Eid flavours

NEXT week we celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Fitr. Tradition dictates sweets are the spotlight for this celebration coupled with a delicious eastern inspired meal.

Sawine is the choice of sweet and is served at breakfast and as a dessert after the meal. Toasted vermicelli noodles boiled and served in sweet, spiced milk, garnished with toasted chopped almonds and raisins, is hard to refuse. Other popular sweets are our sugar crusted goolab jamon and rasgullas.

Authentic Indian foods, redolent with aromatic and exotic spices and sensuous curries that arrest your senses, are simply addictive and worthy of celebrations such as this. So next week try a new menu, stir up some authentic Indian dishes in your kitchen and enjoy a feast for all of your senses.

Sawine

2 tbs unsalted butter

4 ozs vermicelli sawine

2 cups water

1 cinnamon stick

1½ cups evaporated milk

½ cup condensed milk

1 cup regular milk

½ cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

½tsp crushed cardamom pods

raisins and toasted almonds to garnish

Melt butter in a large frying pan, break the vermicelli and add to pan, turn frequently until the vermicelli is quite brown, remove.

Bring water to a boil add sugar and cinnamon stick, add vermicelli and cook until tender about 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile in a heavy saucepan place all the milk, add the spices and bring to a boil.

Combine sawine with milk and serve garnished with almonds and raisins.

Serves 6 to 8

Easy rasgullas

1 cup flour

1/4 cup ground almonds

1 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

½ tsp ground cardamom

2 tbs butter

1/4 cup plain yoghurt

½ cup full cream milk powder

2-3 tbs water

Coconut oil to deep fry

Place all dry ingredients into a bowl, rub in butter to fine crumb stage.

Stir in yoghurt.

Add water and knead to a soft dough.

Form into 20 small balls.

Heat oil and fry goolab jamoon until golden, do not overheat oil.

Remove and drain.

Make syrup:

Combine 2 cups sugar with 1cup water, add 6 bruised cardamom pods

Boil until sugar is dissolved, 5 mins.

Chicken korma

1½ inch piece ginger

6 garlic cloves

6 tbs coconut oil

2 inch cinnamon stick

8 cardamom pods

4 cloves

1/4 tsp black cumin seeds or regular cumin

4½ oz onions, chopped

2 tbs ground coriander

1 tbs ground cumin

3 tinned tomatoes

1 3 lb chicken cut into parts

1 tsp chili powder

Salt to taste

3 tbs cream

Puree together the ginger, garlic and 3 tbs water.

Heat oil in a sauté pan, add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and cumin.

Then stir and fry and add onions. Cook until brownish in colour.

Add garlic paste and coriander and cumin, fry for one minute.

Add tomatoes, and cook for another minute.

Now add chicken, chili powder salt, stir well, cover and simmer until cooked about 30 minutes. Add only a little water if necessary.

Remove lid if there is a lot of liquid cook until it reduces a bit then stir in cream.

Serves 6

Vegetable biryani

2 cups basmati rice, washed and soaked in water for 20 minutes, drained

1 tsp saffron threads, toasted and steeped in one cup warm water

3 onions, peeled

4 cloves garlic

1 inch piece ginger, chopped

2 tbs blanched and slivered almonds

3 tbs water

2 tbs cashew nuts

3 tbs raisins

4 to 6 tbs coconut oil

1½ lbs mixed veg, carrots, cauliflower, potato etc

1 cup yoghurt

6 cloves

½ tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp cardamom seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

2 inch cinnamon stick

1/6 nutmeg

Pinch cayenne

Thinly slice 2 onions, set aside.

Place one onion into a food pro or blender; add garlic, ginger and 2 tbs almonds.

And water, process to a paste.

Mean while heat some oil in a frying pan, fry cashews until golden, remove then fry raisins until they begin to pop, remove for garnish.

Now add some more oil and fry onion slices until dark brown and crisp, this will take a while.

Now, heat 2 tbs oil in a large sauté pan, or shallow pan, add garlic and ginger paste, stir and fry until medium brown in colour.

Add vegetables to pan and stir and combine, add yoghurt and some salt stir and fry.

Place cloves, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne into a spice mill, process to a fine powder.

Now add all this to the vegetables, add the rice and stir to coat well with spices.

Add 1 cup water with saffron threads and 11/4 cup additional water.

Simmer for 15 minutes.

Check and fluff, stir in onions, and decorate with raisins and cashews.

Serves 8