This Eid try three new dishes at home from celebrity chef Sadaf Hussain

Afshan Anjum

Bored of the usual Eid dishes on your plate? This Eid-ul-Azha, try something different that comes straight from the recipe collection of a celebrity chef. Sadaf Hussain, 31, might not remember the exact moment when he decided to put on his kitchen-apron but Bakr Eid memories from his childhood days are still vivid. Ask him what he cherishes the most about this festival and he has a long list of mutton dishes that starts from Kaleji and ends at Qorma.

“As a child, I had this strange fascination with Qurbani. Me and kids in the family formed a little group and watched the whole ritual sacrifice of lambs. I still remember my Naani (maternal grandmother) calling the shots as the meat was divided into the portions meant for the family, neighbours, relatives and charity. She also made sure no one commits a fraud (laughs) by keeping the best pieces for themselves and everyone got a fair share. We were fully engrossed in the process.”

Bakr Eid was a great learning for a chef-to-be as you get the choicest selections of meat, and you get to know how to utilise every bit of the lamb or goat. While growing up Sadaf traveled and lived in different places and picked up the nuances of food from multiple cultures. Obviously nothing matches the sweet memories of Qurbani from the childhood.

In 2016, Sadaf made it to the top eight contestants of the popular television show MasterChef India and that’s when his traditional, slow cooked dishes caught the eye of food lovers. While Sadaf has now evolved his passion by cooking vegans and gluten free food as well, he will always be known to have brought out the best of Muslim meals from the cozy Dastarkhan to the international palate. He shares three of his most loved recipes with Afshan Anjum for another Eid we have to safely celebrate in the lockdown.

Eid Mubarak and happy cooking!

Haleem

INGREDIENTS

1. 1 cup wheat
2. 1/2 cup chanadaal
3. 1/4 cup Uraddaal
4. 1/4 cup moongdaal
5. 1/4 cup masoordaal
6. 1/4 cup basmati rice
7. 1/4 cup barley
8. 3/4 cup ghee
9. 2 kilograms mutton, boneless
10. 2 cups mutton stock/water
11. 3 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
12. 1 tablespoon coriander powder
13. 1 teaspoon level turmeric powder
14. 2 large onions (sliced for frying)
15. 1 tablespoon red chili powder
16. 2-3 green chilies, chopped
17. Salt to taste
18. 1 level teaspoon garam masala powder
19. 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
20. 1/4 teaspoon mace powder
21. 1/2 teaspoon black cumin
22. 1/2 teaspoon green cardamom powder

METHOD

1. Wash and rinse all the grains
2. Soak all of them for at least 6 hours or overnight.
3. In a deep pan, pour some ghee and fry onions until brown and crispy.
4. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for 2-3 minutes or till the rawness goes away.
5. Toss in meat, turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, stock/water and salt. Cook until the meat is cooked and fork tender.
6. In another pot, boil all the presoaked grains in ample water. You can adjust the water based on the consistency. This should take 2-3 hours or to save time use pressure cooker and remove after 5-6 whistles.
7. Once boiled, blend the grain in a nice pouring paste. Put it back in the pot.
8. Make the paste of the meat as well either through a mixer grinder or using a heavy spatula.
9. Mix the meat the pot of grain and lower the flame. Let it cook for 8-10 minutes.
10. Adjust the seasoning.
11. Dry roast garam masala, nutmeg, mace, black cumin and green cardamom. Make a smooth powder and sprinkle in the pot.
12. Mix them well, cover and seal the lid and let the Haleem cook on a very slow flame for 10-12 more minutes.
13. Serve with spoon full of ghee, fresh coriander, chopped chilies, lemon pieces, fried onion and roasted cumin powder.

