It’s time to pull out the special nuts, spices and masalas. Cull out the best for the Iftaar party.
Nutty Delight
Ingredients
2 tbsp milk powder
300 ml of ice-cold water
2 scoops pistachio ice-cream
1 tsp tahini
30 gm pistachio, chopped
2 tsp honey
Method
Place all the ingredients apart from the honey and handful of pistachios, in a blender, and blend until smooth. Add a tsp of honey. Blend again. If you’d like it to be sweeter, add another tsp of honey and blend once more. Pour into a glass and top with the remaining chopped pistachio and serve.
Refreshing Date
Ingredients
2 tbsp milk powder
300 ml ice-cold water
60 gm walnuts, chopped
2 scoops vanilla
ice-cream
Method
Soak the dates in water for at least an hour, drain and remove the seed and chop finely. Mix the milk powder and water well. Place the chopped dates, walnuts, milk and ice-cream in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a large glass and top with a small amount of chopped walnuts.
Arabian Rice
Ingredients
2 chicken, cut into halves
5 cups rice
5-7 black pepper pods
5-7 cardamom pods
3-5 cloves
Juice of 2 lemons
4-5 tbsp ghee
Salt to taste
Method
Clean the chicken. Gently rub it with salt and wash it well. Heat water in a pan. Add the chicken, cardamom, black pepper and salt and cook till the chicken is done. Strain the stock and keep the chicken aside. Wash the rice and cook over slow flame. Heat the ghee, add cloves and pour over the rice. Now drizzle the lemon juice on the rice. Cover it and keep aside for five minutes. Deep fry the chicken. Arrange the rice in a dish and on top put the chicken pieces. Serve hot.
Arabian Mutton Shorba
Ingredients
½ kg boneless
mutton, diced
3 tbsp oil
2 large tomatoes, chopped in to four pieces each
6 tbsp oats
1 small onion, sliced
¼ tsp garam masala
¼ tsp black pepper powder
¼ tsp ginger-garlic paste
½ litre water
Salt to taste
Method
Heat the oil in a pressure cooker and fry the onion till golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste, salt, mutton pieces, one cup of water and pressure cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes. Finally, add the oats, three glasses of water, garam masala powder and black pepper powder, cover it and cook on a low heat 10 minutes.
Vegetable Haleem
Ingredients
For roast and powder
1 tbsp whole garam masala
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
½ cup wheat
¼ cup mixed dals (moong, chana, masoor, etc.)
½ cup soya
granules
2 tbsp
Other ingredients
½ cup ghee
1 large onions
¼ tsp turmeric
1 bunch mint
2 tbsp coriander, chopped
4 green chilies, slit
2 tbsp ginger-
garlic paste
2 tbsp yogurt
Salt as per taste
1 tbsp rose water
½ tsp kewra
Ghee, dry fruits and lemon for garnishing
Method
In a pan, roast whole garam masala, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, wheat, mixed dals, soya granules and oats, till slightly golden. Set aside to cool and then blend to a fine consistency. Heat ghee in a large vessel, temper with the whole garam masala, and fry the onions till golden. Add the turmeric, mint, coriander, green chili and ginger-garlic paste. Cook till the raw aroma is gone.
Deglaze a pan with yogurt, add the salt and the blended dal mixture. Add four cups of water and cook for 45-60 minutes, simultaneously mashing as desired. Add two tbsp ghee, rose and kewra water. Garnish with ghee, dry fruits and lemon juice.
