Zaiqa

Double Ka Meetha, also called as Dabal Ka Meetha, is one of the classic Nizami desserts ~ an eggless bread pudding, that hails from the city of Hyderabad, India. It also happens to be my miya‘s most favorite dessert. Atleast every once in a month I get a request from Ir saying, ‘Aaj double ka meetha banao na!’ (which means ‘Could you prepare Double Ka Meetha today?’). So, this weekend it was Double Ka Meetha at my house.

Clockwise from right ~ Fried Bread Triangles, Simple Sugar Syrup,
Thickened Milk with Saffron+Khoa, Fried mixed nuts

Some of you might wonder why this sweet dish is called as ‘Double Ka Meetha‘. Milk bread, also called as double roti, is especially bought from Rose Bakery in Hyderabad, and this bread is used to prepare this famous meetha . The bread is called as double roti or dabal roti, because the dough expands to double its size due to the action of yeast, and roti in Urdu language means ‘bread’. So its double roti, and the meetha is called as Double Ka Meetha or Dabal Ka Meetha. This dessert is also referred to as a ‘King of Bread Puddings’. It is served usually at weddings in Hyderabad and is an important dessert reserved for festivals, celebrations and on other special occasions. This meetha is an evolved version of the Lucknowi Shahi Tukde, which is more rich and heavier kind of this meetha.

Fried bread striangles soaking up the sugar syrup and flavored thickened milk, garnished with dry fruits and nuts

You can serve this meetha when warm, some even prefer it chilled, it is up to ones own liking.

Hyderabadi Double Ka Meetha – Milk Bread Pudding with Nuts
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

Milk Bread Slices – 4
Canola Oil – to deep fry (traditionally ghee is used to deep fry)
Dry fruits and Nuts (cashewnuts-halved, raisins, pistachois, deseded dates, walnuts-chopped, almonds-chopped, pinenuts-chopped) – 4 tbsp
Milk – 2 cups
Homemade Khoa – 1/4 cup, grated (khoa is also available in most of Indian stores in the refrigerated section)
Cardamom Powder – 1/8 tsp
Saffron threads – a pinch
Water – 1 cup
White Sugar – 1 cup

Double ka Meetha

Method:

1. Fry bread slices and dry fruits and nuts: Cut off the corners of the bread slices and slice them into triangles. Deep fry them both sides in oil till they are dark brown but not burnt. Remove the fried crisp bread slices using a slotten spoon onto a wire mesh strainer for the excess oil to drip off. In a small frying pan, in about a teaspoon of oil, stir fry the dry fruits and nuts till they are browned. Do not burn them. Keep aside.
2. Prepare reduced spiced milk mixture: In a milk sauce pan, pour milk and let it boil once on high heat. Once it has come to a boil, add khoa, lower the heat, and let it cook till it has reduced to half its original quantity, throw in the saffron threads and cardamom powder and keep aside.
3. Prepare sugar syrup: At the same time in an another small saucepan, pour the water and the sugar. Stir to dissolve and let the water boil on high for 10-12 minutes.
4. In a wide non-stick pan, arrange the fried bread slices, and sprinkle the stir fried dry fruits and nuts all over them. Gently pour the prepared warm simple sugar syrup and the warm reduced spiced milk into all over the arranged fried bread slices in the pan. Cook on high until boiling, then reduce the heat to simmer and cook until the liquid has been evaporated. During this time, you can very gently move the pieces whithout breaking them. Some people like to have this meetha warm, and some like it chilled. I let it cool down and then refrigerate it for a while and serve it chilled.

Oven Method:
1. Follow the step 1 to step 3 above.
2. In a wide baking dish, arrange the fried bread slices, and sprinkle the stir fried dry fruits and nuts all over them. Gently pour the prepared warm simple sugar syrup and the warm reduced spiced milk a little at a time one by one into the baking dish with the arranged fried bread slices. Now keep the dish aside for about 2-3 hours, until it has completely cooled down and the bread has almost absorbed all the milk. If there’s still some milk around the bread slices, and the bread has not completely absorbed it, then put the baking dish in the oven at 350°C for about 10-15 minutes, uncovered, in the middle rack. Some people like to have this meetha warm, and some like it cool. I let the baking dish cool down and then refrigerate it for a while and serve it chilled.

Note: In step 2, instead of boiling milk to half its original quantity, you can simply use 1 1/2 cup half and half, or light cream and add khoa, cardamom powder and saffron threads and boil it for a few minutes to dissolve the khoa. Keep stirring and do not burn. Continue with next step.

