Mutton Zaffrani Pilaf

Pilaf or Pulao is a dish in which rice is cooked in a seasoned broth. Sautéed onion, spices, vegetables, fish, meat and dry fruits are added depending upon the local cuisine. It is a common dish made in India, Bangladesh, Middle East and many other countries. 

This is an easy recipe. The dish has a mild flavor and taste of the spices and saffron. This dish can be made in various ways. This dish can be served with raita.

Ingredients

1 kg Mutton pieces

500 grams Basmati Rice

2 big size Onions sliced

1 tbsp Ginger - Garlic crushed

1 tsp Ginger - Garlic paste

2 Green Chillies cut into half

1 tsp Coriander leaves chopped

2 Bay leaves

6 Apricots

2 tsp Almond Flakes

1 tsp Raisins

1/4 tsp Saffron

1/4 cup hot Milk

Juice of 1 Lime

1/2 tsp Nutmeg powder

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds

1 Star Anise

1 medium Cinnamon stick

4 Cloves

2 Green Cardomom

1 Mace

2 tbsp Ghee

Method

Wash and soak the rice and keep it aside. Soak the Saffron and turmeric powder in hot milk, keep it aside. Take a big pot, add a tbsp of ghee and let it melt. Add the green cardomom, cinnamon stick, cloves and fennel seeds. Let it splatter. Add 1/2 the quality of the sliced onions, saute till pink in colour. Add the mutton pieces, salt, sugar and bay leaves, stir and cook for 10 minutes. Add 2 liters of water, stir, cover and cook till the mutton has become tender. Remove the excess mutton broth if any and keep it aside and can be enjoyed as soup, as when we add the rice, it will cook in the broth, so the broth should be just enough to cook the rice. To be precise, there should be 4 1/2 cups of the broth. 

Take a wok, add the remaining ghee, let it melt. Add the remaining onion slices, fry the onions till golden brown in colour. Remove a tbsp of onion and keep it aside for garnishing. Add the 1 tsp almond flakes and raisins into the remaining fried onion slices. Stir for another minute. Add the ginger - garlic paste. Sauté for a minute. Add the fried onions, apricot, lime juice and nutmeg powder into the mutton broth. Adjust the salt. Drain the excess water from soaked rice. Add the rice, stir and let it cooked till 80 percent of the rice is cooked. Add the saffron milk. Stir the rice gently. Cover and cook till done. Before serving garnish with fried onions, pinch of saffron, 1 tsp almond flakes and coriander leaves. Serve it hot with raita.

Kesar Pista Rasmalai Cake...

This was in my bucket list for a long time. This cake is infused with rasmalai milk and dressed with whipped cream and cream cheese, flavoured with Kesar essence. It is decorated with rasgulla, saffron strands, dried rose petals and ground pistachio. You can make rasmalai at home or you can get it store bought. 

Try this fusion cake and I am sure you will like it... 

With love from my kitchen...

You need 8 rasmalai rasgullas for the cake..

For the Cake..

Ingredients 

1 3/4 cups of All Purpose Flour 

1 1/4 cups of rasmalai milk or more if required 

1/4 cup Curd 

1/4 cup Sugar syrup 

3/4 cup Oil

1 tsp Kesar essence 

1/4 tsp Salt 

1 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp Soda bicarbonate 

5 Rasgullas milk squeezed out from it 

Method 

Take a mixing bowl. Add oil and 1 cup of milk. Gradually add the flour and salt. Beat it.  Add the remaining 1/4 cup milk and the essence. Beat it again. Add the baking powder, soda bicarbonate, curd and the sugar syrup. Beat it. The batter should be thick dropping consistency. Add more milk if you require to get the right consistency. Grease a baking tin. Grease it with oil. Pour the batter to 3/4 of the tin. Place the rasgulla into the cake batter. Bake at 180 degrees celcius for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Insert a toothpick to check. Once done, remove it out from the oven and cool it completely before decorating the cake. 

For Icing 

Ingredients 

1 cup Whipped  cream 

1 cup Cream Cheese 

1/2 cup Rasmalai milk 

1 tsp Kesar essence 

Few strands of Saffron 

2 tbsp of ground Pistachio 

Few dried Rose petals 

3 Rasgulla cut into half

Method 

Take a mixing bowl. Add the whipped cream and beat it. As it forms a soft peak, add the cream cheese and the essence. Beat it for 2 minutes. Add few saffron strands and 2 tbsp of the milk. Beat it for a minute. Take the cake, slice it horizontally from the centre. Drizzle the milk on the cake slices. Add the cream on one of the cake slices.  Cover the cream with another slice of cake on top. Cover the cake with the first layer of icing. Refrigerate it for 15 minutes. Apply the remaining icing and decorate it with rasgullas, ground pistachio, few more strands of Saffron and dried rose petals. Refrigerate it for 30 minutes and enjoy it.

Mango Coconut Kesar Laddu

Mango Coconut Kesar Laddu 

Ingredients 

2 cups Mango pulp 

1 1/2 cup Desiccated Coconut 

1/2 cup Milk Powder 

1/2 cup Sugar 

1/4 tsp Cardomom powder 

2 Pinch of Salt 

2 Pinch of Saffron 

Few Almond Flakes

1 tbsp Ghee

Method 

Take a wok, add  3/4 cup coconut and other remaining ingredients in the wok. Keep stirring on a low flame for 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup coconut, keep stirring till the mango pulp becomes thick and sticky. Add 1/1 tbsp ghee.  Stir it, too check, take a small portion and try rolling it. It will be sticky, but it will form a ball. Take a plate, grease it with ghee. Pour the hot mixture into the plate. Spread it. Keep it till it is easy to handle. Take the remaining coconut on a plate. Apply ghee on the palms. Divide the mixture in to equal portions. Roll it into a ball. Coat it with coconut.