Sheer Khurma : Eid Special

Ingredients -

Milk - 1 ltr full cream
Sewai laccha (fine seawai) - 60 gm, around 1 cup broken
Sugar - 3 -4 Tbsp
Cardamom - 3-4 crushed
Saffron strands - 4-5 soaked in 4 tbsp warm milk
Condensed milk - 2-3 Tbsp
Almonds - 10- 12
Cashews - 8-10
Raisin - 3- 4 Tbsp 
Dry dates - 5-6
Pistachio - 4-5
Charoli nuts - 1 Tbsp
Dry coconut - 3-4 Tbsp
Ghee - 2 Tbsp

Method - 

1. Take a heavy bottomed Karahi and heat 1 tbsp ghee in it.
2. Break sewai into small pieces and fry in karahi 
    in a low heat for 5 minutes until it turns golden brown 
    colour, keep it aside, 
3. Chop all almonds, raisins, pistachios and cashews into 
    small pieces and dates and coconut into long thin strips.
4. Put remaining ghee and lightly fry the almond, cashews 
    and coconut, taking great care not to burn it.
5. Take a heavy bottomed pan and boil the milk in it.
6. Let it boil for 3-4 minutes, put sugar and dry fruits after 
    saving some dry fruits for garnishing.
7. Let it boil for 5-7 minutes on a low heat until the dates are 
    tender and the milk is slightly reduced.
8. Add fried sewai, crushed cardamom, saffron strands,
    condensed milk and let it cook on a very low heat for 
    7-8 minutes without covering the pan.
9. Transfer it into serving bowls and garnish it with the 
    remaining dry fruits.
10. Serve it warm, it can be chilled also if you like to eat 
     it that way.
11. It tends to get thicker when it comes to room temperature, 
      add some milk if the sheer khurma gets too thick.
12. If you want to turn this dessert into creamy and heavenly 
      delight, use of full fat milk is a must. 
13. As the dates and raisins increase the sweetness of sheer 
      khurma be careful with sugar, first put 2-3 tbsp only
      then increase according to your taste.

Chicken Creamy Tikka : Ramadan Special

Ingredients -

Chicken boneless - 250 g cut into bite size cubes 
Curd thick - 2 tbsp
Cream - 3 tbsp
Garlic paste - 2 tsp
Ginger Paste - 1 tsp
Lemon juice  - 2-3 tbsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup + Green chilies - 2 (make a paste)
Chili flakes - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Egg - 1 beaten
Bread crumbs - 1 cup
Oil - for frying
Skewers - few dipped in water to prevent burning

Method - 

1. Wash and clean chicken, dry it in a kitchen towel.
2. Replace it in a big dry bowl.
3. Marinate the chicken by first putting
    lemon juice in it then followed by all the listed 
    ingredients, except cream .
4. Mix it nicely and keep it for 4-5 hours or overnight
    in fridge. If using chicken breasts, it needs a longer 
    marination time, preferably overnight.
5. Take it out and mix it again, adjust the salt, Mix the 
    cream in it nicely until incorporated well.
6. Thread the chicken pieces into wooden skewers, 3 to 4 pieces.
7. Take a non stick frying pan and heat oil in it.
8. Cover the chicken into bread crumbs and with the help 
    of a knife pat it to bring it in shape.
9. Dip it in beaten egg and put it in the frying pan, cover for
    a while and shallow fry it in a medium low heat, tossing 
    and turning in between until cooked well from both the 
    sides and turns a golden brown colour. 

Dahi Fulki:

Ingrdients - 

Gram Flour ( besan ) - 1 cup
Curd - 2 cups
Fresh ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Baking Soda - a pinch 
Oil - for frying
Sugar granulated - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Black Salt - 1/4 tsp


for tempering
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Whole red chilies - 2
Clarified butter ( ghee)  - 2 tsp

