Hyderabad: Apricots are probably one of the most loved fruits, even though they aren’t as celebrated as other fruits.
With apricots found in abundance around this time, there is a lot that you can prepare with them.
Whether eaten as a fruit or made into a dessert, the result is always the same — delicious.
So this week, we bring you recipes from around the city using apricots.
Apricot halwa
Ingredients
1 kg dried apricots
250 gm vanilla sponge cake
1 tsp cardamom powder
2 drops of rose water
75 gm sugar
100 gm ghee
5 gm pistachio flakes
5 gm almond flakes
5 gm walnuts
150 gm khoya
2 silver leaves
5 gm walnuts
1 vanilla bean pod
Method:
Soak the apricots in water for half-an-hour; make sure it is not very soft. Deseed the apricots.
Heat ghee in a thick-bottomed pan, add apricots and sauté on a low flame till it turns golden.
Add sugar, sauté further and add grated khoya, stir gently.
Add small cubes of vanilla sponge, cardamom powder, rose water, stir and switch off the flame.
Garnish the halwa with silver leaves, pistachio, apricots, walnuts, vanilla bean and almond flakes. Serve hot or cold.
Apricot tarts
Ingredients
200 gm apricots
200 gm sugar
Tarts (easily found in markets)
Method:
Soak the apricots overnight or for 4-5 hours in warm water. The apricots will swell and become soft the next day. Drain the apricots but keep the water. Deseed the fruits. Now, add the apricots to the same water and let it cook on a low flame. Stir while it cooks slowly. Add sugar after 20 minutes. Stir and continue to cook till the mixture thickens.
Custard filling
Ingredients
100 ml milk
25 gm sugar
25 gm butter
15 gm corn flour
1 egg
Method:
Mix the eggs, sugar and corn flour. Set aside.
Add this mixture to boiled milk and let it boil further till the mixture is of a thick consistency.
Add butter and take it off the flame. Take the tarts, fill it with the custard and add the apricot mixture and serve hot.
Apricot Malpua
Ingredients
1 litre milk
250 gm sugar
150 ml water
0.1 gm saffron
5 ml cardamom powder
400 ml condensed milk
500 gm refined flour
0.25 gm baking powder
20 gm almonds
100 gm dried apricots
Method:
In a thick-bottomed pan, heat the milk and 150 gm sugar.
Let it boil till it decreases to a fourth of its original volume.
Take if off the flame and let it cool. Later, let it chill in the fridge. This is the rabri for the malpua.
Mix together in a pan equal amounts of sugar and water.
Boil till a single-thread consistency is achieved. Add saffron threads and cardamom powder and mix well.
Soak apricots in hot water for 2 hours. Set 4-5 pieces aside for garnishing and make a puree of the rest.
Now, mix together condensed milk, flour and baking powder to make a smooth batter and add the apricot puree to it.
Heat ghee in a pan and pour the batter into circles. Let it fry until golden brown.
Once it’s fried put it in the sugar syrup for 2-3 minutes.
Arrange on a plate with some silver leaves.
Garnish with few soaked apricots. Serve with rabri and nuts.
