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.

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.