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Chana dal halwa

At Punjabi weddings in Lahore and Faisalabad in the cold months, the dessert table often carries a big tray of chana dal halwa beside the gajar halwa. Soaked split chickpeas are ground and fried slowly in ghee until they smell of roasted nuts and turn deep golden, then cooked with milk, sugar and cardamom into a rich, grainy halwa that keeps for days. It takes patience and a strong arm. Chef's tip: keep the heat low and scrape the bottom constantly; the dal catches fast once it starts to brown.

90 min

Pakistani Indian Sweets

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Emping melinjoMelinjo nut crackers

Emping are pale, crisp crackers from Banten and Java, made by cracking melinjo nuts, flattening them with a hammer and drying them; at Lebaran a bowl of fried emping sits beside the opor ayam and ketupat. They taste lightly bitter and nutty, and a sweet-spicy coating is popular for the snack jars. Most cooks buy dried raw emping and fry them at home, which is what this recipe does, with the hand-pressing method for anyone who finds fresh nuts. Chef's tip: fry only a handful at a time and lift them out the moment they puff; emping go from perfect to burnt in seconds.

60 min

Indonesian Snacks & Starters

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Bubur candilSweet potato balls in syrup

Bubur candil is a classic takjil, the little sweet that Javanese families break the fast with after dates and water during Ramadan. Chewy balls of orange sweet potato and glutinous rice flour bob in a dark, glossy palm sugar syrup scented with pandan, and a spoon of salty coconut cream goes on top. It is warming, soft and fudgy, and stalls sell it in plastic cups in the hour before maghrib. Chef's tip: drop the balls into syrup that is just bubbling, not boiling hard, or they break up before they set.

45 min

Indonesian Desserts

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Sabeel sharbatRose milk with basil seeds

In the first ten days of Muharram, and above all on Ashura, volunteers in Pakistani towns set up sabeel stalls at the roadside and pour free cups of cold sweet milk for anyone passing, in memory of the thirst of Imam Husain's family at Karbala. The drink is pale pink, lightly rose-scented and dotted with swollen basil seeds, and it is made in huge steel pots at the stalls; this is the home-sized jug. Chef's tip: soak the basil seeds in water first, never straight in the milk, or they stay hard and clump.

10 min

Pakistani Drinks

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Sate buntelMinced goat skewers

Sate buntel is the grand satay of Solo, Central Java: minced goat seasoned with garlic, shallot and pepper, wrapped in a thin lace of caul fat around a flat skewer and grilled until crisp outside and juicy inside. At Idul Adha, when families have plenty of goat from the sacrifice, sate buntel is the special-occasion dish, served with sweet soy, raw shallots, chilli and cabbage. Chef's tip: chill the wrapped skewers for 30 minutes before grilling so the caul fat holds tight and doesn't slip off.

60 min

Indonesian Meat

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Es timun suriIced cucumber melon drink

Timun suri, a large cucumber-melon, appears in Indonesian markets only during Ramadan, piled high at roadside stalls for families to buy before iftar. Scraped into strands and floated in iced syrup with basil seeds and lime, it makes es timun suri, one of the most refreshing ways to break the fast. It tastes gently sweet, melony and cool. Cantaloupe or galia melon is a good stand-in outside Indonesia. Chef's tip: soak the basil seeds fully before adding them, as dry seeds clump into hard lumps in cold syrup.

20 min

Indonesian Drinks

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TimphanBanana sticky rice parcels with custard

Timphan is the pride of Aceh's Lebaran table: soft, chewy parcels of mashed banana and glutinous rice flour wrapped around a thick coconut and egg custard called srikaya, then steamed in banana leaves. Acehnese families make dozens before Eid to serve to guests, and they are also carried home after the holiday as gifts. The dough is sweet and fragrant, the filling silky and caramel-like. Chef's tip: cook the srikaya until it is very thick and cool it before filling, as runny custard leaks out of the parcels while they steam.

90 min

Indonesian Desserts

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RengginangGlutinous rice crackers

Rengginang are rough, lacy rounds of glutinous rice that Javanese families make in the weeks before Lebaran, drying them in the sun on bamboo trays and frying them for visitors on Eid morning. In hot oil the dried rice puffs into a crunchy, airy cracker with a gentle garlic and coriander flavour, and they are eaten alongside opor and ketupat or simply from the snack jar. Chef's tip: dry the rounds until they are hard and glassy all the way through, because any damp centre stops them puffing.

