Bakrid 2023: Prepare a delicious Eid-ul-Adha meal with these traditional recipes

The Eid-al-Adha meal can have several delicacies, with meat being central to the fare – from the traditional biryani to slow-cooked qormas, a variety of savoury dishes as well as sweets like zarda and sevaiyaan

Get set to spread the dastarkhwan for Eid-al-Adha or Bakri Eid. It is marked by worship and reflection, charitable deeds and celebrations in the way of an Eid feast. After the prayers and qurbani, it’s time to exchange greetings and distribute the meat among the needy, family and friends. It’s then time to get cooking.

The Eid-al-Adha meal can have several delicacies, with meat being central to the fare – from the traditional biryani to slow-cooked qormas, a variety of savoury dishes as well as sweets like zarda and sevaiyaan. While in a lot of homes, kaleji-gurda and kebabs are had with parathas for breakfast, for many, cooking at Eid is also a time to enjoy regional flavours.

Here are a few recipes from chefs and foodies for you to try.

Safed Gosht ki Biryani

By Chef Haseen Qureshi, Taftoon

Chef Haseen shares more about variation of biryani as he relates, “In Awadh, which is today’s Lucknow, the Safed Gosht ki Biryani remains a highlight during Bakri Eid, and is known for its painstaking process that runs over seven hours to make. It stands out for its appearance, fragrance, and succulence. Unlike the traditions of the North, the meat is buttery tender, and in stark contrast to the appearance of the biryanis of the West and the South. And like its name, it has a delicate cream shade with the use of white ingredients and spices.”

Ingredients: Mutton, ½ kg; Ginger-garlic paste, 2 to 3 tsp; Turmeric, 1 tsp; Chilli powder, 1 tsp; Cashew nut paste; Garam masala, a pinch; Curd, 4 tsp; Salt, 2 to 3 tsp; Ghee, 3 tsp; Oil, 2 to 3 tbsp; Milk, 2 to 3 cups; Saffron, a pinch

To prepare the mutton marinade: Add ginger-garlic paste, turmeric and chilli powder to half kg mutton. Then, add cashew nut paste, garam masala, curd and whisk it. Cover it with the lid and put it in the refrigerator for an hour.

For the final preparation: Let the meat come to room temperature. Season the meat with salt. To a vessel, add some ghee and oil. Transfer the marinated meat from the bowl to the vessel. Stir and cook the meat for a few minutes. Cover and simmer for another half an hour. Next, layer the mutton with cooked rice and pour a little saffron induced milk over it. Add a little salt, garam masala, roasted onions and ghee over it. Cover with the lid and weigh it down with something heavy. Keep the flame low. Cook for about half an hour. Serve it hot.

Mutton Roghan Josh

By Reetu Uday Kugaji, culinary expert and chef consultant

One of the signature dishes from the much-adored Kashmiri cuisine, this is also one of the main dishes of the wazwaan and is prepared with the best cuts of mutton or lamb. Says Reetu Uday Kugaji, “Roghan Josh involves the most aromatic spices, laced with saffron and derives its deep fiery red colour from ratan jyot or mawal ke phool and a generous dose of Kashmiri lal mirch. It derives its name from the Persian word rogan, meaning oil and josh which stands for intense heat.”

Ingredients: Mutton (cut into pieces), 500 gm; Mustard oil, 4 tbsp; Asafoetida powder, a generous pinch; Salt, to taste; Mutton stock, ½ cup; Whole garam masala (Black cardamom, 2; Green cardamom, 3; Bay leaf, 1; Cloves, 3; Cinnamon stick, 1 inch)

For the rogan josh spice mix paste: Curd (whisked), ½ cup; Saffron strands, a pinch; Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1 ½ tbsp or more if desired; Fennel seed powder, ½ tsp; Dry ginger powder, 1 tsp; Shahi jeera powder, ¼ tsp (optional)

For the brilliant red colour: Cockscomb flowers (mawal ke phool) (dried), 2 tbsp, steeped in 4 tbsp of lukewarm water

For the finishing: Clarified butter (hot), 2½ tbsp in which ½ inch of ratan jyot is steeped/infused, covered and kept aside

Method: Heat mustard oil in a heavy-bottomed pan till it reaches smoking point. Switch off the flame, cool it down completely. Heat again and add whole garam masalas. Once it splutters, add the asafoetida. Now add clean, washed, drained and pat-dried mutton pieces and sear it till the surface turns in golden brown. (Ensure you stir the mutton with a flat spoon so that all the pieces from all the sides are evenly browned). Now add the spice mix- paste and cook on a slow flame till the oil oozes out. Stir occasionally. Add ½ cup of mutton stock and salt. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer. Cook the mutton for 45 minutes. Once done, add the mawal water and mix well. Now add the clarified butter in which the ratan jyot was steeped/infused and ensure that you discard the piece of ratan jyot, adding only the ghee to the prepared mutton. Garnish with ground green cardamom and serve hot with steamed rice or Kashmiri breads.

