Heavenly Desserts to Complete Your Eid Celebration

Eid-al-Adha, also known as Bakrid, is a cherished festival commemorating the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to Allah. It is a time of reflection, gratitude, and sharing, marked by the sacrifice of animals and the preparation of grand feasts. As families and friends gather to celebrate this auspicious occasion, indulging in delicious meals becomes an integral part of the festivities.

While traditional desserts like kheer and sevaiyya are beloved staples, why not elevate your Bakrid feast with a touch of uniqueness? We have curated a collection of exotic desserts that promise to add an unforgettable flair to your Eid-al-Adha celebrations.

Jauzi Meetha 

This is an exquisite recipe from the Royal Kitchens of Hyderabad. This is one of Hyderabad’s best-kept secrets. It is simple, hearty and finger-licking good. You have to try it to know why the Nizams swore by this meetha. 

Serves: 4
Total Time: 2 hours 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup Dalia 
• 2 cups of milk 
• 180g khoya (mawa) 
• 8-10 almonds 
• 7-8 strands of saffron
• Few drops kewra 
• 2 cups sugar 
• 2 cups ghee 
• 1 tsp mace
• ½ tsp nutmeg powder 
• 1tsp cardamom powder 

Method:

1. Soak the dalia in warm milk for some time so that it softens. In the meantime gently crush the almonds or form a coarse powder. Take a medium-sized kadhai, add the milk and Dalia mixture to it and cook it on a low flame. Keep stirring and do not hasten the step, as it plays a crucial role in the final outcome. At the side, soak the saffron in a few spoons of warm milk. 
2. Once the milk has reduced to half the size, add the crushed almonds and cook for more time. Then add the khoya and mix until it is well dissolved and no lumps remain. This may take a few minutes. 
3. Now let this mixture cool for a bit, and gently blend everything till it is smooth. Transfer into a large kadhai on low flame, now add the saffron-infused milk, and kewra essence and add the sugar as well. 
4. Add the ghee from the edges of the kadhai and mix everything well. Once the meetha has a smooth consistency, do a quick taste and consistency check. Now add the mace, nutmeg and cardamom powder and give it a quick mix. 
5. The Jauzi meetha would now seem, fragrant, rich, creamy and taste divine! 
6. Serve in an attractive serving bowl, and garnish with some almond slivers and saffron strands. 

Egyptian Basbousa 

Serves: 10-12 servings
Total Time: 40 minutes 

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups semolina 
• ½ cup ghee 
• 1 tbsp honey 
• ½ cup sugar 
• ½ plain thick yoghurt
• ½ tbsp baking powder 
• ½ cup grated dried coconut (optional) 
• ½ tsp tahini 

For Syrup 

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water 
• 1 tsp lemon juice 
• 2 tbsp honey
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• Mixed nuts for garnishing

Method: 

1. Preheat the oven to 300°C. Take a large size bowl and, add the semolina to it. Now add the dry ingredients like baking powder, dried grated coconut, and sugar and mix everything well. 
2. Now in another pot, melt some ghee, once melted add the honey in it and stir well. 
3. Add the ghee and honey combination to the dry ingredients and mix them well, take care to avoid clumps. 
4. Next, add the yoghurt and fold it in until everything is well blended and the batter is smooth. 
5. Take a cake tin and grease it well, next add a layer of mixed nuts at the base of the tin. Now transfer the basbousa batter to it. Transfer the baking tin to the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the edges become lightly golden. 
6. While the basbousa is baking, begin the preparations for the syrup. Take a medium-sized saucepan and add all the ingredients of the syrup in it. Maintain the flame on medium and bring the contents to a boil. 
7. Once the syrup begins to boil, reduce the flame and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes or so. 
8. Once the basbousa is done, remove it from the oven and the tin. Pour the syrup all over the basbousa evenly and generously. 
9. Once the syrup is poured, immediately cover the basbousa with foil, and place it back in the oven (which is turned off but still warm) for the syrup to infuse well. 
10. After about 10 minutes, remove from the foil, cut into pieces and enjoy. 

Turkish Kunafa

Though the recipe is called Turkish, this recipe is cherished by almost all Arabic countries. It is said to be one of their Royal desserts. While an original Kunafa pastry might be hard to acquire, an equally great alternative is vermicelli which gives the same crunchy and texture. 

