Bakrid 2024 Special: From shahi tukda to sheer kurma, 5 delicious recipes for a memorable Eid ul Adha feast

Eid ul Adha, also known as the Feast of Sacrifice or Bakrid, is one of the two main Islamic holidays alongside Eid ul-Fitr. It falls on the 10th day of the twelfth month of Dhu al-Hijja in the Islamic calendar, with celebrations lasting for the following three days, known as the Tashreeq days. In India, Eid ul Adha will be observed on June 17, while in the UAE and other Arab countries, Bakrid will be celebrated on June 16 this year.

The festival commemorates Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to Allah. It follows the conclusion of the annual Hajj pilgrimage and is marked by the sacrifice of cattle such as goats, sheep, or camels. Traditional dishes like mutton biryani, mutton kebabs, chicken tikkas, sheer khurma, qurma, seviyan, and kaleji are central to the festive meals. (Also read: Hajj 2024: Arafah vs Arafat key differences that pilgrims, other Muslims should know ahead of 9th Dhul Hijjah )

Delicious recipes for Eid ul Adha 2024

To enhance your festival experience, here are some delightful recipes you must try for a culinary delight:

1. Sheer Kurma

(Recipe by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor)

Ingredients:

500 ml reduced milk

100 grams whole wheat vermicelli

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 tablespoon charoli

A few saffron strands + for garnishing

¼ teaspoon nutmeg (jaiphal) powder

2 tablespoons chopped mixed nuts (almonds and pistachios) + for garnishing

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a non-stick pan. Add vermicelli and roast till fragrant.

2. Add milk, sugar, mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder and mix well.

3. Add nutmeg powder and charoli, mix and cook till the mixture thickens. Add nuts and saffron and mix well.

4. Garnish with nuts, saffron and serve warm.

2. Shami Kebab

(Recipe by Chef Kunal Kapur)

Ingredients:

For Shami Masala:

3 bay leaves

3 black cardamoms

2 teaspoons peppercorns

2 blades of mace

2 cinnamon sticks (1 inch long)

10 green cardamoms

6-7 cloves

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

5-6 dry red chillies

For Cooking:

2 tablespoons ghee

500 grams boneless mutton

2 pieces of mutton Nalli (marrow bones), 100 grams each

1 tablespoon chopped ginger

1½ tablespoons chopped garlic

3 green chillies, slit

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

Salt, to taste

2 medium onions

½ cup chana dal (split Bengal gram)

2 cups water

While Mixing:

Handful of mint leaves

Handful of coriander leaves

1 chopped green chilli

1 egg

Ghee, for frying

Method:

1. For Shami Masala, in a hot pan, add bay leaves, black cardamom, peppercorns, mace, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, whole coriander seeds, shahi jeera, jeera and dried red chillies. Roast it for some time.

2. Now, pound it using a mortar and pestle into a coarse powder. You can even use a mixer grinder to powder the spices.

3. For cooking, in a pressure cooker, add ghee, boneless mutton, mutton nalli, chopped ginger, garlic, green chillies, turmeric, salt, roughly cut onions, soaked chana dal, and Shami masala.

4. Roast it well on high flame for 3 to 4 minutes. Now, add water and close the lid of the cooker. Cook it till 7 to 8 whistles or till the mutton is cooked really well.

5. We have to cook the mutton till it literally melts, after that, dry off the excess water in the pressure cooker by cooking on high heat.

6. The next step is to pound the mutton very well using a mathani or vegetable masher. You can use a mixer grinder for this but it would make the kebabs dry. This process seems difficult but it isn’t; the mutton is so soft that it mashes easily in no time. Turn the gas off and take the mutton into a flat bowl to cool it down.

7. After cooling the mutton down, add some chopped mint leaves and coriander. Add chopped green chillies, and an egg.

8. The egg is optional, it will make the shami kabab soft and will give binding to it. Mix it well with your hands.

9. Now, we have to shape the mutton like a patty. Take a ball and press it gently, then roll the patty like a wheel to make the side even. The Shami Kebab is ready, we just have to fry it.