Khaara Gosht

By Shabana Salauddin, home chef and founder of Ammeez Kitchen

Ingredients: Goat meat with fat (medium to small pieces with bones), 1 kg; Whole spices mix (cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves, black pepper, bay leaves, cumin and shahi zeera), 50 gm; Ginger-garlic paste, 100 gm; Lemons (juice), 2; Green chillies (cut into slits) (increase for more spice), 6; Salt, to taste, Oil, 1 tbsp; Chopped coriander, for garnish

Method: Pour hot oil in a heavy bottom, add the whole spices and let it crackle. Add the meat and sauté it for 5-10 minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste, slit green chillies and salt. Sauté again for five minutes. Cook till meat is tender and soft. Keep stirring it frequently to avoid ginger garlic paste sticking to the pot. Do not add water. Add lemon juice and stir well. For last five minutes, keep a tawa on the gas stove, place the pot covered with lid and keep some weight on the lid. Let it simmer on dum. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with sheermal or roti or eat it as an appetiser.

Savoury treat: Mutton Kheema samosasBy Vinayak Patil, corporate chef, Butterfly High

Ingredients:

To make filling: Minced mutton, 150 gm; Oil, 2 tsp; Onion (small-sized, finely chopped), 1; Green chilli (finely chopped), 1; Tomato (seedless and chopped), 1 small; Turmeric powder, ½ tsp; Chilli powder, 1 tsp; Cumin powder, 1 tsp; Coriander powder, 1 tsp; Salt, 1 tsp; Ginger-garlic paste 2 tsp; Garam masala, 1 tsp; Water, ½ cup; Chopped coriander leaves

To make samosa sheets: Maida/all-purpose flour, 1 cup; Salt – ½ tsp; Oil - 1 tbsp; Water

To make maida paste: Maida, 2 tsp; Water; Oil for deep frying

Method:

To make the filling: Add oil to a pan and sauté onions and green chilies in it. Once the onions are golden brown in colour, add tomatoes and mix. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt and mix well. Add ginger garlic paste and mix again. To this, add the minced mutton and cook. Once the juices start releasing, add garam masala powder. Add water, mix well, cover the pan with a lid and cook the mutton for 15 minutes on a medium flame. Add the chopped coriander leaves and turn off the stove after the moisture is completely gone. Keep it aside.

To make the samosa sheets and mutton samosas: Mix the maida, salt and oil. Gradually add water to this and prepare the dough ball. Knead it for 10 minutes, apply a little oil all over, cover and let it rest for 30 minutes. Divide the rested dough ball into small portions and roll them into thin sheets. Heat a pan and place the rolled-out sheets on it. Cook for three seconds on each side and keep them aside. Place all the sheets on one another and cut them into squares. Cut the squares into halves and fold the sheets. Place the mutton filling inside the cone and seal it with maida paste. Prepare all the mutton samosas this way and keep them aside. Heat a pan with oil fry the samosas on a medium-low flame until they are golden brown in colour on all the sides. Remove and serve with green chutney.

Sweet endings
A few sweet dishes make for an apt ending to the meal. Here are recipes by Rida Khan, food innovator.

Sevai ki kheer

Ingredients: Milk, 1 litre; Sugar, half cup; Broken sevayi, 1 cup; Ghee, 2 tbsp; Sweetened condensed milk, 2 tbsp; Chopped dry fruits

Method: Sauté sevai in ghee till it is light golden brown in colour and let it cool down. Boil milk in a non-stick pan, add sugar and sweet condensed milk and stir this continuously. Add the sevai and cook on a slow flame while continuing to stir. Switch off the flame as soon as kheer becomes thick. Take it out in a bowl, add chopped dry fruits and keep it in the fridge.

Zarda (sweet saffron rice)

Ingredients: Rice, 2 cups; Sugar, 4 cups; Green cardamoms, 3; Dry sweet cherries and cashew nuts (a few); Ghee, 1tbsp; Saffron colour, 1tsp

Method: Boil the rice in water by adding saffron colour in it. Once it is fully cooked, drain it in a colander.  Heat a non-stick kadhai and add ghee and green cardamom to it and let it crackle. At a slow flame, add the boiled rice and sugar, mix and cover it. Once the whole sugar is cooked well with the rice, switch off the flame. Serve the zarda in a bowl and garnish it with cashew nuts and dry cherries.

Dry dates muzafir

Ingredients: Dry dates (khajoor/chuwara), 8 pieces; Milk, 1 litre; Broken sevayi, 2 cups; Green cardamoms, 3; Oil, 1 tbsp; Dry fruits (chopped); Grated coconut

Method: Boil the milk in a non-stick pan. Add the dry dates to it and boil for 15 minutes on slow flame. Pour the milk with dates in a bowl and keep in the fridge for two days. Then, remove the dates from the milk and their seeds and cut them into small pieces. Heat oil in non-stick pan, add oil, green cardamom and let them crackle. Sauté the sevai till turns light golden brown. Add the dry date milk and place the dry dates pieces in it. Cook till it starts leaving the pan and serve it in a plate, garnish with grated coconut and dry fruits.