 Method -

1. Sieve the gram flour in a bowl, add ginger garlic paste, 
    turmeric, little cumin powder and chili powder and salt
    to taste. Beat it with your hands for five minutes, so that 
    it's light and fluffy, check by putting 1/2 tsp batter into 
    water, if it floats, its good to go, add a pinch of baking
    soda and give it a good mix.
2. Heat oil in a karahi.  Deep fry all the pakoras, till light
    golden brown, little at a time in two - three batches.
3. Take a bowl half filled with normal water, dip the pakoras 
    in it just for a minute as soon as they are fried, squeeze 
    the water out of it, and keep it aside.
4. Mix the curd nicely to avoid any lumps, mix little water
    if it's too thick. Add sugar, salt, black salt, 1/4 tsp of 
    cumin powder and red chilli powder in it, saving some
    for the garnish.
5. Take a serving bowl, arrange all the pakoras in it, pour all
    curd over it, sprinkle cumin and red chili powder, garnish 
    with coriander leaves.
6. Take a small frying pan, heat ghee in it, add cumin seeds,
    whole chilies and asafoetida, temper it, spreading it all 
    over the dahi fulk. Chill it before serving.

Shahi Tukda/ Double ka Meetha :

Shahi Tukda as the name suggests, this sweet creamy delight 
has its connection with the royals. Having it's root in the Mughlai cuisine, Shahi tukda is a rich creamy royal dessert. It is made up 
of fried bread which is  coated in sugar syrup and is topped and soaked with fragrant creamy sweet thickened milk or rabri and garnished with dry fruits. 
The dessert is rich in taste, aroma and flavour and is particularly prepared during the festive months of Ramadan, making it very desirable dish at iftar, and a meetha famously served at Eid and a must in marriage functions. 
Shahi Tukda also has a hyderabadi cousin, resembling each other 
in taste and presentation, there is not much difference between the two except in terms of thickness of the bread. In Hyderabad, the dish is baked after the bread and rabri are combined, and it's referred to as "Hyederabadi Double ka Meetha" after the local 
word for bread which is double roti.
I want to share with you a truly luscious recipe of shahi tukde, though i have changed the dish a bit,  in keeping in mind, the 
health conscious friends of mine, so instead of deep fry, the 
breads are shallow fried to avoid the extra calories and i used 
a whole wheat bread instead of white bread....so happy 
cooking and a happy Ramadan in advance to you all.......!!

Ingredients -
whole wheat bread - 8
Milk - 1/2 ltr
sugar - 4 tbsp + 2 tsp
Almond chopped- 5-6
Pistachio chopped - 3-4
Cashews chopped - 4-5
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Condensed milk - 2 tbsp
Rose essence - 2 drops
Saffron strands - 2-3
Clarified butter ( Ghee) - for frying 3-4 tbsp
Silver foil /Chandi vark - 1 (optional)


Method - 
1. Take the bread and remove all it's edges, cut it diagonally.
2. Take a shallow non stick frying pan and heat little ghee in it.
3. Shallow fry the bread slices in batches, in a low heat until 
    crisp golden brown on both the sides, turning it in between
    and sprinkling with some ghee when it's turned.
4. Fry the chopped dry fruits lightly in ghee too.
5. Make sugar syrup heating one cup of water and 4 tbsp
    of sugar until its half in quantity, add the saffron strand and 
    keep it aside.
6. Heat a heavy bottomed pan with milk in it. Keep boiling it
    on a low medium heat stirring it continuously till the milk 
    is reduced and resembles a thick rabri. Add 2 tbsp sugar,
    2 tbsp condensed milk, cardamom powder and rose essence 
    into it.
7. To  assemble the shahi tukda, take a rectangular tray, 
    dip the fried bread slices into the sugar syrup and arrange
    it on the tray.
8. Pour the thickened milk ( rabri) over the soaked bread 
     slices, decorate it with chandi ka vark and dry fruits. 
     Dribble a little bit of sugar syrup also on the breads.
 9. The recipe can be doubled according to your need, the
     present recipe serves 3-4.
   