Enjoy this authentic Hyderabadi Bread Pudding.

This recipe is also being featured in the HomeAway.co.uk Travel Cookbook.

Luv,
Mona

We celebrated Eid-Ul-Fitr, our festival after the month of fasting 3 days ago. On Eid I had prepared Chicken Biryani, Sheer Qurma and Cholay.

Sheer Qurma is a meetha/dessert prepared using roasted fine Vermicelli Noodles, or Seviyan cooked in milk with some fried dried nuts and sprinkled with saffron and nutmeg, cardamom powders to enhance the savory flavour of the dessert.

Sheerqurma

It is traditionally served after the Eid prayers to the entire household and also to all the guests who arrive to greet you on Eid, and is served hot along with other snacks, I usually serve spicy Cholay along. Some people like this dessert rich and slightly thick in consistency and some people like it a bit thin in consistency with less seviyan and more of milk. To make it rich, you can add khoa to it, or add a bit of condensed milk. I and my family prefer the latter kind. If you like it thick, you can cook the Sheer Qurma a bit more on medium heat till you get your desired consistency.

Sheer Qurma – Vemilcelli Cooked in Fragrant Milk

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

*Fine* Vermicelli noodles/Seviyan – 3/4 cup
Ghee/Oil – 2 tbsp
Almonds – 1 tbsp, deskined and thinly sliced
Pistachio – 1 tbsp, halved
Chironji nuts – 1 tbsp, soaked in water for 15-30 minutes and skinned
Melon seeds – 1 tbsp, shelled
Dates – 5 dates, halved and stoned
Saffron strands/Zafraan – 1/2 tsp
Raisins/Kishmish -1 tbsp
Milk – 5 1/2 cups
Nutmeg powder – 1/4 tsp
Green cardamom/Elaichi powder – 1/4 tsp
Green Cardamom/Elaichi – 1, whole
Sugar – 4 to 5 tbsp

Method:

1. Soak the saffron and the halved and deseeded dates in 1/2 cup warm milk. Cover and keep aside.
2. Pour milk into a large pan. Throw the skin of the whole cardamom and add the seeds to the milk. Boil milk in the pan at high heat with sugar and green cardamom powder, nutmeg powder until it is reduced by one-fourth.
3. In a heavy bottomed pan at medium low heat add ghee/oil and stir-fry the raisins, almonds, chironji, pistachio and melon seeds separately for just a few seconds until golden and remove using a slotted spoon into a small cup and keep aside. In the same oil/ghee roast the vermicelli noodles stirring them until they are a just few shades dark. Pour the reduced milk into it and let it come to a boil once. Add the dates and the saffron with the milk in which they have been soaking. Cover and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. By now the noodles must have become very soft. Remove from heat. It can be served hot or cold.

Note-Make Ahead:You can roast the vermicelli and store in the refrigerator for more than a week, a make ahead for this dish. If you prepare the whole thing and store it in the refrigrerator it will become a thick paste in consistency as the days pass. You can also fry the nuts and store in the refrigerator a day before to prepare this sweet savory instantly when your guests arrive, as you will just have to cook it all in milk and serve.

Luv,
Mona

I am not much of a ‘Mithai’ person, I do not like sweets/mithai’s a lot. Just yesterday I had to attend a party at my aunt’s place and she gifted us some Boondi Laddu’s and the one to have them are everyone besides me in this house. I usually prefer sweets/desserts that are light, with not too much sugar, infact only a hint of sugar in it.

Kaddu/Bottle Gourd/Opo Squash

One such meetha that is light on stomach and calories, quick to get prepared, nonetheless satisfies my sweet cravings is Kaddu ka Meetha. For all those of you who haven’t tried this delicious meetha yet, I recommend you prepare it and try it atleast once.

Kaddu Ka Meetha/Halwa – Bottle Gourd Sweet
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Bottle gourd/Opo Squash/Kaddu – 1, medium sized, around 1 kg in weight
Ghee – 1 tbsp
Milk – 1/2 cup
Green Cardamom – 3, skin discarded and black seeds finely powdered
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Chopped/Sliced Almonds or Chopped/Sliced Pistachios or Raisins or Chopped Cashewnuts – shallow fried in little oil/ghee, for garnish

Method:

1.Wash, pat dry and peel the bottle gourd. Discard the peels or use them to prepare this curry. Then slice off the central pith containing the seeds and discard it. Use only the clear white flesh devoid any seeds present between the central pith and the peel. Grate this flesh using a grater or in a food processor. Mine came to around 4-5 cups of grated bottle gourd.

