A goat is prepared for sacrifice as part of the Eid al-Adha festivities. (Ami Vitale/Getty)
Eid al-Adha
Eid al-Adha, also known as the Greater Eid or the Feast of Sacrifice, is the second most important festival in the Islamic calendar.
The day remembers the occasion when Allah appeared to the Prophet Ibrahim in a dream and asked him to sacrifice his son Isma’il as an act of obedience to Allah. The devil tempted Ibrahim by saying he should disobey God and spare his son. As Ibrahim was about to kill his son, Allah stopped him and gave him a lamb to sacrifice instead. It is not so much an act of disobeying the devil or obeying the wish of Allah, as it is about completely submitting oneself to the faith, as if to say ‘If this is what you want of me, then who am I to question it? And whatever I have is actually yours, and whatever you want of me, I can only obey.’ This complete submission and unconditional, unquestioned faith in Allah is what led to Allah to say ‘I was merely testing your devotion’.
Eid al-Adha is observed after the Hajj – the annual pilgrimage to Makkah, or Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. The journey is seen as one of the Five Pillars of Islam, and it is a duty of each Muslim to go on the Hajj at least once during their lifetime, unless they are prevented by finances or ill health. Every year, millions of Muslims travel to Saudi Arabia from all around the world, a range of different colours, languages, races and ethnicities coming together in a spirit of universal brotherhood and sisterhood to worship Allah.
A goat is prepared for sacrifice as part of the Eid al-Adha festivities. (Ami Vitale/Getty)
The day of Eid al-Adha begins with Muslims dressed in their finest clothes going to the mosque for prayers and to thank God for all their blessings. These prayers often take place outside – sometimes due to the sheer number of Muslims in attendance! It is also a time for visiting friends and family and offering gifts. An animal is usually sacrificed as a symbol of Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son. The meat from the animal sacrificed is shared among friends, family and the poor, with each receiving a third. Those principles of sharing and giving and helping others who are less fortunate ensures that everyone is given an opportunity to celebrate Eid.
Eid al-Adha is colloquially known as Bakri Eid in India, due to the common practice of sacrificing a goat, or a bakri. It is one of the most eagerly awaited festivals in India, even for non-Muslims like me, because each one of our Muslim friends or neighbours would invite us to their house to partake in the celebrations and enjoy their feasts – which centred mainly around meat, and no Eid table would be complete without a biryani! In a city like Hyderabad, where such a large proportion of the population celebrates this festival, the abundance of meat and delicious food makes this one of the best times of the year to be living in the city!
Until I became a trainee at The Oberoi Hotel in Hyderabad in 1994, I had never encountered food like the dishes I saw there: I had never experienced aromas like I did in the city, nor had I ever come across people who had such passion for food, flavour, taste and, above all, a heart for hospitality as the Hyderabadis, all of which is bound up in the celebrations for Eid.
In my early days at the hotel, I would get hungry just smelling the fragrance of the biryani pot wafting through the service corridors. My friends said that during Bakri Eid the entire city smelled like one huge biryani pot and I didn’t believe them. Well, I found myself in the city during the festival and saw first hand what they meant! No matter which direction you turned, you saw something being cooked, stirred, baked or served: kebabs, curries and biryani everywhere, being gifted, exchanged, sold and bought.
I vividly remember looking down at the city from Golconda Fort and seeing a film of haze – smoke from the numerous fires cooking in the city – suspended in mid-air over the townships. I quickly found that there was just so much meat going around, you couldn’t even give it away. Often dishes would start off as a curry then, after being reheated a few times, would turn into a semi-dry bhuna kind of dish, then after further drying would become a kebab, finally being turned into a pickle. Some meat is also thinly sliced, seasoned and dried, then fried to turn it into a kind of jerky-type meat to prolong its life. And when all else fails, the Hyderabadis are also known to take their pots of curries and biryanis to the railway station and feed complete strangers who may be passing through their city on the train!
Following morning prayers a boy begins the festivities. (Sushil Kumor/Hindustan Times via Getty)
Chaney ki Dal Gosht
Deccan Lamb and Lentil Curry
This dish of lamb cooked with chana lentils is quite popular in the Deccan region and its origins are attributed to the kitchens of the Nizam of Hyderabad. Usually seen on menus during the celebration of Bakri Eid or Eid al-Adha, this is one of the hundreds of types of dishes prepared using the meat widely available in the city of Hyderabad during those days.
