JOIN USBiryani and Shahi Tukray are synonymous with Eid celebrations. This festive season, though, try the traditional recipes with a modern-day spin, prompts Hema Anand.
Eid-ul-fitr is just round the corner. It falls on the first day of the month of Shawwal, which is the 10th month of the Islamic lunar calendar, and marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. The fast, which is observed from sunrise to sunset, is also termed as ‘Roza’.
All through the month, many traditional, lip-smacking delicacies are prepared in every household, to be had at time of Iftar, the time of breaking the fast at dusk. Biryani and Shahi Tukray are synonymous with the celebration of Eid. This festive season, try the traditional recipes with a twist.
Kofta Biryani
Ingredients:
For the kofta: 500g minced mutton, 2 finely chopped onions, 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 3 finely chopped green chillies, 2 eggs, 3 tbsp red chilly powder, 3 tsp coriander powder, 2 tsp garam masala powder, 2 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp pepper powder, 1/2 cup finely chopped coriander leaves, a few tbsp curd, salt to taste.
For the gravy: 3 finely chopped onions, 3 finely copped tomatoes, 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 3 finely chopped green chillies, 3 tsp red chilly powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, 2 tsp garam masala powder, 2 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp pepper powder, 1 cup finely chopped mint and coriander leaves, 1/2 cup curd, 4 or 5 cloves, 1 inch piece of cinnamon stick, 2 green cardamoms, a few pods of black cardamoms, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 cup curd, salt to taste.
For the rice: 500g long grain basmati rice, 4-5 cloves, 1 inch piece of cinnamon stick, 1 tsp caraway seeds.
Method:
To make kofta: Wash the minced meat and put it in a colander, press gently and remove all the water. Now add all the ingredients - except the curd - to make the meat balls and mix well. Make medium-sized balls from the mixture and keep aside.
In a pressure cooker, heat 2 tbsp of oil and place a few of the meat balls in it, add 2 tbsp curd and pressure cook the balls till done. Repeat the process with the remaining mixture. When all the meat balls are cooked, heat some oil in a thick-bottomed pan and fry all the meat balls and keep aside on a paper to remove the excess oil.
To make gravy: Heat some oil in a thick-bottomed pan, sauté the onions till golden brown, add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies, and stir for a few minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook on a low flame. Add all the dry masalas and whole garam masalas, mint and coriander leaves, curd, salt and cook till the tomatoes are soft, the oil separates, and a nice, thick gravy is formed. Add the meat balls, mix gently, and cook for a few minutes more and keep aside.
To make the rice: Wash the rice and soak it for an hour. In a thick-bottomed pan, heat some oil and add the cloves, cinnamon and caraway seeds, and stir for a minute. Add the rice and mix gently. Add some water and salt, and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the flame, cover the rice and cook it till it is partially (about three-fourth done) and keep aside.
To assemble: Take a big, thick-bottomed vessel and put some oil and 1/2 cup water in it. Now put half the rice into it, and make a layer of rice. Then add the meat balls and spread them evenly on the rice. Put the remaining rice over it to form the second layer. Mix a pinch of yellow food colour in a spoon of water and put it evenly all over the rice. Also put 1-2 tbsp ghee over the rice. Cover the vessel tightly and cook on a low flame for 5-7 minutes. Serve hot.
Shahi Tukray
Ingredients: 250 g rusk, 300 g sugar, 150 g khoya (refrigerate it so that it becomes a little hard), 50 g cashewnuts and almonds (cut into small pieces), 50 g raisins, a pinch of saffron
Method:
Mix the sugar and some water in a pan, boil to make a sugar syrup of one thread consistency. Add the food colour and boil for a few seconds and leave to cool. Take a flat decorative dish and arrange one layer of rusk on it. Grate the khoya and spread it over all the rusks.
Sprinkle the cashews, almonds and raisins on all the rusks. Arrange the next layer of rusks in the similar way and repeat the process till all the rusks are arranged. When the sugar syrup is warm, pour it evenly on all the rusks so that all of them are covered. Leave it out for some time. Refrigerate and serve chilled.