Feast on these Visakhapatnam special homemade iftar recipes!

After enduring the long month of fasting during Ramadan, Muslims break their fast during sunset with a feast. This feast is known as iftar. And irrespective of religion and whether one has undergone strict fasting, everyone joins the iftar party. Hotels and food joints host iftar parties offering a ton of varieties such as haleem, paya, boti, biryani, double-ka-meetha, and other authentic dishes. But nothing beats the mouth-watering recipes from the Muslim households of Visakhapatnam. Yo! Vizag spoke to two families in Visakhapatnam and enquired about what they prepare for their iftar and the recipes they follow. We present to you some unique homemade recipes for a feast during the iftar time in Visakhapatnam.

Here is a list of homemade recipes from Visakhapatnam prepared during the iftar time.

#1 Shami Kabab

This is an easy-to-cook mutton dish. Although, it can be prepared for vegetarians too. It is a perfect snack at dinner parties like an iftar.

Ingredients:

• 500 Gram Mutton Keema
• 1/2 cup Chana Dal
• 2 tbsp Ghee
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 1 Mace
• 3 Cloves
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 Green Cardamoms
• 7 Black Peppercorns
• 1 Brown Cardamom
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
• 1 cup of Water
• 1 Onion
• 1 Green Chilli
• 1/2 Lemon

Method of Preparation:

1. Soak half a cup of channa in a bowl for 30 minutes.
2. Add cinnamon stick, mace, cloves, bay leaf, green cardamoms, black peppercorns, and brown cardamom to boiling water in a pressure cooker.
3. When they crackle, add mutton kheema, salt, and red chilli powder to it and mix it thoroughly.
4. Add the soaked channa dal and pressure cook the mixture, until the mutton gets soft.
5. After 1-2 whistles, remove the lid and cook until the water dries up.
6. Grind the mixture and refrigerate for up to 30 minutes to form a thick paste.
7. Mix onion, green chilli, and lime juice to this paste.
8. Make flat balls out of this dough and refrigerate for another 10 minutes.
9. Add a tbsp of ghee to another pan and shallow fry the kebabs from all sides until golden brown.

And you have your Shami Kababs ready to be served hot.

#2 Dahi Vada

This is a flavour of the street. It is also a specially made item on the occasion of iftar.

Ingredients:

• 200 grams urad dal (white lentil) (soaked)
• 500 grams of Dahi (yoghurt)
• 1 tsp ginger garlic green chilli paste
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• salt to taste
• a pinch of hing
• chaat masala salt
• roasted cumin powder
• red chilli powder
• coriander leaves

Sweet chutney:

• Handful of tamarind
• 1 and a half cups sugar or as per taste
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp chaat masala
• 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Method of Preparation:

1. Soak urad dal overnight, so that it will be easy to grind.
2. Then drain the water to form a medium-thick paste.
3. Add salt ginger garlic green chilli paste and cumin
4. Mix thoroughly for 8 to 10 minutes in 1 direction. The batter can also be set aside for 2-3 hours for better results.
5. Heat the oil and deep fry vadas over medium flame till golden brown from all sides.
6. Remove and add the hot vadas into room temperature water for 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Then squeeze the vadas gently between palms to drain all water.

Sweet Chutney:

1. For making sweet chutney boil tamarind in 1 cup of water for a minute.
2. Cool and squeeze out the extract and strain.
3. Take this extract in a vessel and add sugar, red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder, salt to taste, and chaat masala powder.
4. Before bringing the mixture to a boil, cook for another 2 minutes to make sure all the sugar is dissolved well.
5. The mixture will turn thicker once it is removed from the flame and cools down.

Now beat the yoghurt, pour it along with the chutney over the vadas and enjoy the dish.

#3 Mutton Sukka

This is a special homemade Andhra-style mutton roast and one of the most popular recipes among Muslim households for iftar. This is a dry dish but it can also be made into a semi-gravy. This mutton fry can be accompanied by rice or paratha.

Ingredients:

• 500 gms Boneless Mutton
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• 200 ml Water
• 1/2 Tbsp Oil
• To make Masala Powder:
• 2 tsp Coriander Seeds
• 2 tsp Black Peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 3/4 tsp Fennel Seeds
• 2 Red Chillies
• 3 Cloves
• 2 Cinnamon
• 2 Green Cardamom
• 150 Gram Small Shallots
• 2 Curry leaves
• 3 Green Chillies
• 2 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
• 3 Tbsp Chopped Coriander
• Salt for seasoning
• 4 Tbsp Oil

Method of Preparation:

1. Add mutton, turmeric powder, salt, little oil, and water to the pressure cooker. Pressure cook up to 4 whistles till mutton is tender.
2. Heat oil in a pan & add the shallots. Fry on medium heat for 1-2 mins and add the slit green chillies and curry leaves.
3. Add ginger-garlic paste, before bringing the mutton stock to a boil.
4. Take a pan and add all the spices to make the masala powder. Dry roast on low heat for 2-3 mins. Set aside to cool and grind to a coarse powder.
5. Add the masala powder to the grinder earlier and fry this until the stock is absorbed.
6. Add the chopped coriander leaves and fry on high heat for 1-2 mins till oil separates.

And thus, the mouth-watering Mutton Sukka is ready. Try out this recipe during the iftar time in Visakhapatnam.

# 4 Andarsay

This is a popular iftar dessert. Apart from Qurbani-ka-meetha, this sweet is also a favourite among the crowds.

Ingredients:

1/2 kg Rice flour
1/2 kg Boiled potato
1/2 kg Sugar
1/2 kg Ghee
a pinch Saffron
1 cup Flour
2 Eggs

Method of Preparation:

1. Make sugar syrup by cooking 2 cups water and 1/2 kg sugar.
2. Mash 1/2 kg boiled potatoes, add in 1/2 kg rice flour and mix well.
3. Now knead to dough with half the quantity of sugar syrup.
4. Also, add in 2 eggs and a pinch of saffron.
5. Now fry in 1/2 kg ghee and remove.
6. Soak in the remaining sugar syrup for a few minutes. Then roll each in sesame seeds.

These delicious Andarsay sweets can now be prepared at home.

# 5 Malida

This is another special sweet prepared on the day of iftar. It is a must-try dish. Try out this recipe at your home.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup ghee
• 1 teaspoon powdered green cardamom
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1 cup semolina
• 1 cup powdered jaggery
• 1/4 cup mixed dry fruits
• 1 cup of milk

Method of Preparation:

1. To make this quick recipe, just mix wheat flour, semolina, ghee, 1/2 jaggery powder, and cardamom powder and mix it nicely.
2. Knead dough by adding milk. Once the dough is kneaded, keep it aside.
3. Make parathas using the dough with a rolling pin.
4. Next, break the parathas and grind them into a coarse mixture. Next, add in the jaggery powder, cardamom powder, and dry fruits and grind again.

And this easy-to-cook Malida recipe is ready to have.

Comment below and let us know your favourite homemade recipes made during the iftar time in Visakhapatnam.