Serves 4
750g mutton, boned and diced into 2.5cm cubes
200g split yellow peas/chana dal
2 black cardamom pods
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1½ teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 bay leaf
4 cloves
4 green cardamom pods
5cm piece of cinnamon stick
4 black peppercorns
4 onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
3 tomatoes, cut into quarters
10 curry leaves
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
1 tablespoon freshly chopped coriander
2 teaspoons desiccated grated coconut
juice of ½ lime
a pinch of sugar
For the fresh spice mix
50g coriander stems
3 garlic cloves
4 green chillies
½ teaspoon coriander seeds, roasted
½ teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted
½ tablespoon vegetable oil
Blend all the ingredients for the fresh spice mix to a coarse paste and set aside.
Wash the lamb in cold running water, drain, dry using kitchen paper and set aside.
Wash the lentils in cold running water. Place in a heavy-based pan along with the black cardamom and 1 litre of water, the turmeric and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30–40 minutes until the lentils are almost cooked but still slightly crunchy. Remove from the heat, drain, reserving the liquid, and keep warm.
In the meantime, heat the oil in another heavy-based pan, add the whole spices and let them crackle for 1 minute or so. Add the onions and sauté for 8–10 minutes until they turn golden. Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir for 1 minute, then add the lamb, remaining salt and the fresh spice mix. Cook over a high heat, stirring continuously, for 6–8 minutes.
Add the tomato quarters to the lamb and cook over a high heat for 3 minutes until softened. Pour in 150ml of water, cover with a lid and allow the lamb to simmer for 45–50 minutes until it is almost cooked.
Pour in the lentils and two-thirds of the reserved cooking liquid and continue cooking over a medium heat for 6–8 minutes or until the lamb is tender. Stir in the fresh curry leaves, garam masala and tamarind paste, then finish the dish with the chopped coriander, coconut, lime juice and a pinch of sugar. If you wish, use the remaining lentil cooking liquid to let down the curry, otherwise serve as it is.
Serve hot with steamed rice or pilau rice.
Top left: Gosht ka Chudwa
Bottom left: Kadhai ke Bheje
Middle top: Thalasseri Kozhi Curry
Middle bottom: Shami Kabab
Top right: Hari’s ‘Hyderabadi’ Kachhi Biryani
Bottom right: Kaleji Kabab
Hyderabadi Special Pathar ka Gosht
Tender Lamb Escalopes Grilled on Hot Stone
This is one of the most famed kebabs to originate from Hyderabad. Traditionally made with thinly sliced mutton leg which is marinated with black spices (black cardamom, cloves, peppper, allspice and rock moss) and tenderised using raw papaya paste, these would be cooked over hot stones, hence the term pathar – meaning stone in Hindi. In a domestic kitchen these cook just as well on a hot griddle pan. They literally take minutes to cook as they have been tenderised and they make for an excellent filling inside wraps. Alternatively, serve with a kachumbar salad (roughly chopped mixed vegetables, such as onion, carrot, cucumber and tomatoes, all mixed together).
Serves 4–6
750g deboned mutton leg, fat trimmed and sliced 5mm thick
3 tablespoons mustard or corn oil
juice of 1 lemon
bamboo skewers, soaked in water
For the marinade
2 teaspoons salt
1½ teaspoons red chilli powder
2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
1 tablespoon grated raw papaya or pineapple juice
For the spice mix
4 black cardamom pods
½ teaspoon peppercorns
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoons allspice (optional)
1 tablespoon lichen or rock moss (optional)
3–4 tablespoons yoghurt
4 tablespoons crisp fried onions
1 teaspoon sugar
25g coriander stalks, stems and roots as available, finely chopped
Mix together the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the mutton, mix well and set aside for 30 minutes.
Heat a small frying pan and dry roast the cardamom, peppercorns, cloves, allspice and lichen, if using, for 2–3 minutes, constantly stirring to roast evenly. Allow to cool, then grind coarsely.