Kachche Gosht Ki Biryani

INGREDIENTS

1. Basmati Rice 1 kg (atleast 2 years aged)
2. Lamb/Mutton 1kgs
3. Yogurt 400 gms
4. Biryani Masala: 3-4 tbsp
5. Green Chilies 12-14
6. Ginger-Garlic paste 3 tbsp
7. Ginger Julienne 3 tbsp
8. Fresh Mint 100 gms
9. Fresh Coriander 120 gms
10. Onion (Fried) 7
11. Ghee 8 tbsp
12. Salt to taste
13. Bay Leaves 2
14. Cloves 6-7
15. Cardamoms (green) 8-10
16. Cinnamon sticks 5 (1/2 inches)
17. Shahzeera 3 tsp
18. Mace 1/2 tsp
19. Star Anise pod 1
20. saffron 2 gms
21. Milk 50 ml

METHOD

1. Dry roast bay leaf, cloves, green cardamoms and royal cumin, mace, star anise pod together. Let the aroma come out. Ensure not to burn these spices.
2. Either by using a mortar and pestle or a mixer grinder, make powder and keep it aside.
3. Soak saffron in 50 ml in warm milk and keep it aside.
4. Marinade the lamb in yogurt, garlic-ginger paste, ginger julienne (1 tbsp), green chilies (4), mint and coriander (50 gms), fried onion (2 tbsp), the freshly made garam masala (3tsp), abd biryani masala with salt. Mix them well and keep aside.
5. Leave this for 5-7 hours. The more you leave, the better it is for the biryani.
6. Wash and soak the basmati rice in cold water for 45 minutes. Do not forget to add salt.
7. Cook the rice with bay leaf (1), black peppers (6), and cinnamon stick (1) for 3-4 minutes. Ensure to cook only 30%.
8. Once the rice is ready, meat is done marinating, it’s time to cook.
9. Take a heavy bottom vessel for cooking purpose.
10. Pour 2 tbsp of ghee and cinnamon sticks, layer the marinated meat.
11. Toss in the fried onions, mint and coriander leaves, ginger julienne, ghee (1 tbsp), and saffron milk (25 ml).
12. Put rice on top and on rice and all the left over fried onions, mint and coriander, ginger julienne, saffron milk, ghee and garam masala.
13. Seal the vessel with air tight lid or using the silver foil.
14. Cook on high for 5-8 minutes then on low for 20-25 minutes.
15. After 20 minutes, let it rest for 8-10 minutes.
16. Open and mix together gently
17. Serve hot with raita

Sheermal

INGREDIENTS

1. 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1 1/2 cups whole milk
3. 1/2 cup ghee
4. Pinch of saffron threads
5. 7-10 gms of dry instant yeast
6. 1/2 tsp salt
7. 3/4 cup sugar (preferably powdered)
8. 2 freshly ground cardamom pods (optional)

METHOD

1. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons milk and the saffron; set aside at room temperature
2. Meanwhile, activate the yeast by mixing 2 tbsp of milk and 1 tbsp sugar in it. After 10-12 minutes, you’ll notice lather on top of the bowl, indicating that the yeast is active and ready to use.
3. In another bowl, sift the flour, sugar, and salt; stir to combine.
4. Mix the yeast in the bowl
5. Knead the dough using only milk and the saffron milk which we made earlier.
6. Once dough is soft and kneaded well, add in the melted ghee little by little. Knead it well ensuring the dough soaks the ghee properly.
7. Cover the bowl, keep it aside till the dough becomes double in size.
8. Uncover the dough and give it a few more quick kneads in the bowl to deflate and tighten. Cover and set aside again until the dough is puffed and nearly doubled in volume, about 1 hour more.
9. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using your hands, stretch the dough and gently roll small equal balls out of it, then transfer to a another plate or baking tray, cover, and set aside until the dough has relaxed, 30-40 minutes more.
10. Meanwhile, heat the preheat oven on 220 deegre C.
11. Once the dough ball is well rested, give it a round shape, prick the top and give any desired design or pattern. Put these uncooked sheermals onto the baking tray, brush some milk and sprinkle some sugar, cook until they are baked and become golden brown. This should not take more than 10-12 minutes at 180 degree C.
12. Once the bread is done, take it out from the oven, dip in the regular water and take it out on the baking rack. This will ensure that the sheermal remains moist and soft.
13. You can also dip in the sugar syrup for added sweetness.

(Sadaf Hussain is a Chef and Author of Daastan-E-Dastarkhan. He was amongst the top MasterChef 2016 India contestants. He loves to explore food and the stories paired with them. Sadaf also hosts food shows on YouTube with various brands and writes on his blog foodandstreets.com)