Celebrity chefs Sanjeev Kapoor, Ranveer Brar, Kunal Kapur, Ishtiyaque Qureshi dish out Bakrid platter

Food lovers wait all year to savour the Bakrid (Eid al-Adha) delicacies prepared at home during the festival. Experts say it’s the purity, sacredness, and emotions that go into the cooking that make the taste on this occasion so unique.

Chef Ishtiyaque Qureshi, son of legendary chef and Padma Shri recipient late Imtiaz Qureshi, says, “It’s the sacredness and purity that go into the sacrifice that make the dish so different. It cannot be matched by anything prepared from purchased mutton or any dish made in a restaurant. The pure and festive emotion that goes into cooking makes Bakrid delicacies special.”

Lucknow-based chef Kshitz Srivastava, who has catered at several celebrity events in India and abroad, adds, “The purity of the raw materials used in preparing a dish is unmatched. Whenever you prepare something for a festival, be it Eid or Diwali, its taste is unique and unparalleled – pakane ke baav utar jaate hain, which is beyond skill!”

Keema Hara Dhaniya by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor

Ingredients:

600 grams mutton mince

1 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves

2 inch ginger piece, roughly chopped

10-12 garlic cloves

4-5 green chillies, chopped

3 tablespoons ghee

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

3-4 green cardamoms

1 inch cinnamon stick

4-6 cloves

3 medium onions, chopped

1 tablespoon coriander powder

Salt to taste

Ѕ teaspoon crushed black peppercorns

1 teaspoon garam masala powder

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

4 eggs, boiled, peeled and quartered

Fresh coriander sprig for garnish

Method:

Put half the coriander leaves in a grinder jar, add ginger, garlic, green chillies and ¼ cup water and grind to a fine paste.

Heat ghee in a pan, add cumin seeds, green cardamoms, cinnamon and cloves. Sauté till fragrant. Add onions and sauté till golden brown. Add ground paste and sauté for half a minute. Add ¼ cup water and mix well. Cook for 1 minute.

Add mutton mince and cook on high heat, stirring continuously for 8-10 minutes. Add coriander powder and salt and mix well. Stir in ½ cup of water and bring it to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. In case the mutton mince is still not cooked, add about ¼ cup of water and cook on low heat till mince is fully cooked.

Add crushed black peppercorns, garam masala powder and lemon juice. Add remaining chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves. Mix well and serve hot garnished with boiled egg quarters.

Aatish-e-Chaap by Chef Ishtiyaque Qureshi

Aatish-e-Chaap by Chef Ishtiyaque Qureshi

Ingredients:

Mutton Chop - 500gm

Garlic - 10 clove (peeled and crushed)

Ginger Juice - 2 tbsp

Pineapple - 100 gm (crushed, squeeze and strain to get juice)

Malt Vineger - 2 tbsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp

Black pepper powder - 1 tbsp

Honey - 1 tbsp

Mustard oil - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Pomegranate seed

Method:

Wash Mutton chop pat dry with clean cloth and prick the flesh part with fork.

Add all the ingredients to the chop and marinate well.

Cover with cling wrap or silver foil at room temperature for 2 hours or in refrigerator for 6 hours

Heat non stick/cast iron/ Griddle and grill well on both side till done, juicy and golden in colour.

It can be cooked in oven/ tandoor or on a grill. Garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds.

Moradabadi Chicken Biryani by Chef Ranveer Brar

Moradabadi Chicken Biryani by Chef Ranveer Brar

Ingredients:

For chicken marination:

Chicken leg - 1 kg (thighs; drumsticks)

Green chili pickle 1 heaped tbsp

Curd - 3-4 heaped tbsp beaten

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Green chillies - 5-6 no. (less spicy; roughly chopped)

Coriander stems 1 tbsp Tender (finely chopped)

For Moradabadi Biryani:

Oil ⅓ cup

Onions 3 no. medium, sliced

Cumin seeds - 1 heaped tbsp

Black peppercorns - ½ tbsp

Mace - 1 no.

Green cardamom - 5-6 no.

Black cardamom - 2 no.

Cloves - 5-6 no.

Bay leaf - 3 no.

Chicken (marinated)

Warm water - 3-4 cups

Salt to taste

Sella basmati rice - 4 cups (soaked for 30 minutes)

Saffron water - 1 tbsp

For Chutney:

Garlic cloves - 6-7 no.

Coriander leaves - ¼ cup fresh, roughly torn

Salt to taste

Green chillies 3 no.

Oil - 1 tbsp

Curd 1 ½ cups, beaten

Salt to taste

For Garnish:

Coriander sprig

Fried onions

Method:

For chicken marination: In a bowl, add chicken leg, green chili pickle, curd, ginger garlic paste, salt to taste, oil, green chillies, tender coriander stems and mix it well. Keep it aside to marinate for 10-15 minutes.

For Moradabadi Biryani: In a handi, add oil, once it’s hot, add onions and saute it for a minute until golden in colour. Add cumin seeds, black peppercorns, mace, green cardamom, black cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and saute it well.

Add marinated chicken and cook it for a while, add warm water, salt to taste and give it a quick boil. Add soaked sella basmati rice, cover it with the lid and cook it for 8-10 minutes until cooked well.

Turn off the flames and keep it aside to rest for a while. Add saffron water and gently open the biryani. Transfer it to a serving dish, garnish it with coriander sprig and fried onions.

Serve hot with prepared chutney.

For chutney: In a bowl, add garlic, coriander leaves, salt to taste, green chillies and oil. Transfer it to a mixer grinder jar and grind it smoothly. Transfer the prepared paste to a bowl, add curd, salt to taste and mix it well.

Shami Kebab by Chef Kunal Kapur

Shami Kebab by Chef Kunal Kapur

For Shami Masala:

Bayleaf - 3 nos

Black cardamom - 3 nos

Peppercorns - 2 tsp

Mace - 2 blades

Cinnamon 1” - 2 nos

Cardamom - 10 nos

Cloves - 6-7 nos

Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp

Caraway - 1 tsp

Cumin - 2 tsp

Dry red chillies - 5-6 nos

For Cooking:

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Mutton boneless - 500 gms

Mutton Nalli - 2 pc 100gms

Ginger, chopped - 1 tbsp

Garlic, chopped - 1½ tbsp

Green chillies, slit - 3 nos

Turmeric - ½ tsp

Salt - to taste

Onion, medium - 2 nos

Chana dal - ½ cup

Water - 2 cups

While Mixing

Mint leaves - handful

Coriander leaves - handful

Green chillies, chopped - 1 no

Eggs - 1 no

Ghee - for frying

Method

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

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. 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.

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.

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.

After cooling the mutton down, add some chopped mint leaves and coriander. Add chopped green chillies, and an egg. The egg is optional, it will make the shami kabab soft and will give binding to it. Mix it well with your hands.

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.

On a hot flat tawa, add some ghee, then place the Shami kebabs on it. Shallow fry both sides evenly till it gets brown. Shami kebab is ready to be served. Enjoy this great evening snack with some mint chutney.

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