Serves: 6 servings
Total Time: 50 minutes 

Ingredients: 

• 250gm Vermicelli (broken) 
• 200gm butter 
• ¼ cup chopped pistachios

For Kunafa Filling 

• 1 cup whole-fat milk
• 1 cup cream
• 2 tsp corn flour
• 1 tsp rose water 
• ½ cup cottage cheese (paneer) grated
• ½ cup mozzarella (grated)
• 2 tbsp sugar 

For Sugar Syrup 

• 1 cup water 
• 1 ½ cup sugar 
• 1 tsp lemon juice 
• 1 tsp rose water

Method: 

1. Set the oven to preheat to 200°C.
2. Break the vermicelli lightly using your hands, melt the butter and pour it over the vermicelli. And using your hands, mix well. 
3. To prepare the filling for the Kunafa, in a mixing bowl, add the milk, cream, sugar and cornstarch. Mix everything well. Ensure the sugar is dissolved and no lumps remain. 
4. Transfer this milk mixture to a heavy-bottomed pan, and place it on low flame. Stir gently and cook it till the mixture thickens. Take care to stir constantly to prevent the milk contents from sticking to the bottom of the pan, which will spoil the recipe. Now add the rose water and mix it. Turn off the flame. 
5. Add the cottage cheese and mozzarella to the thick filling. Mix everything well to get a uniformly mixed filling. 
6. For the sugar syrup, take a saucepan, add the water and sugar, mix well and bring it to a boil. Stir until the syrup thickens. 
7. Now add the lemon juice and rose water and your sugar syrup is ready. 
8. To bake the Kunafa, using a regular baking pan, grease it lightly and half the amount of the vermicelli and butter mix on the base and press it well to create a dough-like base. 
9. Over the base, pour the Kunafa filling and spread it evenly along the edges. 
10. Finally cover the Kunafa filling with the remaining vermicelli. You can drizzle some melted butter on it. 
11. Now transfer the baking dish into the oven for about 30 minutes or until the top appears golden. 
12. Remove from the oven. Now evenly pour the prepared sugar syrup all over the Kunafa.
13. Garnish with pistachios, cut into pieces and ready to serve! 

Khubani ka Meetha

This recipe originates from Hyderabad a popular dessert recipe. It has a fruity jam-like consistency and is sweet with a slight tang. Made using khubani, which means apricots, this is a unique dessert that can be enjoyed by all. 

Serves: 4 servings
Total Time: 35 minutes + 40 minutes for custard (plus overnight soaking)

Ingredients: 

• Around 30 khubani or dried apricots 
• 2 cups of water 
• 3 tsp sugar (slightly more or less depending on the sweetness of the dried apricots
• 1 tsp lemon juice 
• Sliced almonds 

For Custard 

• 1-litre full-fat milk
• ½ cup vanilla custard powder 
• 1 cup sugar 

Method: 

1. Making the recipe commences a night prior, soak the dried apricots in about 2 cups of drinking clean water. The next morning, the dried apricots would have soaked water and swollen up. 
2. Remove the apricots but retain the water it was soaked in. Chop the apricots or mash them lightly to extract the seed. Lightly mash the fruity part of the apricots. The seeds contain small variants of almonds in them, crack open the seeds to extract the nut. Keep the nuts aside for use later. 
3. In a kadhai or saucepan, keep the flame low to medium, add the chopped apricots and lightly mash them, due to the soaking they become very soft and mash easily. Add the sugar and stir it well. Cook the mixture until the apricots mash and get a jam-like texture. You can add a few drops of lemon juice just to balance out the flavours. Cook for another minute and turn off the flame. 
4. Preparing the custard is very easy. Preferably use the vanilla variant, as that complements the khubani flavours very well. 
5. Boil the full-fat milk until it thickens and reduces in size. Now remove a cup of milk add sugar to the remaining milk and boil some more. 
6. In the cup of milk, add the custard powder and dissolve everything well. Make sure no lumps remain in the mixture. 
7. Very slowly add the custard mixture to the remaining milk, and cook it for a few minutes until the mixture thickens. 
8. Remove from the flame and allow it to cool. Once cooled, you can refrigerate it to get a thick and creamy vanilla custard. 
9. This step can be done the previous night, so the next day you have chilled custard ready. 
10. To serve, preferably take a glass or see-through serve ware to show the layers of the dessert. Spread a thick layer of the custard at the base. Top it with a layer of the khubani ka meetha. 
11. Garnish it with the nuts extracted from the kernels of the apricot. Enjoy!