Id-E-Milad

The Prophet was born on the twelfth day of Rabi-ul-Awwal, the third month of  the Muslim year. His death anniversary also falls on the same day. The word ' barah ' stands for the twelve days of the Prophet's sickness. During these days, sermons are delivered in mosques by learned men, focusing on the life and noble deeds of the Prophet.

In some parts of the country, a ceremony known as 'sandal' rite is performed over the symbolic footprints of the Prophet engraved in stone. A representation of 'buraq', a horse on which the Prophet is believed to have ascended to heaven, is kept near the footprints and anointed with sandal paste or scented powder, and the house and casket containing these are elaborately decorated. Elegies or 'marsiyas' are sung in memory of the last days of the Prophet. The twelfth day or the Urs proper is observed quietly, in prayers and alms-giving.

Eid Recipes

Mrouziya

2 pounds lamb chunks
2 cups water
2 teaspoons Ras El Hanout
1/4cup honey
1/4cup olive oil
1/2 cup whole blanched almonds, toasted
1/4 cup raisins

Heat oven to 345 degrees.
Coat the lamb with Ras El Hanout spice. Place spiced lamb in a 5-quart pot with an appropriate lid.
To the pot, add the water, honey and olive oil
Bake in the oven for about 2 hours until the meat tenderizes. Remove the meat from the pot and keep warm. Remove extra oil. To the pot, add the raisins. Boil until the raisins are fully cooked and the stew has thickened. Return the lamp to the stew. Bring back to boil for about 2 minutes. Decorate with the toasted almonds. Serve with warm bread, or with cooked Saffron rice, Raisins and Almonds.


Tabuli

1/2 cup very fine bulgur
2 bunches parsley
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 small onion, thoroughly minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mint
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions
Soak bulgur in enough fresh water for about 15 minutes.
Drain well.
Toss all ingredients in a large cooking bowl and add oil last.
Chill the mixture in the refrigerator.
Serve the mouthwatering dish decorated with lettuce leaves.


Biryani

500 gms Basmati Rice.
1kg Mutton (cut into small pieces).
2 tsp. Garam Masala.
6 Red chilies.
7 Cashewnuts.
Onions.(A handful, sliced fine and fried till crisp)
5 Lavang (Cloves)
2 Dalchini (Cinnamon Sticks)
2 pieces Elaichi.(cardamom)
3 Green chilies.
6 Kothmir, (chopped Fresh coriander)
1 small bunch Pudina chopped.
Ginger Garlic paste.
3 tsp. Saffron. (dissolved in ¾ cup milk)
Curd beaten 1 cup.
Juice of 2 Limes. 4 boiled eggs. Ghee /Oil 5 tbsp.
Salt to taste.

Grind the chilies and Cashewnuts into a fine paste. Mix the mutton pieces with the ginger-garlic paste and beaten curd and Keep aside. Heat four tablespoons ghee or oil and fry the chili paste. To this add the mutton, ¼ of the fried onion, 1tsp garam masala and salt to taste. When the ghee separates from the mixture, add one and a half cups warm water and pressure cook till tender. Take a wide mouthed vessel, fry the whole spices in 1 tbsp. ghee/oil. Add the rice and fry a little, add green chilies and salt to taste and enough water for the rice to cook. When the rice is cooked, spread it on a plate and remove the spices (sabut masala). Make a mixture* of the chopped Kothmir, Pudina, garam masala and fried onion and keep aside. 

 

Take another wide mouthed vessel (a thick bottomed one) and line it with ghee, spread a layer of rice in it and cover it with half the mutton. Sprinkle half of the Pudina mixture* and juice of a lime. Put a layer of rice followed by a mutton layer and finish with a final layer of rice. Sprinkle the rice with saffron milk and some ghee. Cover tightly and cook for twenty minutes over slow fire. Serve hot.


Mutton Korma

½ kg Boneless mutton.
½ tbsp Jeera.
Onions. (Finely chopped 1 cup)
Poppy seed paste. (½ cup)
Coconut paste. (½ cup)
1 tbsp Ginger paste.
1 tbsp Garlic paste.
Coriander powder 1 tbsp.
Turmeric powder ½ tsp.
Red chili powder ½ tsp.
Bay leaves 2 nos.
Cloves 6-8 nos.
Green elaichi 6-8 nos.
Cinnamon sticks A few.
Nutmeg powder A little.
Oil 4 tbsp.
Salt to taste.

