Khubani Ka meetha is an Indian dessert made from the dried apricots originating from the Hyderabad 'The city of the Nizam's' - India. Khubani or Khoobbani means apricot in Urdu. It happens to be the most favourite portion of a typical Hyderabadi styled meal especially in various social gathering such as marriages, birthdays etc. It is generally eaten at the concluding phase of any meal.

Ingredients to make Khubani Ka meetha:

• 250 gram. Dried Apricot

•     2 cups water

•     3 tbs. sugar

•     ½ liter milk

•     2 tbs. sugar for custard

•     2 tbs. custard powder Fresh cream

Step by step methods to be followed:

•     Presoak the apricot preferably overnight.

•     Remove the pits and take out the almond from inside the pit and keep aside.

•     In a pot boil the apricot with 2 cups of water.

•     Add the 3 TBS of sugar to this water.

•     When the quantity of the water is reduced to 1-cup remove from heat.

•     Cool and grind to a paste that is neither too thick nor too dilute.

•     Add the almonds that were removed from the pits to this pulp mixture.

•     In another pot prepare the custard either according to instructions on the custard   powder packet or according to the following.

•     Take ½ liter of milk and bring to the boil.

•     Add the 2 TBS of sugar.

•     Meanwhile mix the 2 TBS of custard powder with a few TBS of milk and add to the boiling milk stirring constantly otherwise it will coagulate.

•     Cook for a few minutes till it thickens slightly.

•     Remove from heat and cool.

    Now in a dish you can do either one of the following

    1. Add the custard then top off with a layer of the apricot pulp and then with a layer of fresh cream. OR

    2. Add a layer of custard then a layer of apricot one on top of the other.

Then add a final layer of fresh cream. Serve chilled.

A quick glance!

Soak apricots in three cups of water overnight then deseed them. Crack open the seeds then remove kernels and blanch them. Remove skin and set aside kernels for garnishing. Boil apricots using the same water in which they were soaked afterward add sugar after ten minutes and continue to boil till sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Keeping aside some apricots, puree the rest. Simmer the puree with the reserved whole apricots. Serve garnished with malai and apricot kernels. 

Serving: 2-3 persons 

Recipe adapted from online resources.

Image resource:Khubani Ka meetha

Enjoy every bite,  bring delight to your moment of life!

(AW:Samrat Biswas)