Plum Cake

Plum cakes are just so special. Christmas all around the world is always so festive and beautiful. I love the old city charms, snow and the gorgeous decorations everywhere. Though, things were pretty festive while I was growing up but in a little different way. I went to catholic convent school and Christmas was always celebrated in an awesome way. The teachers, nuns and students would always put up a grand show on the last day before the Christmas break. One of the teachers would dress up as Santa Claus and distribute gifts to everyone.

What also made me look forward to Christmas in India was Plum cake. For some reason, Plum cake was always made only during the Christmas season. A local and very popular bakery in my hometown made delicious Plum cake and my father made sure he gets ample supply for the family because we all loved it and it was only available for a short period of time. Not just that, I would always look forward to visiting my Christian friends on Christmas and would love their awesome cake preparations on Christmas. Being a Muslim, we couldn’t eat Plum cake everywhere, since most people soak their dry fruits in Rum for a month or more and we could never try those. Thank God! the bakery was owned by a Muslim family.

I could never figure out what exactly they soak their dry fruits in and how exactly they make it so delicious, yet not adding any alcohol and making it exactly the same way as its traditionally made was simply amazing. But, of course, no baker would ever share the recipe, Right? and so, we would just enjoy the yummy Plum cake while the season lasted. After getting married, I discovered that Bangalore’s Iyengar bakeries have a non stop flow of Plum cakes all year round and since, we were travelling to India only during summer. Not just that, we also searched almost all bakeries in Indian areas in New Jersey only to find out that Plum cakes are not in demand so they don’t make it.

Most recipes you search will always ask you to soak the dry fruits in Rum or some other kind of alcoholic beverage and there is no alternative to it. Finally, I got this recipe from a friend’s aunt who happens to bake a traditional Plum cake for the family every Christmas and does not use alcohol. Initially I wasn’t so sure how the cake would turn out, because a few things in the recipe are not hard but slightly tricky but, once you get the hang of it, its a walk in the park. Just make sure you red and follow all the directions mentioned. I promise the cake will make you relive those beautiful childhood memories.

Kashmiri Murgh Akhrot Biryani

This dish is cooked with Chicken/ Murgh and Yogurt on slow fire. Dry fruits like raisins and walnuts native to the beautiful state of Kashmir, add a distinctive flavor to it.

As the month of Ramadan begins all over the world, Biryani is a feasting dish perfect for Ramadan Iftaars, the celebration that rounds up Ramadan. A biryani of some description is always a regulation dish at celebrations, and the Kashmiri version is one of the many that needs to be a part of the Muslim tradition.

This version of Biryani is often preferred as it is rich and made even more special by the use of raisins and walnuts. I believe making different versions of Biryani also has a lot to do with the status of the family, this dish is judged by both the quantity and the array of nuts and dried fruits included.

I have always loved movies based in Kashmir ki waadiyaan. The idea of romance on a row boat is very fascinating. On one side, where the Gandola rides in Venice are considered romantic, my idea of romance still goes back to the beautiful shikaara rides with flowers around. I really wish to take that ride with Mr. Parveez some day. Till then, trying to cook cuisines from my favorite places is something I enjoy doing.

The first time I tried the Kashmiri Murgh Akhrot Biryani was one of my Friday Iftaars. Though I try to stay away from experiments during Ramadan, Friday Iftaars are a different story. My tables are lavish and my dastarkhaan has food in large variety and quantity to feed the whole army. My kids love our Friday Iftaar and somewhere look forward to Ramadan, for the lavish Friday Iftaar.

This dish has a lot of influence from the Persians. Most persian dishes are made using loads of dry fruits and nuts with meat, but with the addition of spices, the flavor of the dish changes, hence makes a Kashmiri Biryani.

This Biryani seemed rich in flavor as I mentioned before. The spice level is less, since the region of Kashmir has most of their spices come in from Saffron and cinnamon than chili. Its very pleasing to the eyes since the presentation has loads of raisins and walnuts garnished. In all, a fabulous dish and very flavorful.