The season of feasting is upon us! Bakrid or Id-ul-Zuha is the festival celebrated on the 10th day of the Muslim month of Zul-Hijja. On this auspicious day, Muslims are supposed to sacrifice a goat and offer prayers at the mosque. This tradition came to be because of a story that ensued of Hazrat Ibrahim who, to show his faith towards Allah, was all set to sacrifice his son, his most precious thing, at the gallows. But as he put the sword at his son’s throat, his son vanished and was replaced by a sheep. From then on people sacrifice goats around the world on this day to show their faith and devotion towards Allah.
Ardent devotion aside, one does look at the feast which awaits everyone as this is after all a day to celebrate and make merry. So we have listed the 6 best foods of this festival that you must have this year.
1. Nargisi Kofta – Nargisi kofta is an authentic Mughlai cuisine, which is popular throughout North India. It is believed that this kofta was introduced to India by first Mughal Emperor – Babar. It is prepared by wrapping minced meat mixture around a boiled egg, cooked in rich spicy gravy.
2. Mutton Bhuna Gosht – Mutton cubes cooked with spices, yogurt and milk. Served with jeera rice. The melt in the mouth morsels ensure that this dish is an all-time festival comfort food.
3. Keema Biryani – No feast is complete without an aromatic biryani. This one is made with keema (minced lamb meat) and made fragrant with rose water. With layers of saffron-milk induced rice and juicy mutton pieces, this wholesome biryani cooked dum-style is an absolute crowd-pleaser.
4. Sewai – An Eid classic! Vermicelli cooked in milk and dry fruits. Made in every household on the occasion of Eid. This sweet is not only popular in India but all over the world.
5. Dates Shake – Because it’s good to stray from traditions sometimes. A drink that will leave you delighted. Take a handful of dates and blend it with milk and bananas. Add a pinch of ground cinnamon or cardamom for extra flavour.
6. Sheer Khurma – It is an authentic version of vermicelli pudding especially prepared for the festival of Eid. ‘Sheer’ is Persian for milk and ‘khurma’ translates to dates. It’s flavoured with cardamom, raisins, grated coconut and comes close to heaven.
And we stop here, not because we couldn’t find any more dishes, which certainly couldn’t happen with the list of recipes that we cannot wait to try – from maamoul to seekh kebabs to chicken curry – but because a better use of your time would be to rush to your nearest Muslim friend’s house, hug him Eid Mubarak and start tucking in!
