1. Take a deep bottom vessel and pour milk in it.
2. Bring the milk to boil on a medium heat.
3. Once it boils, turn the flame to low and continue to heat it . Let it boil till it reduces to 2/3 quantity.
4. Now add sugar and continue to boil till the sugar gets dissolved. It takes about 5 minutes.
5. Keep stirring while the sugar gets dissolved to avoid the sugar from sticking the bottom of vessel.
6. Add the raisins and dates when the sugar gets dissolved and cook it further for 5 minutes.
7. Now add the vermicelli and cook for 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring often.
8. Add the saffron (kesar) to it milk and stir well.
9. Once the vermicelli softens , reduce the heat and cook it for 15 minutes more.
10. Keep stirring often.
11. Now turn off the heat and add the rose water and kewra essence.
12. Keep it aside for some minutes.
13. Garnish it with chopped and blanched almonds and pistachios.
14. Serve hot or cold as per desire.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Serves: 4 persons

Shelflife: 1 day

Serving Suggestion: Serve hot either hot or chilled after meals.

Note:

• Roast the vermicelli till it changes the colour. But dont ever over fry it.
• Reduce the milk to some quantity by heating it. U can measure it by the thickness of milk .
• You need not Reduce it to half the amount but just 2/3 of quantity.
• For blanching the almonds and pistachios, boil 2 cups of water and put the almonds and pistachios in it. Keep it inside the boil water for some 10 minutes. Then drain the water and removed the skin. You can then chop them thin into desired shapes .
• Kewra essence is available in market. It is used to add a aromatic touch to the cuisine. Rose water too does the same.
• Saffron is added to give the cuisine a good colour.

Click here to learn more about Uttarpradesh Foods and cuisines : An Introduction To Uttarpradesh Foods and Cuisines.

Click here to learn more about Indian sweets and Desserts: An Introduction To Indian Sweets And Desserts.

1. Put the chicken pieces on a large plate and rub them all over with the lemon juice. Set aside for 20 minutes, then pat dry with kitchen towels.
2. Mix the salt, cayenne and flour together on a second plate and roll the chicken pieces in it, shaking off any excess.
3. Melt the butter in a frying-pan.
   
4. Add the chicken pieces and fry until they are evenly browned. As they brown, transfer the pieces to a plate.
5. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and cumin seeds to the pan and fry until they are golden brown.
6. Stir in the yogurt, cream and lemon rind. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn in the mixture to coat thoroughly.
7. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer the chicken for 1 hour, or until it is cooked through and tender.
8. Uncover the pan for the last 20 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken somewhat.
9. Discard the lemon rind and transfer the chicken and sauce to a warmed serving dish. Serve at once.

• Use fresh Cream while cooking. Double heavy cream is available readymade in stores and is made from skimmed milk. It is much thicker and taste more delicious.
• If you are cooking this cuisine using a oven, then cook it over 650 C and stir it by taking in out after every 20 minutes after adding the yoghurt and cream.
• Dont forget to remove the lemon rinds.
• Use large peices of chicken for cooking this recipe.
• Fry the jeera in the pan till a slight aroma comes from it and it turns brown, so that the cuisine turns out aromatic and fresh jeera aroma spreads when served.

1. In a heavy bottomed pan, on medium heat, add in the the Milk and the Rice.
2. Grind the Saffron with a little bit of Sugar and add it to the Milk.
3. Meanwhile, soak the Raisins in a little bit of water to help puff them up.
4. Keep stirring the pan and make sure it does not burn at the bottom.
5. Cook till it is of desired thickness.
6. Once it reaches the desired thickness, add in the Sugar. Mix well.
7. Add in the Dry fruits - Raisins (without the water), Pistachios and the Almonds.
8. Turn off the flame and add in the Powdered Cardamom.
9. Serve hot or cold.

• If you are making the rice just for the Kheer, over cook the rice just a little.
• This is a great recipe if you don’t have a lot of time but alternatively, you can add in raw rice and cook it in the milk and it tastes great. But be very careful and and keep stirring frequently.
• If you like a smoother texture of rice in the kheer, just mash it lightly before adding it to the Milk.
• If you are cooking in Microwave , then cook it at 850W after mixing milk, rice, cardamom, sugar and saffron in microwave proof dish.Then add some heated ghee and nuts and further cook for 10 minutes.
  

1. Prepare Chicken Stock beforehand and keep aside. Click the chicken Stock underlined for chicken stock recipe.
2. Take a deep-wide sauce pan so that rice can easily prepare in it.
3. Fry onions in the oil until they become light golden in color.
4. Mean while add cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms in the onion so that a pleasant smell and aroma starts to come from the oil.
5. Now add tomato pieces, ginger garlic paste, red chili powder and turmeric powder and cook until tomato becomes soft and tender to form gravy.
6. After that add green chilies, mint leaves and cook for further 2 minutes with ½ cup of water.
7. Now add hot boiled and drained chicken stock with chicken pieces only to the gravy and let it boil and mix in the gravy.
8. Add rice in the end and if rice would not completely dip in the stock sauce, add more water so that all the rice should cover.
9. Cover the pan and cook rice on high flame until the sauce starts boiling and absorb in rice, it would take 8-10 mins.
10. When the sauce almost absorbs in the rice, reduce the flame to very low and cook for further 10 mins so that rice become tender and soft.
11. When the chicken pilaf becomes ready serve it hot in a beautiful rice dish with raita or any meat curry.
    

• In case, chicken stock is not available with you, then use normal water. Chicken stock would make the recipe even more tastier but water can be used when it is not available.
• Chop the tomatoes finely and also chop the onions finely like julienne.
• Some do add chopped green chillies. But I havent opted for it.
• Use a non sticky deep bottom pan to avoid any trouble of stickings at the bottom.
• This Pulao doesnt need Basmati rice as importantly. So even a normal rice can be used to cook Yakhni Pulao.
  

1. Mix the flour, semolina or rice flour, baking powder, curd and 3/4th cup of the water in a bowl (preferably a ceramic bowl). Mix well with a whisk.
2. Mix well and then add remaining water and 1/8th tsp. of saffron powder, and whisk until smooth.
3. Whisk them till it is of free flowing consistency.
4. Set aside for about 2 hours to ferment.
5. Whisk thoroughly before use. That is again whisk it before deep frying them.
6. Prepare one string syrup by dissolving sugar in the water.
7. Just before the syrup is ready add saffron and cardamom powder.
8. Heat oil in a kadai.
9. Take a pressable plastic bottle with a nozzle or place a hole at the top of it. Use this for making jalebis. Even coconut shell with a hole can also be used. Or a plastic cone with a nozzle can be used for the same.
10. Pour Batter with the help of the bottle in the kadai. Pour slowly and one by one. Pour them in the shape of coil. (see pic2)
    
11. Make just few at a time.
12. Deep fry them until they are golden and crisp all over but not brown.
13. Remove from the kadhai and drain on kitchen paper and immerse in the syrup.
14. Leave for at least 4-5 minutes so that they soak the syrup.
15. Take the jalebi out of syrup and serve hot.It can be served warm too. Enjoy the tempting delicious Jalebis.

• The pouring consistency of batter should be smooth and free flowing.
• These days jalebis bottles are available in market, or else you can use sauce bottle with a hole at the top of it for pouring the batter.
• Garnishing can be added with few strings of kesar strings and finely chopped Badams.