Today in the kitchen - Khumani/khubani ka meetha. Aug 04, 2021

This was on the anvil for a long time but finally things do happen when they have to happen. Khumani (appricot) ka meetha is a dessert that is not very common or even popular across the country.. like kheer, halwa, laddu, icecream etc. Only in some pockets like Hyderabad this is a must have dessert at weddings and similar festivities.

History suggests that when Zahir ud din Muhammad Babur came to india in 1526 and founded Mughal empire, with him came Khumani that was not a native fruit back then and Khumani ka meetha was only a royal dessert. Gradually, we started producing Khumani in mountainous Himalayan region and it became popular wherever royal influence was most.. so you find this dessert in Hyderabad, Kashmir and likewise. 

First time I had Khumani ka meetha was in Hyderabad some 30+ years back, at Country Club Begumpet Hyderabad and I remained a loyal fan but got an opportunity to have it only on rare occasions. I had planned to make this on my birthday to celebrate my newfound interest in the kitchen, but missed it by a day.. nevertheless, it finally happened.

So let's see what we need to make this unique Mughal Royal dessert.

Ingredients:

To serve 6 people (earlier times this was good for 3 only)

Dry Khumani - 300 gms

Water to soak - 500 ml

Powdered sugar -200 gms (I used only 100gms).

Optional: (I would avoid)

raspberry food colour (1/4 tsp)

Vanila essence - 4-5 drops

Process:

Soak dry appricot/Khumani for 12 hours(overnight) and remove the seeds. Take the fruit out and keep in another plate. Break the seeds on a silbatta/stone and remove the apricot's almond. Soak them again and peel to get the soft white almond. 

Take a pan and put the water you removed from soaked Khumani and put it on low flame, once water warms up mix the khumani and let the mixture boil for about 15 minutes. Now add powdered sugar and keep mixing till it dissolves and the mixture becomes a bit sticky, this would take another 10 minutes. Should you want, at this stage put the raspberry colour and the vanilla essence. Now shut the flame and allow the mixture to cool. Add the almonds you removed from the khumani seeds and put them on the top for garnish. Put the dish in chill tray of your fridge for another 15-20 minutes and you are ready to serve the delicious dessert. You could store it in the fridge for another week or more, if you want to have it later.