The Eid Edit: Dessert Version

Traditional desserts are a staple at every table on Eid, because obviously it’s called Meethi Eid for a reason! Here are some of our favorite Eid dessert recipes that won’t fail you on your Eid daawat!

1. Sheer Khurma

Ingredients:

• Ghee 1 tbs -Chuwaray (Dry dates) soaked 1 hour ½ Cup
• Kaju (Cashew nuts) soaked 8-10 -Pista (Pistachio) soaked 8-10
• Badaam (Almonds) soaked & peeled 8-10 -Ghee 1 tbs
• Sawaiyan (Vermicelli) crushed ½ Cup
• Doodh (Milk) 1 litre
• Cheeni (Sugar) ¼ Cup or to taste
• Hari elaichi (Cardamom seeds) Crushed ½ tsp
• Kewra water 1 tsp

Method:

• In pot, add milk, sugar and cardamom seeds, mix well and bring it to boil, cook until milk is ¼ reduced and keep stirring in between.
• In frying pan, add ghee and let it melt, add dry dates and fry for 1 minute.
• Add cashew nuts, pistachio and almonds, fry for 1-2 minutes and set aside.
• In frying pan, add ghee and let it melt, add vermicelli and fry until golden brown (2-3 minutes) and set aside.
• In milk, add fried vermicelli, mix well and cook on low flame for 3-4 minutes.
• Add fried nuts, mix and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
• Add kewra water and mix well.

2. Gulab Jamun

Ingredients:

Prepare Sheera (Sugar Syrup):

• Water 3 Cups -Sugar 2 & ½ Cups
• Hari elaichi (Green cardamom) 3-4
• Lemon juice 1 tsp

Prepare Gulab Jamun:

• Milk powder 2 & ½ Cups
• Sooji (Semolina) 3 & ½ tbs
• Maida (All-purpose flour) 3 tbs
• Baking soda ¼ tsp
• Anda (Egg) whisked half
• Kisan Banaspati 3 tbs
• Doodh (Milk) 200ml (¾ Cup)
• Kisan Banaspati for frying
• Chandi warq (Edible silver leaves)
• Pista (Pistachios) sliced

Method:

Prepare Sheera (Sugar Syrup):

• In a wok,add water, sugar & turn on the flame, mix well & let sugar melts.
• Add green cardamom, mix well & cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Add lemon juice, mix well & set aside.

Prepare Gulab Jamun:

• In a bowl, add milk powder, semolina, all-purpose flour, baking soda & mix well.
• Add whisked egg, ghee (microwave for 30 seconds) & mix well until it crumbles.
• Gradually add milk & knead until soft & sticky dough is formed, cover & let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Transfer the dough on a clean working surface, grease hand with oil, knead & stretch dough with the help of your palm until smooth and no lumps (1-2 minutes).
• Now gather the dough,grease hand with oil,take a small quantity of dough & make smooth balls of equal sizes.
• Make sure they have no cracks (makes 25-26).
• In a wok, add Kisan banaspati (add on low flame) and let it melt.
• Make sure ghee is not very hot, add gulab jamun balls & cook on very low heat until they float on surface (stir wok in between) and continue frying on low flame until golden brown (8-10 minutes).
• Stir gently in between.
• Reheat sugar syrup and directly add gulab jamun in hot sugar syrup.
• Turn off the flame & let them soak in sugar syrup for 2-4 hours.
• Garnish with silver edible leaves, pistachios & serve!

3. Rasmalai

Ingredients:

• Doodh (Full cream fresh milk) 1 litre
• Zafran (Saffron strands) 1 pinch
• Hari elaichi (Green cardamom) 5-6
• Sugar 6 tbs ot to taste
• Pista (Pistachios) 1 & ½ tbs
• Badam (Almonds) 1 & ½ tbs
• Doodh (Full cream fresh milk) 1 & ½ litre
• Water ¼ Cup
• Lemon juice 3-4 tbs
• Cornflour 2 tsp
• Sugar 1 Cup
• Water 1 litre

Method:

Prepare Saffron Milk:

• In a pot, add milk and bring it to boil, add saffron strands, green cardamom, sugar, pistachios, almonds and mix well, bring it to boil and cook on low flame until milk is reduced to half (approx. 12-15 minutes) and keep mixing in between.

