Festivals of India: Eid-Ul-Fitr

Eid ul-Fitr or Id-Ul-Fitr, often abbreviated as simply Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. Fitr means "to break the fast" and therefore symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period. Worshippers greet and embrace each other in a spirit of peace and love after the congregational prayer. After the special prayers, festivities and merriment are commonly observed with visits to the homes of relatives and friends to thank God for all blessings.

For Muslims, Eid ul-Fitr is a joyous occasion with important religious significance, celebrating of the achievement of enhanced piety. It is a day of forgiveness, moral victory, peace of congregation, fellowship, brotherhood and unity.

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# Aachari Gosht

# Badami Gosht

# Badam Kheer

# Bharuchi Dal

# Chicken Jhalfrezi

# Chicken Shashlik

# Dry Mutton

# Dum Pukht

# Ginger Chicken

# Harissa

# Kathi Kebab

# Murgh Do Piaza

Aachari Gosht

Preparation Time : 50 minutes
Serves : 6

Ingredients :

• Mutton – 1 kg

• Yoghurt – 1 kg

• Kalonji, nigella seeds – 2 tbsp

• Onions – 4-5

• Ghee/Oil – 4-5 tbsp

• Turmeric Powder – a pinch

• Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp

• Salt - to taste

• Red Chili Powder - to taste

• Fresh Coriander - to garnish

Method :

• Cut onion in slices.

• Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and let them crackle.

• Add the onion and fry until light brown.

• Put in yogurt and meat and let it simmer till meat becomes tender.

• Put in salt, kalonji, chili, and turmeric powder.

• Cook for sometime on high flame.

• Garnish with fresh coriander.

• Serve hot with rice or paratha.

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Badami Gosht

Preparation Time : 50 minutes
Serves : 6

Ingredients :

• Lean Lamb cubed – 1 ½ lb

• Ground Almond – ½ cup

• Coconut milk – 1 ½ cup

• Yogurt – 1 ¼ cup

• Onion chopped – 1 large

• Garlic cloves - 6

• Ginger peeled, chopped – 1 ½”

• Dried Red Chilies - 2

• Oil – 5 tbsp

• Cinnamon sticks - 2

• Cardamom Seeds – 1 tbsp

• Garlic, crushed – 2 cloves

• Saffron threads – 1 tsp soaked in 2 tbsp boiling water

• Chili Powder – ½ tsp

• Salt – 1 tsp

Method :

• Grind almonds with enough water to form a thick paste and keep aside.

• Heat oil in a heavy saucepan.

• Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and fry for 1 minute.

• Add onion and stir fry till soft, stirring occasionally.

• Mix in garlic and ginger and fry for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

• Mix in lamb cubes and fry until brown for about 5 minutes.

• Whip yogurt, saffron mixture, salt and chili powder and mix in to lamb cubes. Stir fry for 5 minutes.

• Add the almond paste, and whole chilies to lamb cubes; stir well to coat the lamb pieces evenly with the gravy.

• Simmer (boil slowly at low temperature) for 5 minutes over low heat.

• Mix in coconut milk, lower the flame, cover and simmer (boil slowly at low temperature) for 35-40 minutes or until lamb is cooked thoroughly.

• Uncover the pan, and cook for the last 10 minutes and transfer to a slightly heated up dish and serve hot.

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Badam Kheer - Almond Kheer

Preparation Time : 45 minutes
Serves : 4

Ingredients :

• Almonds – 1 cup

• Milk – 6 cups

• Sugar – 1 cu

• Saffron Powder – a pinch

• Saffron – ½  tsp

Method :

• Soak almonds in a cup of hot water for about an hour.

• Soak the saffron in cold milk and keep aside.

• Peel off the skin of almonds and make fine paste. Use milk for making pasting instead of using water.

• Measure the quantity of almond paste. Take same amount of sugar.

• Cook the almond paste for about 5 to 10 minutes stirring it continuously.

• Add the remaining sugar and keep stirring the mixture.

• Pour the remaining milk and boil it for about 15 minutes.

• Add the soaked saffron.

• Badam Kheer is ready to serve.

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Bharuchi Dal

Preparation Time : 50 minutes
Serves : 4

Ingredients :

• Horse gram Dal (Urad Dal) – 500 gm

• Onion - 2

• Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp

• Ginger Paste – 1 tbsp

• Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp

• Chili Paste – 1 tbsp

• Red Chili Powder – 1 tsp

• Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp

• Garam Masala – 1 tsp

• Tomatoes - 3

For Tempering:

• Cloves - 5

• Cinnamon Stick – 1 inch

• Cardamom – 5-6

• Mace – ½ tsp

• Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp

• Fresh Fenugreek leaves (finely chopped)  – 2 tbsp

• Oil or Ghee – ¼ cup

Method :

• Dice one onion into small squares and slice the other onions thinly.

• Put the dal and diced onion in a pressure cooker.

• Cook until tender.

• Heat oil in a pan and fry the onion until light brown, mix in cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, mace and whole cumin seeds and fry for 1 minute.

• Then mix in fenugreek leaves and fry for 1-2 minutes.

