Let the Eid feast begin

T-Mag Wednesday 15/August/2018 16:21 PM
By: Times News Service
Let the Eid feast begin

Eid Al Adha is celebrated all over the world and we soak up in the festivity by cooking some of the popular Eid special dishes of Oman, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

OMANI SHUWA RICE
Oman’s traditional dish Shuwa, that is meat marinated in a thick blend of spices and oil and cooked underground, can also be made at home.

Ingredients
• 1 leg of lamb, from (1.5kg to 2.5kg)
• 10 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons ground pepper
• 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds
• 1½ teaspoons turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 25-30 dry red chillies powdered (adjust the spice level according to your needs)
• 4 tablespoons cooking oil
• 3 tablespoons vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon
For Rice
• 2-3 cups Basmati rice
• 5 to 6 cups of water to cook the rice
• 1½ teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon pepper corns
• 3-4 cardamom pods
• 3-4 cloves
• 3 inch cinnamon
• 2 star anise
• 3-4 bay leaves
• Salt to taste
• Yellow food colour (2 drops)

Preparation
Adjust the amount of dry red chilli according to your spice level. Thoroughly combine all the ingredients, except lamb leg. Rub the spices on the lamb leg. Wrap the meat using dry banana leaves or palm leaves. Marinate in refrigerator overnight. Place the marinated meat wrapped up in the banana leaf in a roasting pan and cover, then roast in a 190C degree pre-heated oven for 3 to 4 hours or until the leg is well cooked, basting from pan juices every 30 minutes and turning over once or twice.
Uncover and roast at 200C degree for 20 minutes, turning over once. Cook till the meat is ready and just about to fall off the bone.
For Rice
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan, add in the whole spices one by one. Sauté for nearly 30 seconds. Add in the water. When water starts to boil, add the soaked rice. Cook till the rice has almost done, do not over cook it. Add the food colouring and serve shuwa with rice.

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Gosht Zaikedaar
A gem from the kitchen of the Mughals, Gosht Zaikedaar is a simple yet delicious lamb curry that will make your Eid more flavourful.

Ingredients
• 6 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 3 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 7 tablespoons ghee/oil
• 4 cloves
• 2 inch cinnamon
• 5 black cardamoms
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons yoghurt
• 1/2kg mutton/lamb
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder (Deghi/Kashmiri)
• Long and thin strips of ginger
• Few coriander leaves

Preparation
Dry roast coriander and cumin and grind them finely. Heat oil in a pan, put in cloves, cinnamon, and cardamoms until aromatic.
Now add in chopped onion and sauté until brown. Add chopped tomatoes, garlic, yoghurt, meat, salt, red chilli powder and sauté until the water of the meat is absorbed.
Add 4 cups of water and long strips of ginger and cook on low flame until meat is tender and a little dry. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with pulao or rotis.

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CHAPLI KEBABS
Beef pattice that are shallow fried to create chargrilled style kebabs are chapli kebabs, a delight from Pakistan.

Ingredients
• 500g minced beef, all water squeezed out completely
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 2 green chillies, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger paste
• 2 medium tomatoes, seeds removed then chopped
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
• 2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves
• 2-3 tablespoons rice flour or breadcrumbs

Preparation
Mix all of the above ingredients together and refrigerate the mixture for half an hour. Heat a small non-stick frying pan with 2-3 inches of oil, shape the pattice flat and round.
Fry them on high heat first then lower the heat to medium low and continue cooking the kebabs until the colour is dark.
Turn them over carefully and cook the other side. Remove and drain on kitchen towels. Drizzle some lemon juice on them before serving. Garnish with onions and tomatoes.

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ORANGE JORDA SEMAI
Jorda semai is a popular Bangladeshi dessert made during festivals. It is made from semai or vermicilli and is flavoured with cinnamon and cardamom. The use of orange gives it a pleasant twist.

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup mix dry fruits and nuts (raisin, pistachios, cashew)
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 150g vermicelli /semai
• 2/3 cup ghee
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange rind
• 1/3 cup orange segments (peeled)

Preparation
Soak all nuts and raisins for 15 minutes. Drain the water and remove the skin of nuts and chop finely. Boil 2 ½ cups water with cardamom and cinnamon.
Boil till the water is reduced to half. Break semai into 2 inch pieces. Heat the ghee and fry semai for 1-2 minutes in another pan.
Stir fry vermicelli/semai till golden brown. Add nuts and raisins and sauté for 1 minute. Add the spiced water and cook till water dries up.
Add sugar, orange rind and orange segments. Cook till sugar leaves a glaze and mix well. Let it cool down and spread semai with the help of a fork on a serving plate.

Oneza Tabish is a food blogger, consultant, and columnist based in Oman. She is also the owner of Oman’s popular Facebook group ‘What’s Cooking Oman.’