120 min

Indonesian Snacks & Starters

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KhajlaFried pastry rounds in sweet milk

In the old lanes of Lahore and Karachi's Burns Road, sweet shops fry khajla through the night in Ramadan so families can buy it fresh for sehri, the meal eaten before dawn. Each round is a stack of paper-thin layers of ghee-rubbed dough that shatter when you press them, and it is crumbled into a bowl of hot sweetened milk, often with fine pheni, to give slow energy for the fasting day. Chef's tip: keep the oil only medium-hot; khajla must fry slowly so every inner layer turns crisp before the outside browns.

100 min

Pakistani Desserts

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KrengsenganGoat stir-fried with sweet soy

Krengsengan is how many East Javanese households in Surabaya and Malang cook their share of Idul Adha goat or beef: thin slices stir-fried with shallots, garlic and chilli, then cooked down with sweet soy and a little petis (dark shrimp paste) until sticky and glossy. It is sweet, savoury and fiery, best with hot rice and cucumber. Petis is optional for anyone who prefers not to use shrimp. Chef's tip: slice the meat thinly across the grain, which keeps it tender in a quick cook.

45 min

Indonesian Meat

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Kue satuMung bean flour sweets

Kue satu are the little pale sweets that fill glass jars on Javanese and Sumatran tables when families open their doors for Lebaran visits at the end of Ramadan. Mung-bean flour is dry-toasted until it smells nutty, mixed with icing sugar and a whisper of pandan, then pressed into carved wooden moulds of flowers and leaves and left to dry until crumbly. They melt on the tongue with a sweet, beany, vanilla-like flavour and are offered with tea to every guest. Chef's tip: toast the flour until it is a shade darker and smells like popcorn, because raw-tasting flour is the most common reason kue satu taste flat.

60 min

Indonesian Desserts

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Kuah beulangongGoat and young jackfruit curry

In Aceh, the days of Meugang before Ramadan and Idul Adha are marked by men cooking kuah beulangong in huge cauldrons (beulangong) in the village square, so that every household, rich or poor, eats meat at the feast. Goat or beef is cooked with young jackfruit in a dark, nutty curry thickened with roasted coconut paste (u neulheu) and plenty of chilli and spice. This version scales the cauldron down to a family pot. Chef's tip: roast the coconut slowly until it is the colour of dark chocolate, because the deep toasted flavour is what makes this curry Acehnese.

195 min

Indonesian Curries

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KalanehWild leek stuffed flatbread

In Kurdistan and Kermanshah, Newroz arrives with the first spring greens on the hillsides, and families gather wild leeks to fold into kalaneh, thin griddle breads cooked over a fire or a hot pan and soaked in melted butter. The dough is plain and soft, rolled very thin around a pile of chopped leek or chives with a little salt and pepper, so the greens steam inside as the bread blisters. Eat it hot, torn into strips, with yogurt and tea at a Newroz picnic. The common mistake is wet greens, which turn the dough soggy and make it tear; dry them well after washing. Chef's tip: brush the butter on the moment the bread leaves the pan so it soaks right in.

65 minMiddle Eastern Breads & Parathas

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Dowina (Kurdish yogurt soup)

Dowina, called ash-e doogh in Persian, is warming spring food in Kurdish homes around Newroz, when yogurt is plentiful and the first herbs are cut from the garden. Rice and chickpeas simmer in a tangy, lightly thickened yogurt broth, finished with fresh dill, coriander and a sizzle of dried mint in oil. It is eaten warm, never boiling hot, with flatbread. The common mistake is to heat the yogurt too fast without stirring, which makes it split into grainy curds. Chef's tip: whisk an egg yolk and a spoonful of rice flour into the yogurt before it goes on the heat; it holds the soup smooth all the way to the simmer.

75 minMiddle Eastern Soups

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Gulai kambingGoat in yellow coconut curry

When the sacrifice of Idul Adha is shared out in Sumatran and Javanese neighbourhoods, many kitchens turn their portion of goat into gulai kambing: chunks of meat simmered slowly in a golden coconut gravy perfumed with turmeric, lemongrass, kaffir lime and whole spices. The sauce is rich, fragrant and only gently hot, and it is eaten with plain rice, sambal and fried shallots, often by families who rarely eat goat the rest of the year. Chef's tip: blanch the goat first and throw that water away, which removes the strong smell and gives a cleaner gravy.

150 min

Indonesian Curries

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LepetSticky rice and peanut logs

Lepet is the companion of ketupat on a Javanese Lebaran morning: glutinous rice and peanuts mixed with grated coconut, rolled in spiralled young coconut leaves and boiled for hours into dense, savoury logs. In Javanese tradition the sticky rice is a reminder to forgive and hold together after Ramadan, so it is shared with neighbours and family. It tastes nutty, salty and rich and is eaten with opor or simply on its own. Banana leaves and string work well where coconut leaves are hard to find. Chef's tip: roll each log loosely, about three-quarters full, so the swelling rice turns soft rather than hard and chalky.

