Eid dishes with deshi spices

Eid-ul-Azha is just around the corner, and some are already looking forward to mouth-watering meat preparations. No wonder, as this Eid is largely about gatherings with your dear ones and delving into yummy food.

But all that depends on proper planning and great cooking skills, and the perfect recipes to make your guests keep wanting more!

Spicy Curried Liver

Kalija for breakfast is a must. There is no use saving this part for later as it tastes best when cooked fresh.

Ingredients

500g beef liver

1 tbsp onion paste

2 tbsp chopped onion

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

2 tsp chilli powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 inch cinnamon stick

2 cardamom pods

3 cloves

½ tsp roasted cumin powder

1 bay leaf

4 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Method

Cut the liver into pieces and wash thoroughly. Heat oil in a pan. Add sliced onion, bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Fry the onion till it turns transparent. Add ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander, onion paste and salt. Fry until the oil separates from the spices. Add the liver pieces and mix well. Add 1 cup water, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Add roasted cumin seeds and cook on very low heat for another 5 minutes. When done, remove from heat. Serve hot with rice, paratha or roti.

Photo: LS Archive/Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Tehari (spicy biryani with mustard oil)

Tehari is perhaps among the most popular festive dishes in Bangladesh, and commonly served with some green salad, pickles and borhani.

Ingredients

For the rice—

500g aromatic rice, washed and drained

2 pcs cardamom

2 sticks cinnamon

3 tsp oil

Water 900ml

For the marination—

1kg beef, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp poppy seeds

½ cup plain yoghurt

1 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp black pepper powder

1 tbsp lemon juice

Salt to taste

Additional ingredients

1 cup thinly sliced onion

1 cup sliced onion, fried

1 tsp nutmeg-mace powder

½ cup milk

1 tsp sugar

¼ cup mustard oil

¼ cup ghee

1 tsp rose water

1 tsp kewra

8-10 green chillies

Method

To marinate the meat, add beaten yoghurt, ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, salt, lemon juice, garam masala, pepper, coriander powder, poppy seeds paste and meat in a bowl. Mix well and set aside to marinate for 1 hour.

For cooking the meat, heat mustard oil in a pan. Add sliced onion and stir till onions turn light brown. Add marinated meat, salt, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, milk, nutmeg and mace powder. Mix thoroughly and cook on high flame. Add 3 cups of water, bring to a boil, then add garam masala powder. Cover and cook on medium heat till the meat is almost cooked through.

For the rice, wash and soak it 20 minutes then drain all the water. In a large pan, boil 1 kg water, add rice, salt, cardamom, cinnamon stick and cloves. Cover and cook till rice is almost (80%) done. Then add cooked meat, fried onion, ghee, rose water, kewra water, green chillies and one tablespoon lemon juice to the pot. Slowly mix rice and meat. Cover and cook it on very low heat for 15 minutes. Turn off the stove, and leave the tehari covered for a further 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with the fried onion and serve hot with salad.

The second day of Eid usually marks the onslaught of relatives that are done with managing their Qurbanis. If you are in the mood to try something different this year, give these ones a try: 

Photo: LS Archive/Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Namkeen Gosht

Ingredients

1kg beef pieces with bones, washed

½ cup cooking oil

1½ tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

5-6 fresh green chillies

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp chopped fresh coriander

1 tsp chopped fresh green chillies

Salt to taste

Method

Heat oil on medium flame in a large wok. Add ginger, and fry for a few seconds. When fragrant, add in garlic and whole green chillies, and sauté for few seconds. Keep stirring and don't let the colour change. Put meat in the wok, mix well. Add salt and pepper, and stir. In few minutes, the meat will release its water. At this point lower the heat to low. Cover the wok and let it cook. Uncover and stir at 20-minute intervals until done— about 1 hour. Usually the meat tenderises in its own water, but if required, a little water can be added. When cooked through, serve with a garnish of chopped green chillies, coriander and sliced ginger. Serve hot.

Photo: LS Archive/Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Mutton Ghee Roast

Mutton ghee roast is a delicious recipe from the Mangalorean cuisine. This recipe is an excellent dish for weddings and other festivals. The recipe today incorporates a special masala created by roasting a lot of spices to add more flavour to the roast, and the cooking method leaves the meat tendered than most other recipes. 

Ingredients

To cook mutton—

1kg mutton (goat or lamb)

3 tbsp ghee

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

To make masala—

10 dry red chillies

1 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tbsp pepper corns

1 cinnamon stick

4 cloves

1 star anise

To grind masala—

1 inch ginger

2 clove garlic

1 lemon juice

4 tbsp water

To make mutton ghee roast—

¼ cup ghee

2 tbsp yoghurt

Curry leaves for garnishing

Salt to taste

Method

In a pan, melt ghee, add ginger garlic paste and turmeric powder. Mix well and add the mutton pieces, some salt, and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Then add just enough water to cover the mutton pieces. Cook until the water evaporates and the meat is soft and tender, and then keep aside.

Now, to make masala for mutton ghee roast, dry roast red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin, pepper corns,  fennel, cinnamon, cloves and star anise. Roast the spices until you feel the rich aroma being released. Transfer all the spices to a blender, add a piece of ginger, garlic and some lemon juice. Grind it to a smooth paste by adding some water.

Now, to make mutton ghee roast, melt some ghee in a pan and add ground masala and yoghurt to it and mix well. Add some water and salt, and cook for a few minutes. You will notice that as the gravy takes a nice and thick consistency, the ghee separates. Now add the cooked mutton pieces and mix well with the gravy. Cook for 4-5 minutes on medium low heat. Finally, add some curry leaves and turn off the heat. The roast is ready.

Photo: LS Archive/Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Sindhi Biryani

Ingredients

1½kg mutton

1kg aromatic rice, soaked in water for half an hour

½kg potato, cut into large chunks

1½ cups oil

3 medium onions, sliced

2 tsp ginger paste

2 tsp garlic paste

1 cup tomatoes, chopped

10-12 aloobukhara

4 tsp red chilli powder

5 cloves

5-6 green cardamom

2 cinnamon sticks

10 pcs black pepper

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

1 cup yoghurt

6 green chillies

2 tbsp coriander leaves

2 tbsp mint leaves

2 black cardamom pods

Salt to taste

Method

Slice the onion and fry it in oil until it is light brown. Take out ¼ of it and keep aside. Add ginger, garlic, tomatoes, aloobukhara, salt, red chilli powder, cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom and bay leaves to the remaining fried onions. Fry this until the tomatoes are tender and the water is dry. Add meat, yoghurt and water. Cook on medium heat until the meat is tender and the water has evaporated. In a separate pot, boil the potatoes until they are half cooked. Now add green chillies, mint, coriander leaves and the half boiled potatoes to the meat. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Your meat curry is done.

Boil the rice with salt, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cardamom. Drain the water when the rice is half done. Now, take the rice and the meat curry, and make alternate layers of each in a pot. Sprinkle some food colour, fried onions and chopped leaves on top of each layer. Close the pot's lid tightly, making sure no steam escapes, and cook on low heat until the rice is fully done. Gently mix it before serving. Serve with raita.