Shab-e-barat Recipe

Dora's Delights
Add some oomph into your Shab-e-barat spread with these scrumptious items brought to you by Dora Alamgir, a schoolteacher-cum-caterer.

Almond Burfi
Ingredients: Almonds (Badam)
1 cup Milk (enough to grind)
Ghee 2 tbsp Cardamom powder 1 tsp
Sugar 1 cup
Method:
Soak almonds for an hour and peel its skin. Then blend it coarsely by adding very little milk (just enough to grind). Take a heavy bottomed pot or a non stick pan. Add the ground almond and sugar and cook in a medium flame, stirring continuously. Meanwhile, stir add some ghee little by little. Keep stirring until it becomes thick and starts to leave sides forming a clean ball. Add cardamom powder and turn off the heat. Immediately, pour this mixture into a greased plate or cookie sheet or just on aluminum foil. Cut into diamond or desired shape while still warm.
Variation: The same method can be followed to make Cashew Burfi. Just skip soaking and peeling.

Pakora
Ingredients:
125g Flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon chilli powder
About 150 ml water
2 green chillies (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander
1 teaspoon melted butter or ghee
Oil (for deep frying)
8 small fresh spinach leaves
Method:
Sift the flour, salt and chili powder into a bowl. Stir in sufficient water to make a thick batter and beat well until smooth. Allow it to stand for 30 minutes or so. Then, stir the chillies and coriander into the batter and add the melted butter or ghee. Using ghee would give it a nicer smell and a better taste. Then, dip the spinach leaves into the batter, and deep-fry until crisp and golden. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, and drain on some kitchen paper. This gives you four servings. The Pakoras must be served hot.
Note: Serve with some mango or coriander chutney.

Meat Puffs
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons flour
3 eggs (beaten)
5-6 tablespoons water
250g minced beef
1 bunch of spring onions (finely sliced)
1 green chilli (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon turmeric
Salt
Oil (for frying)
Method:
Sift the flour into a bowl, and add the beaten eggs. Mix these well, and then gradually add enough water to make into a batter. The batter should be thick and creamy. Stir in the minced beef, onions, chilli, turmeric and salt (for taste). The mixture should be stiff. Leave in a warm place (preferably beside stove) for 1 hour. Warm ½ inch of oil in a frying-pan. When really hot, drop in spoonfuls of the mixture and fry each side for 2 minutes. Remove from pan and drain well. The meat puffs should be served hot.

Shirkand
Ingredients:
1kg natural yoghurt
1 packet powdered saffron
About 2 tablespoons sugar
About 1 tablespoon rose water
1 tablespoon pistachio nuts (shelled and chopped)
Method:
Put the yoghurt into a strainer lined with muslin, and allow to drip over a bowl for 6 hours. Put the dried curd into another bowl and beat in the saffron. Add the sugar and taste. If needed, add some more sugar, but it should not be too sweet. Mix in the rose water, a little at a time, until the mixture becomes a thick cream. Cover and chill until served.
Note: Decorate with pistachio nuts before serving.

Hummus
Ingredients:
l. Chick peas (Kaboli Motor) - 1 cup
2. Tahina (Sesame Seed Paste) - 3 table spoons
3. Olive Oil (or any vegetable oil) - 2 table spoons
4. Garlic - 2 cloves
5. Roasted Cumin Powder - half tea spoon
6. Lemon Juice - 1 table spoon
7. Chopped Parsley (to garnish)
8. Salt (for flavour)
Method:
Boil the chickpeas till very soft. Mash them with the garlic. Add the tahina, oil, roasted cumin powder, lemon juice and salt and mix very well. Serve with some extra olive oil on top of the paste, and then garnish with chopped parsley. Accompany with Pita bread or Nan Roti.