Mix the ground spices with the yoghurt, onions and sugar and blend to a paste using a small blender or a mortar and pestle. Smear the spice mix on the mutton and sprinkle with the coriander. Set aside the marinated meat for at least 30 minutes (or it can even be prepared a day before and refrigerated overnight).
Thread the meat onto pre-soaked bamboo skewers. Heat the mustard or corn oil in the grill pan and cook the kebabs for 2–3 minutes each side in a very hot grill pan. Turn over and repeat on the other side, then let the kebabs rest for a minute or so. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve with a bread of your choice.
Gosht ka Chudwa
Crisp Shredded Lamb
This snack has evolved mainly in an effort to preserve the very large quantities of meat available after the sacrifice or qurbani. Think of this as a lamb jerky, but fried rather than air dried.
Serves 6–8 as a snack
750g boneless lamb, from haunch or breast
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 tablespoon red chilli powder
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
vegetable oil, for frying
chaat masala, to sprinkle
If cooking the meat in the oven rather than on the hob, preheat the oven to 160ºC/140ºC Fan/Gas Mark 3.
Cut the meat into 4–5 chunks and season with salt, ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder and turmeric. Place in a pan, add approximately 400ml of water (you need enough water to cover the meat) and cook, covered, either in the preheated oven or over a very low heat on the hob for about 3 hours or until the meat is tender and most of the water and spices have been absorbed in the cooking.
Let the meat cool, then shred with a fork or using your fingers.
Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer to 150–160ºC. Fry the shredded meat for 3–4 minutes until crisp. Alternatively, heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the meat in batches for 6–8 minutes, stirring regularly to colour and crisp evenly. Take care as the lamb will spit while it crisps. Drain it well on kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil, then sprinkle with chaat masala and let it cool.
Store in an airtight container for 7–10 days. It can be enjoyed on its own as a snack with drinks or as a filling for a wrap with cooling raita or a chutney of your choice.
Hari’s Hyderabadi Kachhi Biryani
Biryani of Mutton (or Goat)
Biryani is often called the king of dishes, but it’s more than its lazy description of ‘meat below, rice above’. There are many variations but in Hyderabad they follow the traditional recipe for kachhi biryani, as I have done here.
I have made and eaten many biryanis, but rarely have I had a better version than this, which comes courtesy of the Champ of Hyderabad, my long-time friend Hari Nagaraj!
Serves 6
1kg leg of mutton (or goat), diced into 2.5cm cubes (meat on the bone is preferable)
a small pinch of saffron
50ml warm milk
1 tablespoon freshly chopped mint
50g ghee or butter, melted
250g plain flour (optional)
For the marinade
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 onions, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh green papaya paste (see method) or fresh pineapple juice (optional)
2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
1 tablespoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
a small bunch of mint leaves, chopped
6 green chillies, slit lengthways
¼ nutmeg, grated
juice of ½ lemon
a small pinch of saffron
1 tablespoon salt
100ml plain yoghurt
For the spiced rice
500g basmati rice
3 green cardamom pods
2 black cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
4 cloves
2 blades of mace
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons salt
To make the marinade, heat the oil in a frying pan, add the sliced onions and fry until golden. Set aside a tablespoon of the onions to use as a garnish. If using green papaya rather than pineapple juice, blend a 5cm piece of papaya with some water in a blender to make a paste. Mix the onions (with the oil they were fried in) with all the other marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the cubed lamb and stir to coat in the marinade. Set aside to marinate for 4 hours (or overnight in the refrigerator).
Wash the rice in cold running water, then soak in a bowl of water for 30 minutes. Pour 2.5 litres water into a large pan and add the whole spices and salt. Bring to the boil, add the drained rice and boil for 10 minutes – the rice needs to be 50-60 per cent cooked or slightly less than al dente.
Transfer the marinated meat to the casserole. Soak the saffron in the warm milk for 5 minutes. Strain the boiled rice and layer it on top of the marinated meat in the casserole. Sprinkle over the mint, fried onions, ghee or butter and saffron (plus the soaking milk) over the rice. Cover the casserole with a lid and seal the sides with aluminium foil (or a stiff dough made with 250g plain flour mixed with 100ml of water, rolled into a long ‘sausage’ and used to seal the rim), leaving a small gap for steam to escape.