• Mix in cut tomatoes and all other ingredients except garam masala to the onion mixture.

• Fry this for 8-10 minutes or until the oil begins to separate.

• Mix in dal to it and mix well with a wooden spoon.

• Cover with a lid, lower the heat and stir fry for 5-8 minutes or until the masala is well blended.

• Mash some of the lentil with a wooden spoon against the side of the pan to thicken the sauce.

• Mix in garam masala and spice up to taste with salt.

• Serve hot with roti or rice.

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Chicken Jhalfrezi

Preparation Time : 60 minutes
Serves : 4

Ingredients :

• Garlic, chopped – 2 Cloves

• Skinless Chicken Thigh Fillets, cut in half – 750 gms

• Turmeric Powder – 3 tsp

• Onion, finely grated - 1

• Red Chili powder – 1 tsp

• Salt – 1 tsp

• Tomatoes, chopped – 500 gms

• Ghee – 30 gms

• Cumin Powder – 3 tsp

• Coriander Powder – 3 tsp

• Fresh Ginger, grated – 2 tbsp

• Fresh Coriander Leaves, roughly chopped – 30 gms

• Oil - for cooking

Method :

• Heat about 2 tbsp oil in a deep frying pan and fry the onion and garlic for 2 minutes over high flame.

• Mix in the chicken, turmeric, chili powder and salt. Fry gently for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown.

• Turn the chicken frequently.

• Mix in the tomatoes, cover and cook over medium heat up for 20 minutes stirring at regular intervals.

• Uncover and simmer (boil slowly at low temperature) for 10 minutes to let all the excess liquid evaporate and to thicken the sauce.

• Mix in the ghee or oil, cumin powder, coriander powder, ginger and fresh coriander and simmer (boil slowly at low temperature) for 5-7 minutes or until the fat separates out from the thick sauce.

• Serve the chicken pieces with the sauce.

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Chicken Shashlik

Preparation Time : 60 minutes
Serves : 6

Ingredients :

• Boneless Chicken Breast – 500 gms

• Capsicum - 2

• Onions – 2 medium

• Tomatoes – 2 medium

• Lemon Juice – ¼ cup

• Salt – ½ tsp

• Black Pepper – 1 tsp

• Soya Sauce – 1 tbsp

• Oil - for deep frying

Method :

• Cut chicken into 1 " pieces.

• Put in a round dish with the lemon juice, salt, black pepper and soya sauce.

• Mix well, cover and leave to marinate for 2-3 hours.

• Cut the onion, capsicum, and tomatoes into small cubes.

• Skew chicken and vegetables closely on bamboo skewers.

• Heat up oil in a big size frying pan.

• Fry skewers for 8-10 minutes or until chicken begin to change its color and the vegetables are soft.

• Take off from oil and put it on absorbent paper or you can grill the chicken over hot charcoal.

• Decorate with lemon pieces and mint leaves.

• Serve with hot with mint chutney.

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Dry Mutton

Preparation Time : 50 minutes
Serves : 4

Ingredients :

• Mutton – 500 gms

• Garlic – 10 cloves

• Curd  - 1 cup

• Mustard Oil – 1 cup

• Garam Masala Powder – 1 tbsp

• Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp

• Bay Leaves - 2

• Ginger – 1” piece

• Salt - to taste

Method :

• Beat the curd.

• Marinate mutton pieces in 1 tbsp of oil with turmeric, salt and curd for about 2 hours.

• Mince the garlic and grate the ginger.

• Heat oil in a pan. Add ginger, garlic and bay leaves. Fry for a minute.

• Add marinated mutton pieces.

• Make the flame low and cook for nearly half an hour until the mutton pieces become tender.

• Mix garam masala and stir properly.

• When the mutton turns tender and almost dry, remove it from the flame.

• Dry Mutton is ready.

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Dum Pukht

Preparation Time : 60 minutes
Serves : 4

Ingredients :

• Green Cardamoms - 2-3

• Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

• Garlic - 2 pods

• Black Cardamom - 1

• Coriander Leaves - 1/2 cup

• Green Chilies - 1-6

• Cloves - 4

• Ginger - 1" piece

• Black Pepper Corns - 6

• Mint Leaves - 1/4 cup

• Onion -1/2

• Water- 3 cups

• Curd - 1 cup

• Wheat Flour - 1/2 cup

• Salt - to taste

• Oil - 2 tbsp

• Mutton - 1/2 kg

Method :

• Mix thoroughly mutton, curd and salt and keep aside.

• In a mixer grind the marinate till it forms a fine paste.

• Mix the paste with the marinated mutton.

• Put in freezer for 6-8 hours.

• Knead a soft dough with the flour and keep covered.

• Heat up oil in a thick-bottomed pan.

• Mix in marinated mutton and stir fry on a slow flame for 10 minutes or till the oil starts separating.

• Mix in the water.

• Cover the pot with a lid.

• Seal with kneaded flour and stir fry for 45 minutes on a slow flame or till steam comes out of cracks in the flour.

• Cut off the flour and serve with naan.

