, ginger, green chilies, and cinnamon stick; cook for another minute.
4. Rinse the goat meat and bones, then add them to the pot; fry for 1-2 minutes. Cover the meat with water, add salt, and stir to combine.
5. Nestle the reserved spice ball into the pot, cover, and cook over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil.
6. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 hours with the lid slightly ajar.
7. Remove the lid and move the goat and leftover bones to an airtight container. Then, pour the broth through a large mesh strainer into a mixing bowl to remove impurities.
More Pakistani Recipes:
Yakhni
- 4 black cardamom, lightly crushed
- 2 green cardamom,
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1½ teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 star anise
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1-2 medium onions, quartered
- 6 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 2 -inch knob of ginger, julienne, plus more for garnish
- 2-3 green chilies
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 pound bone-in goat, washed and cut into pieces
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 lemon, sliced, for garnish
- 1 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped, for garnish
- Add the whole spices to a spice ball and set it aside.
- Warm ghee in an Instant Pot on saute mode. Add the onions and cook until they soften. Stir in the crushed garlic, ginger, green chilies, and cinnamon stick. Cook for another minute.
- Rinse the goat meat and transfer them to the Instant Pot. Brown on saute mode for 3-5 minutes.
- Cover the meat with water and add the salt. Nestle the spice ball in the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and cook on manual high pressure for 40 minutes, followed by a 10-minute natural release.
- Remove the lid and transfer the goat and bones to an airtight container. Pour the broth through a large mesh strainer into a mixing bowl to remove any impurities.
Shariq
Sunday 16th of October 2022
This yakhni tastes just like our family recipe which my mom used in Pakistan. It's so refreshing on cooler days and not to mention healthy if you are following a keto or paleo diet. Bone broth provides so many quality minerals, collagen, and protein.