Place the casserole over a high heat for 8–10 minutes, making sure the heat is evenly spread across the base of the casserole. When you see the steam escape through the gap, turn the heat right down to low and cook the biryani for 20–25 minutes. Remove from the heat and set the casserole aside for 5 minutes Then open the lid and serve your aromatic biryani garnished with the reserved onions and with a thin yoghurt raita.
Gurdey ki Biryani
Kidney Biryani
This is another good recipe for using offal in a different and unusual way. It is said that during and just after the festival, a haze of perfumed smoke hangs just below the clouds over Hyderabad. The haze comes from the smoke fires lit all over town to cook the hundreds of versions of kebabs, curries and biryanis, and the aroma that starts off as roasty, barbecue and smokey on the first day turns into stronger sandalwood, saffron, rose, kewra and frankincense as the days go by and the meat gets older.
Serves 4 as a main, 6–8 as an accompaniment
400g basmati rice
100ml vegetable oil
2 white onions, finely sliced
2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste page
1½ teaspoons Kashmiri red chilli powder
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons salt
500g lamb’s or goat’s kidneys, cut into halves, pith and connective tissue removed
120ml plain yoghurt, whisked
4 hot green chillies, broken into 2–3 pieces each
60g freshly chopped coriander
80g freshly chopped mint
4 green cardamom pods
5cm piece of cinnamon stick
4 cloves
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons ghee
juice of 1 lemon
pinch of saffron, soaked in 100ml warm milk for 5 minutes
2 teaspoons ground garam masala
Rinse the rice well under cold running water, then soak in water for 20 minutes.
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions for 8–10 minutes until golden. Remove half of the fried onions and set aside.
Lower the heat, and into the remaining fried onions add the ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, turmeric, 1 teaspoon of the salt and the kidneys. Fry for 2–3 minutes, adding a little water if the spices are sticking to the bottom of the pan, then add the whisked yoghurt. Cook for 8–10 minutes over a low heat, adding a little more water if needed. Sprinkle over the green chillies and half the coriander and mint, reserving the rest. Keep warm.
To cook the rice, add the remaining salt and the cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves and bay leaves into 1.5 litres of water in a separate pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2–3 minutes, then add the soaked, drained rice and cook for 5–6 minutes or until the grains of rice are three-quarters cooked. Drain the rice and keep aside.
Assemble the biryani in a heavy-based, lidded pot or casserole dish. Melt 2 tablespoons of the ghee in the pan, then spread half the rice over the ghee. Next add the kidney mixture in an even layer and cover with a second layer of rice. Sprinkle over the reserved fried onions, the remaining mint and coriander, lemon juice, saffron milk, remaining ghee and ground garam masala. Cover and cook over a low heat for 7–8 minutes, then allow to rest for 2–3 minutes before serving.
Kaleji Kabab
Lamb Liver Kebab
Lamb or mutton liver (kaleji) is rather prized in the foodie community in Hyderabad. The Hyderabadi classic bagara baingan or aubergine cooked in a sesame tamarind curry is frequently enriched with the addition of livers and thick, fat, benign banana chillies. Lamb livers are good in a curry but great in a kebab, and here it is simply marinated, skewered and cooked in a hot grill pan. If you like livers, try this as it’s really quick and easy.
Serves 4–6 as a starter or accompaniment
600g lamb livers, sliced into 1cm thick slices
6 fat chillies or Romano peppers (if unavailable, you can substitute 1 red onion)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
juice of 1 lemon
For the marinade
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes
½ teaspoon red chilli powder
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly roasted
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons freshly chopped coriander, preferably stalks
Soak 6 bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes.
Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade, add the sliced liver and set aside for 15–20 minutes.
Dice the chillies into 2.5cm pieces and discard the seeds (if using red onion, cut the onion into 6 wedges and separate the petals). Thread onto the soaked skewers, alternating the liver with chilli or onion. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
Heat up a grill pan and drizzle with a little oil. Arrange the skewers in the pan and cook for 2–3 minutes on each side. Serve drizzled with lemon juice.