Mutton Yakhni Pulao :

Ingredients :

Mutton - 1/2 kg
Rice - 1 1/2 cup 
Onions - 4-5
Garlic - peeled whole medium size
Ginger - chopped1 inch
Curd - 4 tbsp
Saffron - 2-3 strands soaked in warm milk
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 5 tbsp + 2 tbsp
Ghee ( clarified butter) - 2 tbsp

Whole garam masala -  to be tied in muslin cloth
Cloves - 5-6
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
green cardamom - 2-3
Black cardamom - 1 big
Cinnamon - 2 inch
Black pepper - 5-6
Bay leaf - 2

Method - 

1. Make a bouquet garni with the whole garam masala,
    i.e. tie the cloves, fennel seed, green and black 
    cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper and bay leaf in a 
    muslin cloth.
2. Wash and clean meat, wash and soak rice too in water.
3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in pressure cooker, add cumin seeds, 
    let it splutter, add the meat, ginger, garlic cloves, 3 
    cups of water, salt, and the tied muslin cloth in it.
4. Pressure cook it for 2-3 whistles and put the flame 
    on medium low and let it cook for 15 minutes or 
    until done.
5. Squeeze the muslin cloth to release maximum                
    flavours.
6. Take out the meat in a plate and keep it aside, store the
     meat stock that is Yakhni and keep aside as well.
7. In the same cooker take 5 tbsp Oil and fry the thinly 
    sliced onions in it until golden brown.
8. Take out some of the fried onions for garnishing, 
     leaving more than half in it.
9.  Add meat pieces, ghee, curd, garam masala, in the 
     cooker, fry it for five minutes. Adjust salt.
10. Strain the rice and add it to the cooker, fry for 2 
       minutes.
11. Add the yakhni to the cooker, measuring according
      to the quantity of the rice. if it's less, then plain warm 
      water can be added to it.
12. Pressure cook the rice on medium heat until a whistle.
13. Open the lid when the pressure is gone and add saffron
      soaked in milk over it, garnish it with the fried onions 
      and close the lid.
14. Serve it hot with walnut chutney and Raita.


Ps - if you dont want to cook the rice in cooker then follow
       the steps until no 6, after that put the oil in some heavy                     bottomed pan and fry the onions and follow rest of the                     procedure.

Chicken Kabab :

Ingredients to pressure cook -

Chicken boneless small pieces  - 300 g
Onion - 2 medium
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garlic cloves chopped - 2-3

Ingredients to mix -

Potato boiled and grated - 2 medium
Onion - 2 chopped finally n shallow fried brown
Garam masal - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves chopped - a small bundle
Ginger grated - 1 tsp
Green chilli chopped finally - 2
Salt - to taste

Method -

1. Heat a cooker and put the chicken boneless pieces 
    along with chopped onion, ginger-garlic paste, 
    garam masala powder, red chilli powder and garlic 
    cloves, sprinkle 3- 4 tbsp water and put it to pressure 
    in a high medium heat. Take it off the heat after a whistle.
2. Open the cooker and check, it should be cooked properly,
    if there is any water left, keep it on the heat, stir and reduce
    it until dried completely. Take it off the heat and let it cool.
3. Mince it all in a grinder.
4. Take it out in a big bowl, put the boil and grated potatoes
    and ginger, chopped coriander leaves and chillies, fried 
    onions, garam masala and salt, mix it all until incorporated 
    well.
5.  Take a small ball size mixture on your palm, flatten it and 
     make medium size tikkis.
 6. Heat oil in a flat frying pan or tawa and shallow fry the 
     tikkis on both the sides until golden brown.
7. Serve it hot with mint or Coriander chutney.

Murg Mussallam : Eid Special

Ingredients -

Chicken - 1 whole cleaned and washed
Onions - 2 med size ( ground coarsely)
Garlic peeled - 1 whole
Ginger - 1 inch
Tomato chopped - 1 big size
Cashew paste - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - a pinch 
Oil - 6-7 tbsp + for frying
Ghee - 2-3 tbsp

For marinate -

Garlic minced - 5-6
Ginger minced- 1 inch
Curd - 4 tbsp
red chilli powder  - 1 tsp
garam masala powder - 1 tsp
salt - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp

Masala to roast and grind -
 (ground masala paste)

Cumin - 1 tbsp
Cloves - 6-7
Peppercorns - 1 tsp
Black cardamom - 2
Green cardamom - 2
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Nutmeg - a small piece

 roast it lightly and grind it to a fine masala paste 
 with one whole garlic and 1 inch ginger listed above.

