The Day of Feasting:Eid

The Holiday of Eid(meaning festivity in Arabic) holds the best memories of fun n frolic for me. Eid is the time of reconciliation,joy and thanksgiving.Its a celebration of unity ,twice every year,one at the end of month long fasting in Ramadan and the other at the end of the sacred pilgrimage of Hajj.Growing up in the bustling city of Hyderabad South India,also known as the land of Nawabs(governors of mughalai empire),I adored the ecstatic ambiance of Eid every year.As a child it was the most awaited jubilant time of the year, we got our best clothes stitched for the occasion ,after the morning Eid prayers ,visited friends and family,slurping the warm sweet nutty sheerkhorma,embracing each other with warmest eid hugs and the most exciting moment of the day was the Eidi(gift as money) from elders.
The lavish feast on Eid is got to be the food lovers best part of the day.As the day progresses ,the inviting aroma of spicy foods fills the air making us voracious for the most appetizing meal of the year and the indulgence in sweet delicacies would leave us pretty much satisfied with sugar until next Eid.
The hyderabadi cuisine is haven of spicy dishes strongly influenced by Persian and Mughalai cuisine. The meaty Haleem and Biryani , prepared with many variations and known with different names from South Asia to Middle east,are the most crowding please recipes of the Eid feast.Here is the Eid feast menu with the array of enticing majestic flavorsome dishes sure to leave the guests stuffed up with contentment.


Appetizer
Hummus with Whole wheat pita chips

Starters
Salad Olviye .
Sesame Dinner rolls with Chicken Shorba

Main course
Haleem
Lamb Biryani

Side Dish
Mirchi Ka Salan

Dessert
Double ka meeta
Sheerkhorma

Drink
Pomegranate Juice

The key to making a satisfying stress free meal for a feast without spending major part of the festive day in the kitchen is to prepare a game plan.
Game Plan
4 days ahead
Make sure you shopped for all the spices and other ingredients needed .
3 days Ahead
Make the hummus and pita chips
2 days ahead
Make the dessert Double Ka Meeta ,Mirchi Ka Salan,Marinate meat for Haleem and chicken shorba
1 day ahead
Make the Chicken Shorba and Haleem ,marinate the meat for the biryani
Night before the feast
Make the SheerKhorma,Cook the meat gravy needed for the biryani
On the day of feast
Make the dinner rolls,Salad and the biryani

To make the feast as healthy as possible,I cooked with the healthiest olive oil ,enhanced flavors with fresh herbs and home made ground spices, bought Organic ingredients were ever possible,used meat low in fat,cut down the saturated fats in the desserts.


Appetizer
Hummus with Whole wheat pita chips
Hummus is creamy yummy is apt as a nutritious appetizer for any party.
The recipe .



Soup and Salad
Salad Olviye

When my buddy Zee gave me her favorite salad recipe,it was my instant choice for eid dinner.Salad Olviye/Olvieh is a hearty persian salad that's protein rich and usually served cold . Its original recipe was created by a French cook living in Russia and it is referred to as Olivier Salad in Russia.Even though it is referred to as a salad it can be consumed as a wholesome meal.
Ingredients

1 big russet potato boiled,peeled and finely chopped
2 hard boiled eggs ,finely chopped
1 medium sized chicken breast
1 dill pickle ,chopped
1/4 cup par-boiled fresh green peas/canned peas
2 medium sized boiled and chopped carrots
1 medium sized onion diced
1 cup fat free mayonnaise
2 tbsp vinegar/fresh lime juice
Salt and black pepper
2 tablespoon Olive oil

Preparation:
- Boil the chicken along with onion, a little bit of salt, pepper, 1 tbsp fresh lime juice and a glass of water.
- Simmer till done, cool and shred.
- In a big mixing bowl toss in all the ingredients; chicken, potatoes, eggs, pickle, peas, carrots, mayo, vinegar/lime juice, salt and pepper.
- Mix well, taste and adjust seasoning.
- garnish with fresh tomatoes, herbs, peas or pomegranates.

Sesame Dinner rolls
Sesame dinner rolls are ideal for dunking in the spicy chicken shorba .

Ingredients
2 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1 envelope rapid rise yeast
1/2 tablespoon salt
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoon Olive oil
2 tablespoon Sesame seeds for topping
2 tablespoon milk for brushing.

Method
Combine flour with yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl.Heat milk until its warm and pour in the bowl of dry ingredient along with the Olive oil.Knead the dough until smooth and silky.Grease the bowl with some oil on the sides and cover the bowl and let rise in a warm place until double its size.punch the air out and transfer on the flour work surface.
Make walnut size balls off the dough and form them in to small rounds,place on a greased or lined baking sheet.The balls of dough should be 1/4 inch apart .Cover and let rise again for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425F,while they rise.When the buns have puffed up,brush them with some milk and sprinkle them with sesame seeds.Bake them for about 15 minutes until lightly brown on top.

Chicken Shorba

The spicy chicken shorba is the perfect warming start of the meal.
Ingredients you'll need are
1 lb Free-range skinless chicken,fat trimmed
1/2 cup fresh herbs cilantro and mint, chopped
2 medium onion chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chilly powder
2 cloves garlic
1/2 inch ginger root or 3/4 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala powder(ground cumin,coriander,cloves and cinnamon mix)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

To make the Shorba
Trim any excess white fat from chicken pieces. Freeze the chicken for an hour before trimming that way fat cuts off easily. Clean meat by running it through cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Mix 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric and keep aside for few minutes.This helps kill any bacteria on meat.
Heat a skillet on medium high flame. Add Olive oil ,chopped onions and cumin seeds. Saute until lightly brown ,for about 8-10 minutes and add the minced garlic and ginger . Now add the chicken ,turmeric ,garam masala ,salt and chilly powder.Saute for a minute on high flame,then add 2 cups of water. Cover and simmer for an hour on medium-low flame or in a slow cooker for 5-6 hours,until chicken is tender and falls off the bones,serve warm with rice or Flat breads.

Main Course
Haleem

Delectable Haleem is originally a Persian recipe and is commonly prepared during Ramadan.The recipe.

Lamb Biryani

Hyderabadi Biryani is my ultimate recipe for a flavorful rice. The bite of protein,the aroma of spices,the tang from lime,sweetness of onions and touch of herbs make this biryani a top favorite of my family and guests in any daawat(party).
The recipe.

Side Dish
Mirchi Ka Salan

This spicy Chillies curry is never missed in any local party in Hyderabad,one can always make it milder with mildest chillies.The recipe.


Dessert
Double ka meeta (Rich bread dessert)

The richness of this dessert has made it a prominent dessert of the authentic Hyderabadi cuisine.The recipe.


SheerKhorma

Sheerkhorma is a luscious dessert prepared on Eid,made with roasted thin vermicelli in milk garnished with loads of dry fruits,traditionally slurped after the morning Eid prayers.The recipe.