Mothers-in law go to extreme ends to see their sons-in-law happy and pleased. And what better way than to serve delicious dishes on the table? For them it is a practice that continues throughout the years following the wedding, but the very first 'Jamai Khatir' is somewhat special.

The following are some recipe suggestions. Although most of these will require some culinary prowess to achieve, when it's the 'jamai' of the house, there are no compromises. 

GRAPE SHERBET 

Grapes enjoyed a special place in the royal courts of the lost days and this sherbet made with fresh green grapes is divine. The lemon juice and mint leaves provide the required freshness while the cumin seeds and ginger juice add a range of flavours that will tantalise your taste buds. The very first thing a mother-in-law will serve to her Jamai is sherbet. Sherbet served as a refresher is considered mandatory and a common drink in any family.

INGREDIENTS 

2 cups grapes

2 tbsp powdered sugar

1 tbsp cumin seeds powder

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp ginger juice

2 cups water

2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, for garnish

METHOD

Blend the grapes in a mixture to a smooth purée. Add 2 cups of water and mix well. Strain through a sieve and add sugar, cumin seeds powder, lemon juice and ginger juice; mix well. Keep in the refrigerator to chill. Pour into glasses and garnish with mint leaves. Serve chilled.

KAJU PULAO (CASHEW RICE)

'Kaju pulao' is a classic pulao that is served on special occasions. This is the simplest pulao that one can make without compromising on the taste. Obviously addition of cashew makes this pulao rich, perfect for infrequent meals that demand special attention. 

INGREDIENTS 

2 cups basmati or aromatic rice

2 tbsp ghee

½ cup thinly sliced onions

2 tbsp fried onion for garnish

½ tsp ginger paste

½ tsp garlic paste

1 cup cashews

2 bay leaves

4-5 black peppers

1½ inch cinnamon

1/4 tsp caraway seeds (shahi jeera)

1 black cardamom 

2 green cardamoms 

3 cloves

1 single strand of mace

Salt to taste

METHOD

Clean, wash and soak rice in enough water for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, drain all the water from the rice and keep aside. Heat ghee in a pan.

Add all the whole spices and sauté till they crackle and turn fragrant. Now add the sliced onions and sauté stirring often, till the onions turn golden. Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic paste fades. Add the cashews and cook for a minute. Add soaked rice, mix the rice gently with rest of the ingredients. Season with salt, pour water and stir. Cover and cook on medium heat till the water is reduced. Stir gently, cover and cook for 10 minutes on low heat. When it is done gently toss the rice. Garnish with fried onions and serve.

MUGHLAI WHOLE CHICKEN ROAST

INGREDIENTS 

1 whole chicken

2 tbsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tbsp red chilli paste

½ tsp turmeric powder 

½ tsp garam masala powder

1 cup whipped yoghurt

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 chopped onion, 1/4 tsp saffron

1/4 tsp nutmeg paste

1/4 tsp mace paste

1 tsp poppy seeds paste

1 tbsp kewra water

1/4 cup fried onion

1/4 cup oil, 2 tbsp ghee

1 tsp sugar

Salt to taste

METHOD

Take a bowl, add ginger-garlic paste, red chilli paste, turmeric powder, salt and yoghurt, mix and apply on chicken, leave for 1 hour. Heat oil and fry onion until light brown, then add marinated chicken, fry for 3-4 minutes. Add remaining marinate, nutmeg paste, mace paste and poppy seed paste, cover and cook on low flame for 20 minutes or till chicken is tender. Then add saffron, kewra, garam masala powder, lemon juice, fried onion, sugar and green chilli, cover and cook for 10 minutes on low heat. When it is done garnish with boiled eggs and serve. 

NAVRATAN MUTTON CURRY

Navratan mutton curry is a flavourful Indian curry, made rich with the addition of cream and nuts. Some are also made with dried fruit like golden raisins to add more richness.

INGREDIENTS 

1 kg mutton (lean), 200g curd

½ cup chopped onion

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp ginger paste

3-4 green chilli, chopped

4 tbsp cooking oil

2 tbsp cream

Salt to taste

For paste -

20g poppy seeds

2 tbsp almond paste

1 tbsp cashew paste

Spices -

2 inch stick cinnamon

2 bay leaves

4-5 black pepper corns

2 black cardamom

2 green cardamom

2 clove

½ tsp mace powder

1 star anise

½ tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tbsp slivers of pistachio and almonds for garnish 

METHOD

Clean and wash the mutton thoroughly and marinate it in a mixture of curd and salt. Coat the mutton well and set aside for 45 minutes. Blend the poppy seeds, soaked almonds and cashew adding a little water to form a smooth paste. Heat oil in a pan. Add bay leaves, green cardamom, cinnamon stick, black cardamom, black paper corns and cloves. Let the oil turn aromatic. After 30 seconds, add chopped onion, ginger-garlic. Sauté them till golden brown. Now add the prepared paste and mix well. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and quarter cup of water. Cook for few minutes. When the oil floats over the spices, add mutton, curd and one cup of water. Cover and let it cook till the oil leaves sides. Once the mutton is cooked through add the mace and prepared paste of cashew, almonds and poppy seeds. Stir well and cook for five minutes on low heat. Add the cream and mix well and cook for 2 minutes on low heat. Serve with slivers of pistachio and almonds sprinkled to garnish it in royal style. 

Serving tip -

Complement with pulao or biryani; butter naan, roti or paratha.

SHOR BHAJA

Shor bhaja is a traditional Bengali sweet dish originating from Krishna Nagar, West Bengal. The process is a bit tedious and needs gentle handling.  It is made from milk cream, but sometimes khoya and chhana are also used. 

INGREDIENTS 

For sugar syrup -

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

½ tsp lime juice

Pinch of cardamom powder

Few drops of rose essence

For the shor bhaja -

3 litres full cream milk

3 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

Few almond and pistachio chopped for garnishing

Ghee for frying

METHOD

For the sugar syrup add water and sugar in a pot. Let it boil. Add cardamom powder and rose essence. Let it simmer. Add lemon juice and keep it aside. For the shor bhaja, boil the milk. Then simmer the milk on low flame. The cream will start to form on top of the milk. Wait till the cream settles in properly. Take the cream out from the milk very gently and keep collecting it on a plate layer by layer. Sprinkle sugar on top of the cream when we reach to half point. Repeat the process of collecting the cream over the sugar till the last point. Press the cream and remove all the milk from the cream if any. Cut the cream into square pieces. Sprinkle little flour on the cream. Leave it for some time. Heat ghee in a pan. Take some flour on a plate. Take a single square cream piece at a time. Gently apply flour all around and reshape it. Now fry the square cream pieces on medium-high flame on both the side until golden brown in colour. Put the sugar syrup back on fire on a low flame. Add the fried cream pieces into the hot sugar syrup. Let it boil on medium flame. Keep the syrup boiling for 10-15 minutes more or until it gets thicker. Remove the pan from fire and let it cool. Garnish with some slivers of pistachio and sprinkle some mawa on the top. Serve hot or cold.

set design: eskay by Saimul Karim

food prepared by chef Md. Basir, ds cafe