For the filling - 

Rice parboiled - long grain 1 cup
Peas - 1/2 cup boiled
Potato boiled and cut in cubes - 1 med size
Egg boiled, fried and cut in cubes - 1
Cashews - 8-10
Raisins - 2 tbsp (soaked in little water)
Onion - 1 small chopped
Green chilli minced - 2
coriander powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Chicken liver  chopped - available in the chicken


Method - 

1. Take the chicken and prick it with a fork, marinate 
     it nicely with the masala listed for marination all 
     over and inside the cavity. keep it for 3-4 hours.
2. Take a karahi and put ghee in it, fry onions until 
     brown.
3. Add 1 tsp of the ground masala paste, all the dry
     masala powder listed for filling, green chilli, salt
     and fry for 2 minutes.
4. Add the liver, peas and potato and fry it for few 
    minutes on a low flame,  add rice, cashews, raisins,
     boiled egg and mix all. Keep the filling for later use.
5. Take a big karahi and heat oil in it, put chicken and 
    fry nicely on both the sides until golden brown.
6. Take it out and keep it on a plate, let it cool and fill
     it up nicely with the stuffing, Stitch it with the help 
     of a big needle so the stuffing does not come out.
7. Take out extra oil from the karahi, put ground onion
      in it and fry it until it is brown, add the Cashew paste 
      and fry for a while.
8. Add all the ground masala paste, dry masala, salt
    and tomato and keep frying it sprinkling some water.
   The leftover marinate masala  could also be used 
    instead of water.  
9. Add 1 cup warm water and let it boil, add the chicken
    carefully in the karahi, baste it with the masala, cover
    and let it cook on a low flame until its done. If the 
    water is all dry, 1/2 cup of warm water could be
     added for gravy.
10. Take a ovenproof serving dish and grease it lightly, 
      put the chicken in it with all the gravy.
11. Put it inside a pre heated oven and let it there
       for few minutes until the upper layer turns 
       beautiful golden brown.
12. Garnish it with coriander leaves, boiled and 
       baked potatoes and serve it with naan, 
       paratha or tandoori roti.

    
    
   

Chicken Latpata Lazzatdar

Ingredients -

Chicken - 1/2 kg
Onions chopped finely - 3 med size
Tomato - 1 small
Garlic peeled - 1 whole small
Ginger - 1 inch
Green chilli - 1 optional
Potato - 1 big cut in 4 pieces ( optional)
Cumin - 1 tsp
black peppercorn - 1/3 tsp
Cloves - 4-5
Black cardamom - 1
Green cardamom - 2
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Nutmeg - a small piece
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 5-6 tbsp
Bay leaf - 2
Salt  - to taste ( take care, the marinate also has salt in it )

 For marinate -

Garlic paste - 1 tsp 
Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
Curd - 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp

Method -
1. Marinate the chicken mixing everything listed for
     marination and keep it for 3-4 hours.
2. Dry roast the cumin, peppercorn, cloves, black
     and green cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg on a
     tawa for 2-3 minutes on a low flame. Just warm it 
     so the grinding is easy.
3.  Grind it to a fine powder, Grind the ginger, garlic 
     and green chilli also to a paste.
4. Take a karahi and heat oil in it. Put bay leaf into it.
5. Add the onions into it and fry it until golden brown.
6. Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir fry  it for a minute,
    add the cut potato as well.
7. Add the ground masala with all the dry masala,
     tomato, salt and keep frying it until all are brown
     and u can smell the aroma of fried masala.
8. Add the chicken with the marinate and mix all 
    for a moment.
9.  Sprinkle little water and keep frying it for 5 minutes.
10. Add little warm water and cover it and cook until the
      chicken and potato both are tender and done.
11. Take off the lid and fry till all the water is evaporated.
12. Serve it with Naan, Paratha, Tandoori Roti.

Bakrid Special- Masaledar Mutton Curry

Ingredients -

Mutton - 1 kg
Onion - 500 g
Oil - 100 ml
Bay leaf - 3
Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Warm water - 2 cups for gravy

For ground paste -

Cumin seeds - 4 tbsp
pepper corns - 1 tsp
coriander seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
Ginger - 1 inch

Grind all the ingredients listed above in a thin and smooth paste.