10. On a hot flat tawa, add some ghee, then place the Shami kebabs on it. Shallow fry both sides evenly till it gets brown.

11. Shami kebab is ready to be served. Enjoy this great evening snack with some mint chutney.

3. Kaleji Masala

(Recipe by Chef Pankaj Bhadouria)

Ingredients:

500g kaleji (mutton liver cut into 2” pieces)

4 onions

2” ginger

20 pods garlic

6 green chilies

1 cinnamon stick

2 black cardamoms

6-8 green cardamoms

1 tsp caraway seeds

6-8 cloves

1 Mace

½ cup yoghurt

25g green papaya paste

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp cumin powder

2 tbsp coriander powder

1 tbsp garam masala

Salt to taste

1 tsp Kasuri methi

¼ nutmeg

Oil to fry

4-5 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

Method:

1. Wash the kaleji pieces very well till the water runs clear.

2. Grind together the raw papaya (with skin), 3 green chilies, ginger, garlic with 2 tbsp water to a fine paste.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the prepared paste, yoghurt, powdered spices, salt to taste and mix well. Add the drained kaleji pieces to the mixture and mix well. Marinate for at least 2 hours, refrigerated.

4. Meanwhile finely slice 3 onions and finely chop 1 onion. Heat 1” oil in a pan. fry the sliced onions to a golden brown and remove on an absorbent paper. Grind to a fine paste with a little water.

5. Heat 4 tbsp of the same oil on a large tawa or a large sauté pan.

6. Add the whole spices and allow to splutter. Add the chopped onions and sauté till light golden in color.

7. Add the marinated kaleji with all the marinade. Sauté till all the water evaporates. Reduce the heat and sauté till the kaleji starts turning a dark color. Keep scraping the bottom of the tawa an mixing into the kaleji. Once the masala is all browned well, add a dash of water to release the scrapings at the bottom and bhuno well.

8. Now add the brown onion paste, 3-4 slit green, ¼ cup water and mix well. Cook till the oil comes on the surface. Grate ¼ nutmeg over the kaleji and mix. Add kasuri methi, chopped coriander and mix well. Remove from heat, serve.

4. Shahi Tukda

(Recipe by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor)

Ingredients:

4-8 white bread slices

4 cups milk

¾ cup sugar

½ teaspoon green cardamom powder

¼ cup blanched and sliced pistachios + for garnishing

Ghee for shallow-frying

Sugar syrup for drizzling

Silver varq for coating

Method:

1. To make rabdi, heat milk in a non-stick pan and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally, till it thickens.

2. Add sugar and mix well. Add cardamom powder, stir and cook for a minute. Add pistachios and mix well. Remove from heat and refrigerate to chill.

3. Heat some ghee in another non-stick pan.

4. Cut bread slices into 4 equal portions.

5. Shallow-fry the pieces in hot ghee till golden brown from both the sides. Drain on absorbent paper.

6. Take fried bread pieces on a plate. Drizzle sugar syrup and top with rabdi. Apply silver varq and sprinkle pistachios.

7. Transfer on a serving plate and serve immediately.

5. Seviyan ka Muzaffar

(Recipe by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor)

Ingredients:

200 grams roasted thin wheat vermicelli (seviyan)

1¼ cup sugar

5 tbsps ghee

½ tsp green cardamom powder

½ cup grated mawa/khoya

½ cup milk

8-10 almonds, blanched, peeled and slivered

8-10 pistachios, blanched, peeled and slivered

Silver warq for garnish

Method:

1. Heat a deep pan. Add 1 cup water and sugar and mix well. Cook till the sugar melts.

2. Heat 3 tbsps ghee in a pan.

3. Lightly break the vermicelli and add into the ghee and sauté for 1-2 minutes or till fragrant.

4. Add the prepared sugar syrup and mix well. Add green cardamom powder and mix. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and continue to cook for 6-8 minutes.

5. Add mawa, and milk and mix well. Cover again and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, heat remaining ghee in another pan. Add the slivered almonds and sauté till golden. Add this into the seviyan mixture and mix well.

7. Switch the heat off and transfer on to a serving plate. Garnish with pistachios slivers and silver warq.