The grand Iftar feast
Ramzan will begin next week. The Muslim community will be fasting from dawn to dusk. But the evenings are all about a lavish iftar feast. Nombu kanji, kebabs, biriyani, haleem, khubani ka meetha, sheer kurma, fruits, especially dates and beverages like nimbu pani, fig-based drink are popular choices of Chennaiites to break the fast.
By : migrator
Update: 2016-06-04 17:32 GMT
Chennai
The best way to probably enjoy the iftar food is to indulge in a traditional, home-cooked meal. Here we share a few handpicked recipes.
Nombu kanji and pudhina chutney is the staple iftar feast in our house during all the 30 days of Ramzan. There are different versions of kanji. Sometimes we make a vegetarian version, other times just add in minced chicken or meat to pack in some extra taste and nutrition. This is my grandmother’s and she’s been making it for 50 years.
NOMBU KANJI
Ingredients:
Basmati rice (ground coarsely): ¼ kg
Moong dhal: 50gms
Ginger garlic paste: 1tbsp
Raw rice powder: 1 tbsp
Cardamom and cinnamon stick: 2 pieces each of cloves,
Sliced thinly: 2 big onions
Chopped roughly: 2 tomatoes
Each of mint and coriander leaves: 1 1/2tbsp
Green chillies: 3 nos
Each of ghee and oil: 1 tbsp
Coconut paste: ¼ cup
Water: 2 litres
Salt to taste
Method:
- Soak the rice for 10-15 mins.
- Heat ghee and oil in a deep pan on a medium flame, add in the whole spices and let it turn red. Add in the onions, fry till translucent and add in the moong dhal and saute until it turns golden.
- Now fry the ginger-garlic paste until the raw smell goes and add in the mint and coriander leaves, green chillies, tomatoes and sauté till tomatoes turn mushy.
- Pour about two litres of water and let it come to a boil. Then add the soaked rice and salt to taste.
- Stir well and let it cook. Once rice is fully done add in the raw rice powder, coconut paste and let it come to a boil.
- If the kanji is a little thick, add 1-2 glasses of warm water and adjust the salt.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve warm with spicy and tangy pudhina chutney.
PUDHINA CHUTNEY
Ingredients:
Coriander and mint leaves: 2 handfuls each
Shallots: ¼ cup
Scraped coconut: ¼ cup
Green chillies: 2
Tamarind: ¼ of the size of lemon
Salt to taste
Method:
- Grind all the ingredients mentioned together into a coarse chutney.
Recipe: Famitha Yusuff, Owner of Fam’s Cake Art. Facebook page www.facebook.com/FAMS-CAKE-ART
While iftar feast is usually grand for many, I try to keep it simple with some biriyani, kebabs and some filling and nutritious beverages. Among the various kebabs , we make, chapli kebab is easy and tastes absolutely delicious. You can cook these in a non-stick pan or you can make long kebabs on skewers and grill them for an extra charcoal flavour. Serve with walnut chutney.
CHAPLI KEBAB
Ingredients:
Mutton, minced fine: 200 gms
Salt to taste
Fried onion paste: 1 tsp
Coriander leaves, chopped: Handful
Lime juice: 1tsp
Green cardamom powder: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds, crushed: 1.5 tsp
Dried pomegranate seeds crushed: 1 tsp
Oil for frying
Method:
- Mix all the ingredients except oil in a bowl and refrigerate for two hours.
- Take it out and shape them into patties. Fry well.
- If you find them breaking add some flour like besan (gram flour) and fry.
Recipe: Tasneem Ayub, Proprietor, Tasneem Ayub’s Ammees Kitchen. Facebook page www.facebook.com/AmmeesKitchen
Nothing like a rich and tantalising plate of steaming hot haleem and a scoop of khubani ka meetha to break the fast. Both these dishes are Hyderabadi in origin but have really caught on in a big way in the city. I teach these version of the popular dishes in my culinary classes.
HYDERABADI HALEEM
Ingredients:
Boneless mutton: 500 grams
Ginger garlic paste: 2 tsp
Shahi jeera: ½ tsp
Cloves: 5
Cinnamon sticks: 2
Cardamom: 2
Star anise: 3
White pepper corns: ½ tsp
Green chillies: 3
Cashew nut paste: 25 grams
A handful of coriander leaves
Oil: 5 tbsp
For step 2
Broken samba wheat: 250 grams (soaked)
Water: 1 ½ litres (7 cups)
For step 3
Uradh dhal: 25 gram
Chana dhal: 25 grams
Water: 400 ml (2 cups)
Onion: 2 (sliced, fried)
A handful for coriander leaves
Lemon, cut into pieces: 2
Butter or ghee: 4 tbsp
Salt to taste
Method:
- Dry roast shahi jeera , cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise and whole pepper corns. Grind to a powder.
- Now, in a pressure cooker add boneless pieces of mutton, add in the ginger garlic paste, ground powder, green chilies, cashew nut paste, coriander leaves, oil, salt and pressure cook for 30 mins.
- Once done, mash and set aside.
- Now, in another cooker, pressure cook the broken wheat with 7 cups water for 30 mins. Mash again and set aside.
- Then, pressure cook both the dhals together with water for 20 mins. Once done mash and set aside.
- In the final step, mix the mashed mutton, broken wheat, dhal and keep cooking the mixture on low flame for an hour.
- Once done, serve hot and garnish with fried onions, chopped coriander leaves, lime and ghee.
KHUBANI KA MEETHA
Ingredients:
Apricots: 250 grams
Sugar: 125 grams
Water: 700 ml (500 ml + 200 ml)
Fresh cream: 200 ml
Almonds for garnishing
Methods:
- Soak the apricot overnight in 500 ml water.
- Deseed the apricots.
- In a saucepan, pour 200 ml water, add sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Now add in the apricots and stew for 20-25 minutes on low flame.
- Once done, remove from flame and bring it to room temperature and refrigerate.
- Finally, top with fresh cream and garnish with chopped almonds. Serve cold.
Recipe: Aasiya Hasham and Khyrunissa Azeem of Cook Town Classes. Facebook page www.facebook.com/cooktownclasses
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