Grated Bottle gourd (left); Cut and Peeled bottle gourd (right)

2. In a heavy bottom sauce pan on medium heat, add the grated bottle gourd and cook it stirring continuously, but very gently, make sure you do not mush it up while stirring; until mostly dry. At this point add ghee and let it cook for a minute while stirring it gently. Pour in milk and let it cook again until it absorbs most of the milk. Add cardamom powder, sugar and keep stirring it. You can add more or less sugar according to your taste. Let it cook again until the sugar dissolves for about 5-10 mins more. Add fried nuts or raisins and mix. Remove from heat and let cool. Once cool, refrigerate for a few hours and serve chilled.

Kaddu Ka Meetha/Halwa – Bottle Gourd Sweet

Suggested Serving: To impress your guests, serve the chilled meetha in mini pastry cases that are easily available in stores. You can name it ‘Kaddu ka Meetha Tarts’.

Luv,
Mona

My earlier version of Chicken Biryani was the traditional kind, but I learnt this version from my Mother in law and is very light and has lesser calories and gets prepared quite quickly when compared to any other type of Chicken Biryani’s. As this Express Cooking Event calls for a meal to get ready in less than 30 minutes, I have used left over cooked plain rice, you guys can always make it fresh if you do not have left over rice. Its a complete meal with Biryani, a dessert, and a juice, and is filling but light on stomach.

My Version of ‘Instant Light Chicken Biryani‘
Serves – 2

Ingredients:

Canola Oil – 1 tbsp
Chicken Breast – 200 gms, washed, and cut into 2 cms cubes
Salt – to taste
Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Yogurt – 1 tbsp
Tomato paste – 2 tsp (optional)
Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Garam Masala – 1 1/2 tsp
Dry roasted Cumin seed/Zeera powder – 1 tsp
Dry Roasted Coriander/Dhaniya seed powder – 1 tsp
Water – 1/2 cup
Lemon Juice – 2 or 3 tbsp ( as you like)
Saffron threads – a pinch, soaked in 1/4 cup warm milk
Cooked Plain White Rice – 3 cups
Crispy Fried Onions – 2 tbsp

Method: ( Target time to prepare the whole meal – 30 minutes )

1. Put a heavy bottom pan on medium heat, and pour oil into it.
2. Add the chicken pieces, salt and red chilli powder, and fry till golden brown on all sides. This takes probably 7 minutes. When the chicken cubes has been browned properly, adjust the heat to medium high add the yogurt, tomato paste (optional) and ginger-garlic paste and the three dry masalas and stir well. This will take about 5 minutes. Now add half cup water and lemon juice. Cover the lid of the pan for 2 minutes until the water dries up.
3. Now arrange the half of the rice in a microwave safe bowl in a layer, add the cooked chicken breast from the pan on top of the rice in a layer, again arrange the remaining rice layer on top. Sprinkle the fried onions on top and pour the milk with saffron threads evenly on top of rice. All this takes about 5 more minutes
5. Cover and microwave for 3 minutes. The Biryani is ready.
6. Serve the Biryani along with and a Juice and Ice Cream for a heartful meal for two ready in about in less than 30 minutes.

Tip: Adding salt to the water in which you cook rice is essential, or else the whole taste of Biryani turns upside down. One tip if you have forgotten to add salt to the water while boiling rice is – stir the required amount of salt in a little quantity of hot water, about half cup or a few tablespoons, and pour this on the biryani evenly. Warm the biryani in microwave and serve immediately.

Luv,
Mona

On a hot summer day all you wish for is a cool refreshing light dessert, that can be prepared instantly. I love this dessert which is also one of my experiment in the kitchen during times when hunger kills me and i have no stores of time to spend in my Kitchen. Try it out and you will love it. I have used jelly powder of the Jell-O brand. You can use any flavour jelly of any brand like an orange jelly powder instead in this recipe and try our your orange cups. Anyways, here’s the recipe, Enjoy 🙂

Total Preperation Time : 10 min

Ingredients:

• Jell-O Strawberry jelly powder – 1 pack/85 gms
• Water – 1 cup
• Vanilla ice cream – 2 cups

Method:

• Boil the water and remove into a bowl.
• Dissolve the jelly powder powder into it.
• Gradually add the softened vanilla ice cream, stirring with a wire whisk until well blended.
• Spoon evenly into 4 dessert cups, and then refrigerate 20 mins or until chilled.

Luv,
Mona