If you don’t have a barbecue or a grill pan to hand, you can simply cook the skewers direct on a hot frying pan. Usually at Eid al-Adha, when the animal is slaughtered, the liver is the first thing to get cooked, even before the rest of the animal has been jointed. The liver would be sent indoors to the family kitchen where the ladies would simply cook it in a pan or on skewers on open coal fire, immediately sending it back for the butchers to snack on.
Shami Kabab
Shallow-fried Ground Mutton or Beef Kebab
A good shami kebab is a thing of beauty and, although these are popular throughout the year and sold all over the country, during Eid al-Adha in Hyderabad shami kebabs turn into something of a genre. This version involves filling the kebabs with red onion and mint, referred to as shikampur – the one with a filled belly. By all means feel free to omit the filling if you find it daunting, in which case simply shape as flat, £2 coin-sized cakes and shallow fry.
Serves 4 (makes around 12 pieces)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus extra for shallow frying
5 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2.5cm piece of cinnamon stick
500g mutton, beef or lamb leg, fat removed and diced into 1cm cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
3 green chillies, chopped
35g chana dal/chickpea lentils, soaked in water for 30 minutes, then drained
4 black cardamom pods, seeds removed and lightly crushed, pod discarded
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
chaat masala, to sprinkle
For the filling
½ red onion, finely chopped
½ green chilli, finely chopped
5g mint leaves, shredded
15g coriander, finely chopped
a pinch of salt
a pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon Greek yoghurt
Heat the oil in a deep pan, then add the whole spices and let them splutter for 30 seconds or so. Next, add the diced meat, and cook over a high heat for 5–6 minutes, then add the salt, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder and turmeric. Cook for another 5–7 minutes over a medium heat.
Add the green chillies, drained lentils and cardamom seeds. Add 475ml of water, reduce the heat to low and cook, partially covered, for 45–60 minutes or until the meat is tender and the liquid has almost dried up.
Add the chopped coriander, stir and remove the pan from the heat. Cool the mixture completely, then blend to a paste (do not add water) or pass through a mincer. Let the cooked mince rest in the fridge for 10–15 minutes. Check the seasoning and add salt if necessary.
Mix together all the ingredients for the filling except the yoghurt. Set aside for 10 minutes, then squeeze to remove the excess liquid from the vegetables. Stir in the yoghurt.
To fry, apply a little oil to your palms, and roll the mince into golf-ball sized portions. Press your thumb into each portion to create a cavity. Spoon in a small quantity of the filling, encase the mince around it and re-shape back into a ball. Press lightly, then shallow fry in a medium-hot pan for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden and crisp.
Sprinkle with chaat masala and serve with sliced red onion, lemon wedges and green coriander chutney.
Kadhai ke Bheje
Lamb Brain Cooked in a Wok
During Eid al-Adha, when everyone has lots of meat in the house (probably more than any family can handle or consume!), it becomes important to follow a sequence of using the different parts, such as the offal, to avoid wasting anything. Livers, kidneys and brains are the first to be used as they cannot be stored for too long. This is a very simple and quick recipe using lambs’ brains and goes very well with rotis or poories.
Serves 4–6
4 lambs’ brains
80ml vegetable oil
4 red onions, finely sliced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon black pepper, freshly cracked
1 tablespoon white vinegar
To prepare the brains, carefully remove the surface brain, any visible veins on the surface and the white ‘pearls’ at the base of the brain. Cut each brain into 4–5 pieces.
Heat the oil in a wok, add the onions and cook, stirring constantly, for 8–10 minutes until they turn golden brown. Add the brains, salt, turmeric and cracked black pepper and cook for 3–4 minutes over a high heat. Add the vinegar and cook until the mixture dries up and the oil begins to float up the surface of the pan.
Remove from the heat and serve hot with poories or chapatis.
Rezala
Hyderabad-style Goat Casserole
This fascinating recipe comes from the kitchens of a very wealthy Begum in Hyderabad. It strangely resembles a pound cake recipe from the medieval era, where you put in equal quantities of everything, mix it and bang it in an oven to get a cake! In this case, just mix together all the ingredients and seal the pot. Cook it either in an oven or on the hob on a very low heat. Feel free to replace the goat with lamb or mutton as they work just as well.
