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Enjoy these lip-smacking Eid specialities!

Last updated on: August 30, 2011 16:50 IST

Make the most of these Eid recipes and send us yours!

Eid ul-Fitr, the festival marking the end of the fasting month of Ramzan will be celebrated across India tomorrow.

Here we bring you some delicious traditional specialities -- and you can send us yours too! E-mail in your recipes to getahead@rediff.co.in (subject line: 'My Eid Recipe') and we'll publish the best ones right here!

Murgh Mussallam

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, cleaned and washed thoroughly
2 tbsps ghee
2 cups water
kg yoghurt, beaten to a creamy consistency
4 large onions, sliced and fried golden brown for birasta or garnish

For paste:

1 tbsp poppy seeds or khus khus for paste
8 sticks of cinnamon
1 tbsp cumin seeds or jeera
1 tbsp shah jeera or black cumin seeds
10 black peppercorns
2 large black cardamom
7 green cardamoms
7 cloves
A 4-inch piece of fresh ginger
1 whole garlic
6-8 whole red chillies
Salt to taste

Method:

Grind the spices into a paste.
Chop up the heart, liver, gizzard (optional), into small pieces.
Marinate the whole chicken by smearing the ground masala on both the inside, as well as the exterior of the chicken and on the chopped-up heart and liver for at least one hour.
In a vessel large enough to hold the chicken, heat the ghee. Pour in the marinade and chicken, and fry till well browned. Add water and cook covered till tender.
Add the yoghurt, salt and birasta (golden-fried onions). Simmer for 10 minutes more. Serve hot with naan or milkbread.

Sheer Korma

Ingredients:

2 litres whole milk (the milk should not be skimmed, but the cream retained)
1/2 kg sugar
50 gms vermicelli -- roasted and broken into tiny pieces
200 gms kharak or dried dates sliced with the help of a nutcracker and soaked in water to soften
50 gms almonds blanched and slivered fine
50 gms pistachios, shelled and slivered
50 gms charoli nuts, blanched
100 gms raisins, preferably sweet, not sour, soaked in water, with stems removed
A dash of ground jawantri
The seeds of a few elaichi or cardamoms, ground
A dash of ground jaiphal or nutmeg
A few threads of kesar or saffron threads soaked in a spoonful of warm water (optional)

Method:

Bring the milk to a boil, keep stirring so cream does not form. While the milk is boiling, roast vermicelli to a light golden brown and break into small pieces and keep aside.
Add the sugar to the milk and keep it boiling on a low flame, stirring from time to time till the milk thickens to almost half of the original quantity.
Add the vermicelli gently so that it does form lumps. Keep stirring till the vermicelli is cooked. Add the ground spices and kesar, stirring all the time. Take off the stove. Serves four or more.
To serve -- fill small individual bowls with the sheer khorma. Sprinkle chopped dried fruit and serve hot.

Note: All preparations for the sheer which do not entail soaking in water can be made a day in advance, as cooking only begins after the Eid moon has been sighted.

Sweet Sevaiyya (Vermicelli)

Ingredients:

1/2 kg vermicelli or sevaiyya, roasted
10 almonds
6 pistas
10 gms cashew nuts
10 gms raisins
A few strands of saffron
1/2 tsp elaichi powder
1 cup sugar
11/2 glass of milk
2 tbsps oil for frying

Method:

In a deep-bottomed vessel, fry all the dry fruits in oil till they turn light brown.
Add the milk, sugar and vermicelli.
Cook on a slow fire for 10 minutes till it thickens.
The sevaiyya is ready.