Method -

Thinly slice the onions. Heat oil and add bay leaf and onions. Fry the onions till light brown.
Add mutton and fry it with onions untill it is brown and the water has evaporated.
Add the ground paste masala with red chilli powder and little salt in the pan. Keep frying and stiring it on a low heat until it has taken a beautiful dark brown colour and oil has separated.
Add little water in between to prevent it from sticking and burning.
Pour enough warm water in the masala to make a smooth gravy, add the garam masala and adjust the salt also.
Close the lid and wait for 4 whistles on a medium heat or until it is cooked.
Serve it with rice, naan or tandoori roti.

 

Mughlai Chicken Kheema Lajawab

 Ingredients -

Chicken kheema - 250 g
Garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
Tomato chopped - 1 large
Onions chopped - 2 large
Green chillies minced - 2
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Green cardamom crushed - 2
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
Curd fresh - 2 tbsp
Cashews - 6-7 made to paste
Egg beaten - 1
Bay leaf - 2
Oil - 3 tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp
Fresh Coriander leaves - a bunch
  

                                       
                         
Method -

Heat a frying pan with oil and butter in it and put bay leaf, cinnamon stick and onions. Gently fry the onions till golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and all the dry ingredients and saute for a while, add tomatoes and stir fry it until tomatoes are tender.
 Add curd, cashew paste and mix it nicely with all the ingredients and put chicken kheema and salt also. fry it for a while and cover it and cook it for 10 - 15 minutes in a slow fire. Sprinkle some water also so it does not stick to the pan. Finally add egg and the garam masala and fry it nicely until all are nicely incorporated.
Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and serve it hot with chapati, nan or paratha.

Kimami Sewai : Eid Special

During the holy month of Ramadan when fasting is on, Iftar (breaking the fast) is done right after Maghrib (sunset) time. A wide variety of food is prepared to break the fast and sewai is among the hot favourites. Footpaths on either side of road are full of vendors selling  Kimami laccha, Banarasi laccha, Bedami laccha and Rumali laccha. In my hometown in UP if you visit a muslim friend's house you will definitely find sewai made in sugar sheera or syrup. It is very popular and very tasty. So today on the occasion of Eid i will share a very unique and mouthwatering recipe of making Kimami sewai which you all will definitely love.

So Happy Eid and a happy and tasty sewai making to all of you.

Ingredients - 

Sewai - 1/2 kg
Sugar - 1 1/2 kg
Mawa - 250 g
Milk -1 1/2 lt
Coconut dry - 1 whole
Dry dates (chhuhara) - 200 g
Raisins - 100 g
Cashewnuts - 100 g
Almonds - 100 g
Makhana - 50 g
Cloves - 1 tsp
Green cardamom crushed - 7
Silver foil - 2
Clarified butter ( pure ghee) - 100 g

 Method - 

1. Soak coconut and chuhara overnight and grind it coarsely
    in a  grinder. Chop the nuts and fry makhana.
2. Fry the sewai in a heavy bottomed pan in two batches in 
    a low flame.
3. First fry it dry, when it starts to take a very light brown 
    colour then put 2 tbsp of ghee in it and fry it to a golden 
    brown colour. Take special care to prevent it from sticking
    to the pan or burning. Fry all the sewai and keep it aside.
4. Put 1 lt milk in a deep pan and boil it for a while, add the
    sugar and keep stirring and boiling until the milk has 
    reduced and formed a  single thread like consistency. It is
    called milk kimam. If the milk curdles a bit you need not 
    worry, it happens.
5. In a heavy bottomed pan put rest of the ghee and put 
    cloves and green cardamom, add mawa in it and fry it.
6. When it comes to a light brown colour add the ground 
    coconut and chuhara in it and keep frying until it has 
    changed to a brown colour.
7. Add the milk kimam and all the nuts in it and mix it, add 
    the fried sewai and remaining milk and stir it on a medium 
    heat for a while and cover it until the sewai becomes tender.
    It will take around 5 minutes only. Remove it from fire when            there is sheera (syrup) left in it. Place it in a serving dish and            garnish it with desiccated coconut and silver foil and serve. 
    It can be stored for many days.
8. If you want to make little amount than the given recipe
    please take half amount of each ingredient.

 

Sewai frying

 

Dry dates + coconut + mawa mixing and frying

                                            Milk kimam and dry fruit mixing

                                       
                                               Sewai mixing with all the ingredients

                                                                   Prepared Sewai