Prepare Rasmalai Balls:

• In a pot, add milk and bring it to boil then remove from flame and rest for 5-10 minutes to bring down the temperature.
• In water, add lemon juice and mix well.
• In milk, add lemon juice & water and mix well and rest until milk curdles completely.
• In a bowl, place strainer, muslin cloth and strain the curdle mixture through the strainer to separate whey and rinse with tap water to remove lemon juice completely and squeeze well and hang for 10 minutes.
• In a bowl, add strained cheese and mash well for 10 minutes until its smooth.
• Add cornflour, mix well and knead the mixture until smooth (approx. 5 minutes).
• Take a mixture (1 tbs) and make smooth rasmalai balls with no cracks then flatten the balls on your palm (makes 13-14).

Prepare Sugar Syrup:

• In a wok,add water, sugar mix well and cook until sugar is dissolved.
• In sugar syrup, add rasmalai balls & cook for 3 minutes in sugar syrup, cover & cook for 12-15 minutes or until double in size.
• Turn off the flame, add ice cubes and let it rest for 8-10 minutes or until all the ice cubes melt.
• In a serving dish, add prepared saffron milk and rasmalai balls.
• Garnish with pistachios, almonds and saffron.
• Refrigerate for 3-4 hours & serve chilled!

Tips:

• Do not add lemon juice in boiling milk.
• Wait for few minutes to reduce the milk temperature.
• Knead the cheese curdle for at least 10 minutes to make rasmalai soft.
• Note that after a proper kneading, curdle mixture should not stick to your hands or with spoon.
• After adding lemon juice when curdles begin to form, do not stir the syrup.
• Always prepare sugar syrup in wide wok/pot.

4. Kheer

Ingredients:

• Basmati chawal (Basmati rice) ¼ Cup (Soaked for 1 hour)
• Doodh (Milk) 1 liter -Cheeni (Sugar) ½ Cup
• Elaichi powder (Cardamom powder) ¼ tsp
• Badam (Almonds) Blanched & chopped 2 tbs
• Khoa 50 gms -Kewra water ½ tsp

Directions:

• Slightly grind rice in a spice mill or in zip lock bag, add soaked rice and slightly crushed.
• In pot, add milk and bring it to boil, add crushed rice and cook for 8-10 minutes, keep stirring in between.
• Add sugar, cardamom powder, mix well and cook on low flame for 10-15 minutes or until rice are cooked and keep stirring in between.
• Add almonds and khoya, mix well.
• In the end, add kewra essence and give it a good mix.
• Rice Kheer is ready to serve.

5. Jalebi

Important Tips:

Timings are very important in this recipe.

Yeast fermentation required 15 mins.

After making Jalebi batter let it sit for maximum10 mins, texture will be slightly changed.

Never leave batter for long and do not store it.

Use batter within 10-15 mins Dip jalebis in warm sugar syrup immediately after frying.

Dip in Sugar syrup for 5-10 seconds.

Fold in syrup and take them out.

Ingredients:

Sheera (Sugar syryp):

Paani (Water) 1 cup

Cheeni (Sugar) 2 cup

Hari elaichi (Green cardamom) 2-3

Leemo ka rus (Lemon juice) 2 tsp

For Jalebi:

• Paani (Water) lukewarm 2-3 tbs
• Cheeni (Sugar) 1 tsp -Instant yeast ½ tsp
• Maida (Flour) 1 cup
• Orange Food color 1 tsp or as required
• Ghee melted 1 tbs
• Baisan (Gram flour) 1 tbs
• Paani (Water) as required
• Desi ghee for frying

Directions:

For Sheera (Sugar syrup):

• In pot, add water, sugar and green cardamom, mix it and cook until syrup thickens.
• In the end, add lemon juice, stir well and set aside.
• Sheera is ready.

For Jalebi:

• In lukewarm water, add sugar and instant yeast, mix & let it sit for 15 minutes.
• In bowl add flour, orange food color, ghee melted, gram flour, yeast mixture, water and make a batter of desired consistency.
• Let it rest for 10 minutes and consume immediately (within 10-15 minutes).
• Now pour this batter in the sneezing bottle.
• In frying pan, heat desi ghee and squeeze the bottle and make centric rings with the batter.
• When one side is cooked, turn over and fry the other side.
• After frying, immediately put the fried jalebis in the sugar syrup. The sugar syrup should be slightly warm when you add jalebis in it.
• Turn over after a minute so that both sides are coated with the syrup.
• Keep them in the sugar syrup for about 2-3 minutes.
• Remove jablebis with the help of tong and shake lightly so that excess sugar syrup.
• Jalebi is ready to serve.