Bonding over food on Eid!

As the holy month of Ramzan is about to end and festival of Eid is around the corner

As the holy month of Ramzan is about to end and festival of Eid is around the corner. The festivity that brings food, enjoyment and dressing up to the forefront is almost there. After the sighting of moon the celebrations will begin along with the prayers.

With ‘corona curfew’ and lockdown underway in most part of the country, people can prepare Arabic Mandi Biryani with limited ingredients this Eid (Sourced photo)

Now, with ‘corona curfew’ underway in Uttar Pradesh and markets closed, the celebrations will be limited to the premises of home.

“Last year too, Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated under lockdown but this year the situation is far worse, festivities will surely be not as it used to be. Moreover, markets are closed, and people are not moving out due to fear of contracting the deadly virus. To keep up with the festive spirit, symbolic preparations will be done at home within the given resources,” said Anjum Zaidi, a homemaker.

On the occasion HT City bring for you some simple recipes that can easily be prepared within limited availability of ingredients.

Arabic Mandi Biryani

Ingredients:

4 cups basmati rice , soaked in water for at least half an hour

Whole chicken 1 kg.

Onion - 1 cut in two pieces

Onion - 2 thinly sliced

Green Chillies - 4 into two pcs

Black cardamom - 4

Whole black peppercorns - 1 teaspoon

Cloves 1 teaspoon

Cinnamon 2 stick

Bay leaf 2

Nutmeg powder 1 pinch

Nutmeg 1

Mace 1

Garlic 20 cloves

Ginger 4 inch

Coriander seeds 2 teaspoon

Water 6 cups

Salt as required

25 g Cashewnut

25 g Almonds

Ginger garlic paste 4 teaspoons

Cumin seeds 2 teaspoon

Curd 1 cup

Green chillies 5 broken

Garam masala powder 1 teaspoon

Cardamom pods/seeds 5

Fennel seeds 3 teaspoon ground

Directions

To make the ‘bouquet garni’ or a spice potli, take a clean muslin cloth and place the onion, garlic pods, whole ginger, black cardamom pods, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, and mace on it and collect the ends of the cloth to tie a potli.

In a saucepan, add water on medium heat, and add the whole chicken, salt and the bouquet garni and boil it for around 15 minutes.

Take out chicken, sprinkle salt and pepper dash of lemon juice and bake it in oven for 15 min at 180 degree C. Till it’s golden brown in colour.

Remove the bouquet garni from the stock. The ‘yakhni’ is ready.

In a wide pan, heat oil on medium heat and fry the sliced onions, cashewnut and almonds. Take 1/4 of the onions, cashewnut and almonds and keep aside.

In the remaining onions, add cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste, salt, green chillies and stir fry for about 3 minutes.

After 3 minutes, add yogurt, garam masala and green cardamom. Cook on medium-high heat

Add fennel seeds and chicken pieces to the masala and let it simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Add this masala and soaked and drained rice to the prepared yakhni (stock) in the saucepan, turn on the heat and cook the rice in it uncovered for about 5 minutes or till the water dries up.

Sprinkle fried onion, cashewnut and almonds on the rice, add a tablespoon of ghee and seal the pot with foil or atta dough so that the flavors don’t escape from the yakhni pulao.

Cook the yakhni pulao on low heat for 15 minutes or till rice is done. After 20 minutes, switch off the stove and it is ready to be served.

By Chef Zulfiqar Hussain

Prepare easy to cook ‘Kesar suji ka halwa’ this Eid (Sourced)

Kesar suji ka halwa

Desi Ghee- 1/2 cup

Semolina (Rava/Suji)- 1 cup

Saffron Water - 10 strands soaked in ¼ cup water

Cardamom Powder- 1pinch

Cashew- pieces 5-6 chopped

Raisins - 6-7 pieces

Sugar/Sugar free- As per requirement

Water- 4 cups (warm)

Method:

Heat desi ghee in a pan and roast cashews in it till they are golden in colour. Bring them out.

In pan heat ghee again and add semolina (suji) in it and mix well.

Dry roasts the semolina for at least 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. After that it will turn white to pinkish brown and also you can sense a nice aroma.

Once suji has been perfectly roasted now add sugar and warm water in it. Be careful while adding water in it. Turn the flame to high and mix it well by stirring continuously.

Add soaked saffron water and cardamom powder in it and mix well.

Add all the dry fruits and mix well.

Keep stirring over medium flame till sugar dissolves completely and Semolina absorbs water.

Halwa is ready. Garnish with cashew and raisins. Enjoy it hot.

By Chef Mujeebur Rehman

Amritsari Choley is an easy to cook recipe (Instagram)

Amritsari choley

Step 1 : Soak Chickpeas overnight

Chickpeas: 250 gms

Black cardamom: 2 no

Green cardamom: 5 pcs

Cinnamon: 1 stick

Bay leaf: 2 pcs

Dry amla: 8 slices

Water: 1.5 ltr

Black salt to taste

Next morning pressure cook everything 4 whistles. The deep dark colour and tangy taste comes from dry gooseberries (amla). And other significant flavour comes when you make your own spice blend.

STEP 2: Make spice blend

Coriander seeds: 50 gms

Cloves: 4 pcs

Cumin: 10 gms

Carom seeds: 5 gms

Kasturi methi: 20 gms

Dry Kashmiri chilly: 7-8 pcs

Black pepper whole: 5 gms

Pomegranate seeds dry: 10 gms

Dry roast all spices and blend it in mixer.

STEP 3: Make Puree

Make tomato puree: 200 gms tomatoes

Make ginger garlic paste: 30 gms

Chopped onion: 150gms

Chopped tomatoes: 50gms

STEP 4: Final preparation

Ghee: 50 gms

Cumin seeds: 5gms

Whole chilly dry: 2 pcs

Bayleaf: 1 pc

Start by heating ghee add whole spices and cumin

Now add chopped onion cook slow on medium heat till golden brown.

Add ginger garlic paste and cook well.

Now add tomatoes cook properly and then add tomato puree.

Add your special spice blend, use all of it.

Cook till the sides of masala leaves fat .

This is the time to add boiled chickpeas, let it cook along for 15 mints ,smash some chickpes to make thick gravy.

Adjust Seasoning.

STEP 5: Garnish

Ginger julienne: 7 -8

Onion rings: 7-8

Green chilly: 3 to slit half

Coriander: freshly chopped.

Lemon: few wedges

By Chef Himani Sharma