Qubani Ka Meetha

Recipe  

(Part of SNC challenge, Adapted from Hyderabadi Cuisine)

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/2 cup dried apricots

2 tbsp Sugar

2 tbsp honey

1 cinnamon stick

3 cardamoms - ground to a fine powder

1 tbsp lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon

a pinch of saffron threads

Thickened cream - to serve

8-10 Blanched Almonds - chopped

Method

Soak the dried apricots overnight with enough water to just cover the surface. The apricots should be plump and rehydrated the next day.

Now pour the soaking liquid into a pan and allow it to simmer, once it starts simmering add the apricots and the sugar and honey. Add the lemon juice and zest to balance the sweetness. Add a cinnamon stick to the stewing fruit and let it cook till the syrup is reduced and the apricots soft and mushy. Remove the cinnamon stick after 10 minutes as we don't want it to over infuse into the syrup. Keep stirring continuously and add more liquid (water or lemon juice) to prevent caramelisation and burning. Approximate cooking time should be 20-30 minutes

Serve with some thickened cream or malai (clotted cream) and garnish with saffron and almond slivers.