Roast (dry) the cloves, elaichi, nutmeg powder, jeera and cinnamon sticks and then grind to a fine paste. Heat some oil in a saucepan, add bay leaves and chopped onions and saute. When the onion browns add the ginger and garlic paste. Put in the boneless mutton and stir, mix in the ground masala, turmeric and red chili powder. Pour some water, sprinkle salt to taste and boil till the mutton is tender. Finally add in the poppy seeds paste along with the coconut paste and roasted coriander powder. Boil for another 10 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with coconut paste.

Haleem

250 gms Mutton.
1 cup Wheat soaked overnight, drained, pounded & husked.
A handful of channa dal, soaked for 1/2 hour.
A handful of moong dal, soaked for 1/2 hour.
A handful of masoor dal, soaked for 1/2 hour.
1 tsp Chili powder.
1/2 tsp Haldi.
2 Onions, sliced and fried crisp.
1 tsp Dhania powder.
2 tsp Ginger-garlic paste.
4 tbsp Ghee.
Salt to taste.

Take a wide mouthed heavy-bottomed vessel and heat 6-8 cups of water in it. When the water starts to boil put in the drained dal, wheat and mutton along with the ginger garlic paste, dhania powder, haldi, red chili powder and salt. Cook over slow fire till the mutton is tender then mash the mutton. To this mixture add the crushed fried onion. Heat the ghee and pour it over the Haleem. Sprinkle lemon-juice before serving – serve hot.



Kofta

For the gravy :-

3 onions finely chopped.
3 tomatoes.
2 tsp chili powder.
2 ½ tsp coriander powder.
¼ tsp turmeric powder.
1 tsp ginger garlic paste.
1 tsp cumin paste.
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves.
5- tbsp oil.
3 cloves.
2 cardamoms.
2 Bay leaves.
4-5 green chilies finely chopped.
For the Koftas: -
½ kg mutton minced.
1 egg.
3 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves.
½ tsp cumin seeds.
½ tsp red chili powder.
½ tsp coriander powder.
Salt to taste.


To make koftas

After washing the mince, squeeze out the water and mix it with all the other ingredients for koftas, make medium sized balls of this mixture and deep-fry them. Keep aside

For the gravy

Fry the chopped green chilies and onion along with the cumin seeds, bay leaves and the ginger garlic paste until golden brown. To this add the ground tomatoes, cardamom, cloves, salt and other ground spices, fry on a low flame. Put the koftas in the gravy and cook till the koftas leave water and add water only if required. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.



Shami Kabab

½ kg minced meat without fat.
2 tbsp chana dal washed and soaked in water for ½ hr.
1 tsp dhania jeera powder.
1 tsp garam masala.
10 garlic flakes.
2 pieces dalchini. (cinnamon)
3 cloves.
1 piece ginger.
2 elaichi. (cardamom)
A pinch of pepper.
1 tsp chili powder.
A handful of Coriander and chopped mint leaves
1 egg.
Juice of ½ a lemon.
1 finely chopped onion.
Oil for frying.
Salt to taste.

Wash and drain the mince and mix the chana dal, whole spices, a cup of water and salt to taste. Cook till dry. Remove from the fire and add ginger, garlic, pepper, chili powder, dhania and jeera powder then grind the mixture into a fine paste and knead into a dough. Add the chopped mint, corriander, lime juice and salt to taste. Make lemon sized balls of the dough, flatten the balls and stuff these with a little onion mixture, dip the stuffed kebabs in the beaten eggs and shallow fry till cooked.


Dahi Vada

1 cup urad dal.
1 kg yogurt

2 tsp cumin powder. (roasted)
1 tsp red chili powder.
1 tsp rock salt/ black salt.
3 tbsp chopped coriander.
1 piece ginger julienne.
15-20 raisins.
1 green chili finely chopped.
Oil for frying.
Tamarind chutney to taste.
Mint chutney to taste.
Salt to taste.

Soak the dal in water overnight, drain and grind into a smooth paste. Add ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp red-chili powder and raisins to this paste. Heat some oil in a pan and drop a tbsp of the batter into it and fry till it becomes golden in color. Take out from the oil and drain on absorbent paper, these are now called bhallas. Put these into hot water and soak for 2 minutes, remove it and squeeze the bhallas to drain water. Stir rock salt and ordinary salt into the yogurt. Just before serving place the bhallas in a plate, pour yogurt over it, add mint chutney and tamarind chutney and sprinkle red-chili powder and cumin powder