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Ginger Chicken

Preparation Time : 35 minutes
Serves : 6

Ingredients :

• Boneless Chicken Breast, cut into small cubes - 1 kg

• Tomatoes, chopped - 3 medium

• Yogurt, whisked - 3 tbsp

• Ginger, cut into thin strips - 3 tbsp

• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

• Oil -1/2 cup

• Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp

• Onion, thinly sliced - 1 smal

• Fresh Coriander Leaves - 3 tbsp

• Chili Powder - 1 1/2 tsp

• Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp

• Garam Masala - 1 tsp

• Chat Masala - 1 tsp

• Coriander Powder - 1 tsp

• Salt - 1 1/2 tsp

• Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp

• Green Chilies, thinly sliced - 2-4

Method :

• Heat up oil in a thick bottomed pan over medium heat.

• Add the onions and stir fry until soft or for about 2 minutes.

• Mix in ginger and garlic, stir fry about 2 minutes. Stirring constantly. (mix in little water if the mixture sticks to the bottom of the pan).

• Mix in chicken and fry until the water from chicken is evaporated, about 5 minutes.

• Mix in chili powder, turmeric, salt and coriander powder.

• Fry 1 minute, then mix in tomatoes and stirring constantly, fry the mixture for about 5 minutes, or tomatoes are reduced to a pulp.

• Mix in yogurt and fry for few more minutes, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes. mix in a little water, if necessary, to avoid the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

• Keep frying until the oil begins to separate.

• Add lemon juice, ginger, chat masala, garam masala, coriander leaves and green chilies.

• Stir once, cover and stir fry for 3 minutes over low heat. Serve hot.

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Harissa

Preparation Time : 75 minutes
Serves : 4

Ingredients :

• Meat - 1 kg

• Mutton Stock - 5 cup

• Wheat - 1/2 kg

• Onion, sliced - 2 medium

• Tomato Puree - 2 cups

• Green Chilies - 10

• Ghee- 1/2 cup

• Garlic Paste - 1 tsp

• Ginger Paste - 1 tsp

• Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp

• Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp

• Salt - to taste

Method :

• Soak the wheat in water for seven to eight hours.

• In a wide pan mix in wheat, salt and 1 1/2 liter water and stir fry it on medium flame till tender.

• Take another pan, mix in meat, salt, whole green chilies, ginger, garlic paste, red chili powder, black pepper powder and tomato puree and stir fry it till soft.

• When the meat is soft then use a chopper to obtain haleem like consistency.

• Then mix in soft wheat, stock and stir fry the mixture till it is thick.

• Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till golden brown, pour out it on the harissa.

• Serve it with lime, cut green chilies, cut ginger and garam masala powder.

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Kathi Kebab

Preparation Time : 45 minutes
Serves : 6

Ingredients :

• Lamb - 500 gms

• Paste of:

• Cumin Powder - 1 tsp

• Chili Powder - 1 tsp

• Lemon Juice - 1/2 tsp

• Garlic - 5 flakes

• Coriander Powder - 1 1/2 tsp

• Pepper - 1/2 tsp

• Ginger Powder - 1/2 tsp

• Cooking oil - 1 tbsp

• Salt - to taste

Method :

• Chop the lamb into square pieces.

• Rub the ground paste all over the surface and marinate for about 4 to 5 hours.

• Smear the lamb pieces with little oil and put it through skewer.

• Grill the pieces on a hot oven.

• Keep turning them occasionally. Brush more oil if necessary.

• Kathi Kabab is ready to serve.

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Murgh Do Piaza

Preparation Time : 60 minutes
Serves : 4

Ingredients :

• Chicken cut into 1 inch pieces - 750 gms

• Onion - 1 kg

• Tomatoes, roughly chopped - 3-4 medium

• Finely Chopped Fresh Coriander Leaves - 3 tbsp

• Oil - 1/2 cup

• Garlic Paste - 1 tsp

• Lemon Juice -2 tbsp

• Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

• Ginger, peeled thinly sliced - 1" piece

• Coriander Powder - 2 tsp

• Bay Leaves, crushed - 2

Method :

• Finely slice the 2 onions and roughly cut the rest of the onions.

• Mix in the chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt to the chicken and mix well to cover the chicken pieces.

• Lightly grease a heavy based sauce pan with 1 tbsp of oil.

• Spread half of the cut onions on the bottom.

• Add the chicken pieces and layer the rest of the cut onions on top.

• Cover pot with a tight fitting lid.

• Cook for 20-25 minutes until the onions are a pulp and chicken is tender.

• Heat up oil in another pan.

• Mix in cut onions, ginger and garlic, stirring frequently fry for 8-10 minutes to a golden color.

• Mix in the bay leaves stir fry for another minute stirring frequently.

• Mix in tomatoes and stir fry until the tomatoes are lower to a pulp.

• Mix in meat and onions to it.

• Stir well to mix all the ingredients.

• Stir frequently, fry the mixture until it is well browned and a thick onion sauce has formed.

• Add lemon juice and fry for another minute.

• Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves.

• Serve hot.

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