This Eid will surely be different but don’t let the pandemic dampen your spirits. Here are a few simple recipes that’ll keep the festivities going...
Mutton Shami Kebab
Ingredients
500 grams boneless mutton
1 cup chana dal
½ teaspoon turmeric/powder
10 cloves garlic
2 inch ginger
3 green chillies finely chopped
¼ pecans finely chopped
3 spring mint leaves/pudina
Salt as required
Oil as needed
Whole spices
4 red chillies
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
5 cloves
½ inch cinnamon stick
2 cardamom
½ teaspoon shahi jeera
2 black cardamom
Method
To begin making the Mutton Shami Kebab recipe, wash and soak chana dal for minimum 1-2 hours. Wash mutton pieces nicely and pressure cook it with soaked chana dal, turmeric powder, salt, ginger, garlic and whole spices. Once the mutton is done, pass it through a colander and collect the stock in a separate bowl which you can use later to make any mutton curry. Collect the cooled mutton and dal mix in a grinder jar and grind to make a fine dough. The dough may look fibrous because of the meat. Add finely chopped onion, chopped green chillies, chopped mint and coriander and mix nicely till everything incorporates well. Heat a wide pan and grease it with 1-2 tablespoon oil. Pinch a lemon sized ball from the mutton mix and flatten in the shape of a round disk. Similarly, make rest of the kebabs and shallow fry from both sides in a wide pan till they turn dark brown in colour. Mutton Shami Kebabs are a perfect snack option during Eid and are also a great side dish with chicken biryani. Serve with onion rings, lemon and dhaniya pudina chutney.
Haleem
With lentils, spices and broken wheat, it is a slow-cooked
delicacy usually enjoyed during Eid festivities.
Ingredients
½ tsp lamb (boneless)
150 gms moong dal
(washed)
100 gms wheat (broken)
500ml desi ghee
10 cloves
4 bay leaves
1 gms saffron
30 gms green chilly
paste
10 gms turmeric powder
6 gms mace
10 gms green cardamom
50 gms ginger paste
50 gms ginger,
grated
150 gms onion, fried
3-4 litre lamb stock
Salt to taste
Method
Wash and soak all the lentils and broken wheat together for 2 hours. Take a heavy bottom handi and add ghee to temper it with whole spices — cloves, bay leaf and green cardamom. When the spices start crackling, add the grated ginger and garlic paste till the colour turns brown. Add the lamb along with all the powdered spices, saffron, green chilly paste, turmeric powder and cook until it is half done and then add fried onions. Drain the water from the lentils and add it to the lamb along with lamb stock. Add salt at this stage. Let it cook until lamb gets tender and mixes with the lentils and becomes thick in consistency. Check for the seasoning and serve with choice of bread.
(Courtesy Chef Sabir, Banquet Tandoor Chef at Jaypee Greens Golf and Spa Resort)
Gulaab Ki Phirni
Ingredients
1/4 cup basmati rice
4 cups walnut milk
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons rose syrup
Garnish
Few fresh rose petals
Walnut halves
Method
Soak the rice in water for half an hour. Drain water and pulse in a grinder till you get a grainy textured paste. Bring the walnut milk to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes. It shall also reduce and thicken slightly.
Add the rice paste while whisking continuously. This will help avoid lumps. Bring this to a boil while whisking, and then lower the flame to a simmer.
Keep stirring the mixture every couple of minutes till about 15 minutes. Add sugar and mix till it dissolves. Switch off the flame and divide the mixture into two parts. Mix rose syrup in one part and leave the other one as it is. Transfer into earthen pots and ripple both mixtures slightly. Place a walnut half and some rose petals on top of the phirni. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours or leave it overnight. Serve cold.
(Curated by celebrity
Chef Varun Inamdar)