285 min

Indonesian Rice & Grains

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BurasaCoconut rice cakes in banana leaf

Burasa is the Lebaran rice cake of the Bugis and Makassar people of South Sulawesi: rice half-cooked in salted coconut milk, wrapped in banana leaves, tied in pairs and boiled for hours until it sets firm and rich. On Eid morning it is sliced and eaten with coto Makassar, opor or a spicy beef dish, and it travels well for visits to relatives. Chef's tip: wrap the parcels only half full and tie them firmly, because the rice swells and a full parcel bursts open in the pot.

240 min

Indonesian Rice & Grains

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Kue akar kelapaFried coconut root twists

Kue akar kelapa, 'coconut root cookies', are a Betawi Lebaran tradition in Jakarta, piped in tangled squiggles that look like the roots of a coconut palm and fried until crisp and golden. The dough of rice flour, coconut milk and egg gives a light crunch and a gently sweet, coconutty flavour, and the jars are filled days before Eid so they can be passed around to visiting relatives. Chef's tip: keep the oil at a steady medium heat, as oil that is too hot browns the outside before the inside dries and they turn chewy.

60 min

Indonesian Snacks & Starters

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TengklengGoat rib and bone soup

Tengkleng was born in Solo, Central Java, as a way of using every part of the goat, and it comes into its own at Idul Adha, when the ribs and bones from the sacrifice go into a big pot of thin, turmeric-yellow broth. Diners pick the bones up by hand and suck out the meat and marrow, then spoon the light, aromatic soup over rice. It is less rich than gulai, warmer and sharper with ginger and pepper. Chef's tip: simmer gently with the lid ajar; a fierce boil clouds the broth and toughens the meat on the bones.

170 min

Indonesian Soups

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Aloo bukhara chutneyDried plum chutney

Wherever a Pakistani wedding serves biryani and qorma, a little bowl of glossy aloo bukhara chutney sits alongside to cut the richness. Dried sour plums are softened, then cooked with sugar, a touch of vinegar, ginger, chilli and warm spices into a jammy, sweet-sour relish, dark and shining. It keeps for weeks and is made in big jars before the shaadi. Chef's tip: stop cooking while it still looks a little loose; it thickens a lot as it cools.

35 min

Pakistani Chutneys & Dips

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Manisan kolang-kalingSugar palm fruit in pandan syrup

Kolang-kaling are the chewy, translucent seeds of the sugar palm, and in Indonesia they are a sure sign of Ramadan, piled in buckets at markets and simmered in syrup to go into iftar drinks, kolak and es buah. They have a soft, jelly-like bite and soak up whatever colour and flavour they are cooked in: green for pandan, red for rose syrup. Chef's tip: simmer them slowly and leave them in the syrup overnight; rushing gives pale fruit with a watery middle.

60 min

Indonesian Desserts

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Kue bawangFried shallot ribbons

Kue bawang, 'onion cookies', are the salty partner to all the sweet things on an Indonesian Lebaran table. Thin ribbons of dough scented with shallot, garlic and chopped celery leaf are fried until they crackle, and families nibble them from jars while visiting each other during the Eid holidays. They are crisp, savoury and very moreish with sweet tea. Chef's tip: roll the dough so thin you can almost see the worktop through it; thick ribbons stay hard rather than shattering.

60 min

Indonesian Snacks & Starters

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Tongseng kambingGoat in curry broth with cabbage

After the Idul Adha sacrifice in Solo, Central Java, the neighbourhood warung and home kitchens turn bite-sized goat into tongseng: meat quickly stir-cooked in a thin, spiced coconut curry with cabbage, tomato and a generous pour of sweet soy sauce. The result is sweet, peppery and a little hot, served with rice and eaten the same day the meat is shared out. Chef's tip: add the cabbage at the very end so it stays crisp-tender and bright.

60 min

Indonesian Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Roasted new yam with palm-oil sauce

At Iri Ji, the New Yam festival held across Igboland in August, the first yams of the harvest are offered with thanks, and the chief or eldest man eats the first piece before anyone else may taste the new crop. Often that first yam is simply roasted in the embers until the skin is charred, then dipped into a sauce of red palm oil, raw onion, ground pepper and bitter utazi leaf. The inside is fluffy and sweet, the sauce rich and fiery. Chef's tip: use real West African yam, not sweet potato; it roasts dry and floury and soaks up the oil.

50 min

Nigerian Vegetarian

by KrazyBadal 0 views

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