Kashmiri Shufta
Kindly Note: The traditional recipe of Kashmiri Shufta has saffron-flavored sugar syrup, cinnamon powder, candied sugar, dry ginger powder, and a pinch of regular salt added to the mixed dry fruit sweet, I have replaced regular salt with rock salt & omitted adding candied sugar. I have drizzled Organic Honey over the ingredients instead of Saffron flavoured sugar syrup.
Preparation Time– 25 mins
Cooking Time– 5 mins
Serves-6 to 8
Ingredients & Quantity:
- Cottage Cheese, cubed- 3/4 th cup
- Clarified butter- as required for shallow frying Cottage Cheese + 1 tbsp. extra for frying nuts.
- Almonds- 1/4 th cup
- Pistachio nuts-1/4th cup
- Raisins (Stems removed & discarded)- 1/4th cup
- Black currants (Stems removed & discarded)-1/4th cup (Opt)
- Dates (deseeded & chopped)-1/4th cup
- Walnuts, broken= 1/4th cup
- Dried Apricots (deseeded & cut into chunks)-1/4th cup
- Dry coconut, sliced- 2 tbsp.
- Dates, deseeded – 16
- Green cardamom, crushed- 1/4 th tsp.
- Black pepper powder- 1/4 th tsp.
- Cinnamon powder- 1/4 th tsp.
- Dry ginger powder- 1/4 th tsp.
- Rock salt- to taste
- Saffron- a pinch
For the garnish:
- Edible Dried & Organic Rose petals: 2 tsp.
- Organic Honey- 1/4 th cup or more, if desired.
- Warm Water- 4 cups
Method:
- Heat the clarified butter (for frying) and fry cubed paneer lightly
- Remove & put aside. Cut the almonds into halves.
- Soak all the prepared dry fruits in 4 cups of warm water for 15 mins except sliced dry coconut & dates.
- Drain the water from the dry fruits
- Heat 1 tbsp. of clarified butter in a heavy-bottomed pan.
- Lightly sauté the almonds, raisins, coconut, walnuts & apricots for 1
- minute.
- Transfer to a glass mixing bowl
- Add fried paneer cubes
- Add crushed green cardamoms, Black pepper powder, cinnamon
- powder & dry ginger powder, rock salt & Saffron
- Pour the honey over the dry fruits.
- Add lemon juice (Optional). Mix well.
- Serve warm garnished with edible dried & organic rose petals
Punjabi Kachi Haldi Di Panjiri (Punjabi Style Fresh Raw Turmeric Panjiri)
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 12
Ingredients & Quantity:
Fresh Raw Turmeric (Kachi Haldi), peeled & ground/puréed/grated-
200 gm. (Wear food-grade hand gloves to prevent your hands from getting stained)
Whole Wheat Flour- 3 cups
Desi Ghee- ½ cup + 4 tbsp.
Mixed melon seeds sauté in desi ghee- 1 tbsp.
Poppy Seeds sauté in desi ghee- 1 tbsp.
Dry Ginger Powder- 1 tsp.
Jaggery powder, organic / Desi Khand- ½ cup or more, if desired sauté in Desi Ghee Separately, cool it completely & grind it into a coarse powder
Fox nuts – 1/4th cup (Optional)
Cashew nuts – 1 tbsp.
Almonds – 1 tbsp.
Method:
- Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed Kadai add the haldi and cook on a slow flame until it’s completely dry but ensure that it does not brown. Set aside & cool
- Puree & set aside.
- Heat ghee in another clean-bottomed non-stick pan add the whole wheat flour cook / bhuno on a slow flame stirring it occasionally until it turns a little light golden brown or light reddish ensure that the raw aroma disappears & you can smell the nuttiness of the cooked whole wheat flour.
- Set aside & cool a little.
- In a sterilized dry glass bowl or a Parat/ Steel Thali.
- Add & mix Melon seeds and Poppy seeds.
- Coarsely ground Mixture. Add dry ginger powder. Mix. Add ground fresh cooked Turmeric.
- Mix it well.
- Add Jaggery powder& let it cool completely.
- Transfer & store in a sterilized & dry air-tight jar/container.
- Consume as & when required.
Chef Tips:
- Ensure you cook the Kachi Haldi well in desi ghee without over-browning it / discoloring it.
- Kachi Haldi (Raw Turmeric has a warming effect “Garam Taseer”, I know it’s too delicious, but do not consume it in larger quantities.
Consume in smaller quantities, preferably with hot/warm unsweetened milk. - Use a dry spoon while removing the Panjiri from the air-tight jar /container.