Dry Apricot Chutney

Ingredients

Dry Apricot – 20

Sugar – 7 to 8 tbl sp

Salt – ½ tsp

Red chilli powder – 2 tsp

Few raisins

Garlic – 3 flakes

Ginger – 1 small piece

Cloves – 2 cloves

Cardamom – 2 crushed

Vinegar – 1  tbl sp

Method

First cook dry apricots along with raisins, garlic, ginger, cloves and cardamom by adding  3 cups of water till it becomes soft.

Blend this to a fine paste and then add sugar, vinegar, red chilli powder and salt.

Take a heavy bottom pan and cook till it becomes thick.

Remove from fire.

Store it in an airtight container for future use.

Apricot Chicken

Ingredients

Chicken pieces – 250 gm

Apricot – 4 soaked in water

Onion – 2

Tomato – 2 small

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Salt as per taste

Coriander leaves

Make a paste of

Ginger – 1 small piece

Garlic – 4 to 5

Green chilli – 2

Roast and Make a paste/powder of

Coriander seed – 1 tbl.sp

Whole pepper corns – ½ tsp

Cloves – 4

Cardamom – 1

Cinnamon – 1 small piece

Method

Heat oil in a pan and add onion and fry till golden brown in color.

Then add ginger galrlic and green chilli paste and sauté for a minute till the raw smell goes.

Then add chopped tomatoes and apricots and cook till they are mashed.

Add chicken pieces, turmeric powder, salt and cover and cook for 10 minutes on a low flame.

Add roasted masala powder and one cup of water and cover and cook till the chicken pieces are cooked and the gravy becomes little thick.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Apricot Cake

Ingredients

All purpose flour – 1 cup

Sugar – ¾ cup

Egg - 2

Baking soda – ¼ tsp

Baking powder – ½  tsp

Salt – a pinch

Chopped Dry apricots – 7

Butter – 6 tbl.sp

Desiccated coconut – ½ cup

Milk – ½ cup or more

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

Method

First sieve together all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and keep aside.

In another bowl, whip together sugar and butter and then eggs and vanilla essence till smooth and fluffy.

Then fold in desiccated coconut and all purpose flour and then again beat with a hand blender for 2 minutes.

Pour in a greased baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree for half an hour or till it is done.

Khubani Ka Meetha (Apricot Dessert)

Ingredients

Dry apricot – 28 to 30

Sugar – ¾ cup

Lemon juice – 1 tsp

Cardamom powder – ½ tsp

Cream and chopped nuts for garnishing

Method

Wash and Soak dry apricots in water overnight or for at least 4 to 5 hours.

Take a heavy bottom pan, put all those apricot pieces along with the soak water and cook till it becomes soft and mushy. Add sugar, lemon juice and cardamom powder when it starts boiling.

Keep aside 4 to 5 apricots and make a puree of the rest apricot.

Again put in the same pan and cook till it becomes thick. Chop the whole apricot and keep aside.

When done, garnish with chopped apricots and cream and serve.

Apricot Chicken

Ingredients

Chicken – 1 kg

Onion – 3

Apricot – 3

Tomato – 2

Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp

Ghee/butter – 200 gm

Garam masala – 1 tsp

corriander powder - 1 tbl.sp

turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

cumin powder - 1 tsp

bay leaf - 1

Saffron soaked in milk

Red chilli and salt as per taste

fresh cream - 2 tbl.sp

Corriander and mint leaves for garnishing

Method

Cut chicken into medium size pieces.

Cut thin slices of onion

Wash and remove the seed from apricot and chop them into small pieces.

Heat oil in a  pan, add bay leaf and then  add onions and fry till golden brown in color.

Then add ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell goes, then add tomatoes and cook till they are mashed. Then add chicken pieces and stir fry for two to three minutes. Then add apricot, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, corriander powder, cumin powder salt, garam masala  and little water.

When the chicken pieces are cooked, add saffron and cream and leave it to simmer on a low flame for 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with coriander and mint leaves and serve hot with rice, roti, naan or paratha.