Viki 's Kitchen

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Khubani ka meetha

khubani / Qubani - apricot. Meetha - dessert.
Khubani ka meeta is another fusion dessert of India. Mughal chefs at that time, who enjoyed cooking with fresh apricots in their native, brought India these dried apricots. Then these trees were cultivated around Himalayas and they thrive there till now.
Now to our dessert...Qubani ka meeta is a simple jam (preserve) like dish. It is popular among Hyderabad cuisine.
I came to know of this from a nearby restaurant. Then I got an idea of this recipe by the vahchef's video. Thanks to the vahchef, I learned this easy and delicious dessert.
Then I had a dilemma, if I should buy some dried apricots , which are too expensive at Indian grocery stores, while I can get fresh apricots from my nearby farmer's market. But then I thought of sticking to the original recipe, as this is new to me. Anyway , I will try with fresh US grown apricots soon and will let you know how it came out .Till then enjoy this Turkish Qubani ka meetha !

Qubani ka meeta

dried apricots from Indian grocery stores

soaked apricots

Seeded apricot, soaking water, seeds of apricot

Removing the shell of apricot seeds

Apricot nuts

Boiling apricot fruits

Apricot dessert ....qubani ka meeta

Yummm...enjoy qubani ka meetha with kulfi ice cream

Ingredients:
Dried apricots - 25
sugar - 1/2 cup
cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:
Rinse the dry apricots.
Soak the dried apricots in cold water overnight (inside fridge) or at room temperature for 6 hours.
Squeeze and remove the seeds.
Save the soaked water and seeds.
Gently crush the seeds (just to halve them) and take out the nuts.
The apricot nuts would look like almonds but with more flavor.
Now put the fruit in a wok along with soaked water.
Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the fruit gets a jam like consistency.
Add required sugar and stir well for 5 minutes.
Add cardamom powder and chopped apricot nuts.
Stir well and switch off.
Qubani ka meetha is ready!

Serving suggestion :
Serve warm as dessert along with whipped cream or ice cream.

Happy Birthday Nissi

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Thanksgiving recipes

I am sure American Thanksgiving would be a new festival for some Indians. But still I am seeing all of us , immigrants enjoying that day in our own way. The Indians who are great party lovers find this day very interesting.
American Thanksgiving focuses on family get-together. So it starts a week before with grocery shopping for the family's big feast. Then the thanksgiving mass in Church, baked turkey, the carving of turkey, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, cranberry sauce, playing together, shopping and lots and lots of fun with family and friends comes along. Thanksgiving fun starts even a month before, with those stores announcing discount sales. People buy gifts for friends and family during this sales time.
When we were new here, I was observing all these festivities around me and really really wanted to make it our family tradition too in the coming years. But I could see many Indians are not much of meat fans .......(not me...'When in Rome, do as Romans do' is my policy :)...), so I have to mix Indian recipes with American tradition for our parties :). This is the story behind my own Thanksgiving menu.
So if you have similar situations like me, you will find the below list of recipes useful.
Happy Thanksgiving !