Serves 4
1kg goat meat from the leg, diced into 2.5cm cubes
For the marinade
200g vegetable oil or ghee
200g fresh green chillies, slit lengthways and seeds removed
200g crisp fried onions, crushed coarsely
200g thick Greek yoghurt
25g piece of pineapple, blended
2 tablespoons ginger, finely chopped
1 tablespoon garlic paste
25g roasted gram flour
25g salt
1 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons each royal cumin, red chilli powder, ground cumin, ground garam masala
For finishing
100ml single cream
2 tablespoons fried cashew nuts, made into a paste
120g freshly chopped coriander
1 tablespoon freshly chopped mint
Mix together all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl, add the meat and set aside for 10–15 minutes. Place the marinated meat in an ovenproof casserole or pot with a tightly fitting lid. Seal around the lid using dough (see here for method). If need be, place a weight on the lid to prevent the steam from escaping.
Place the pot over a low heat and cook for 1½ hours. Open the lid after 1½ hours to check if the meat is cooked and tender or if it needs to cook for a little longer. This can also be cooked in an oven preheated to 140–150ºC/120–130ºC Fan/Gas Mark 1–2 for 2 hours.
Stir the sauce and finish by adding the cream and cashew nut paste. Bring to the boil and check the seasoning. Sprinkle with the chopped coriander and mint and serve immediately.
Thalasseri Kozhi Curry
Tellicherry Chicken Curry
Thalasseri in Kerala in recent times has become famous for its Tellicherry pepper which is one of the most prized varieties in the world today, but the town is also well known for its meat delicacies thanks to its resident Muslim community. This is a recipe they will cook at celebrations big and small.
Serves 4
4 tablespoons groundnut or vegetable oil
2 onions, finely sliced
15 curry leaves
2 green chillies, slit lengthways
10 black peppercorns, cracked
2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, coarsely crushed
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1½ teaspoons salt
750g boneless chicken thighs
225ml water or stock
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the onions, curry leaves, chillies and cracked peppercorns. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are golden, then reduce the heat and add the ginger-garlic paste. Cook, stirring often, for 4–5 minutes, then add the coriander seeds, turmeric and salt and cook for another 2–3 minutes.
Add the chicken, stir to mix and cook for 2–3 minutes over a medium heat. Add the water or stock, cover and cook gently for 5–7 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Finish with the garam masala and finally with the freshly ground black pepper. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes. Serve hot with rice.
Sheermal
Rich Saffron Bread
This rich and flavoursome bread is a speciality in most Mughal courts all over India. Originally made in seldom-seen iron tandoors in India, this oven-cooked version produces an equally good result. This works well with a variety of kebabs, grilled meats, liver, etc. so abundantly seen and served after the sacrifice. The trick is to incorporate the ghee slowly into the dough by adding a little at a time, so that the fat is dispersed evenly through the entire dough.
Makes about 36
700ml milk
1 tablespoon melon seeds
75g sugar
2 pinches of saffron, dissolved in 1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon salt
1kg plain flour
½ teaspoon ground green cardamom
300ml melted ghee, plus 2 tablespoons for brushing
Place the milk and melon seeds in a pan and heat until simmering, then add the sugar and stir until it dissolves completely. Add the saffron milk (keep back a little for brushing) and allow the milk to cool, then add the salt.
Place the flour in a mixing bowl, add the green cardamom and cooled milk and mix well. Knead into a soft dough. Cover with a moist cloth and set aside at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.
Remove the cloth and knead the dough again. Add the ghee into the dough, little by little, and incorporate it into the dough using your fingers. Store it in cool place for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC Fan/Gas Mark 4.
Divide the dough into about 36 balls, each weighing about 50g. Cover and keep aside for another 10 minutes. Roll out the balls into discs approximately 3mm thick and prick all over with a fork. Arrange on a greased baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, brush with the reserved saffron milk and bake again for 5 minutes. Serve immediately brushed with the melted ghee.
Top left: Sheermal
Top right: Dhaniyey ki Hari Chutney
Middle: Hyderabadi Special Pathar ka Gosht
Artists perform a traditional ‘garba’ dance in Gujurat. (India Pictures/UIG via Getty)
