Gil E Firdaus / Hyderabadi Sweet Dish ~ Happy Diwali

On the auspicious day of DIWALI it is my heart's desire that good health, wealth, wisdom, prosperity tiptoes into the abode of my friends, family, co~bloggers, every single person who has visited my Blog till date, all those who are reading this post right now and everyone who has touched my life in some way or the other.

HAPPY DIWALI DEAR READERS 

Gil E Firdaus / Hyderabadi Sweet Dish Recipe ~

Author ~ Piyali Sekhar Mutha

Serves ~ 8~10

Cuisine ~ Indian / Hyderabadi 

Type ~ Sweet Dish / Dessert

Time ~ 10 minutes Preparation + 20 minutes Cooking + 30 minutes Soaking of Sago / Sabudana & reducing of milk

Ingredients ~

2 Ltr. Milk, full cream

1/2 Cup Sago Pearls / Sabudana

3 Tbsp Ghee / Clarified Butter

1 1/2 Cup (1 Cup = 250 Gms. approx.) Bottle Gourd / Lauki , skinned & grated coarsely

2 Tbsp Cashewnuts / Kaju, Whole

2 Tbsp Almond Slivers / Badam

1 Tbsp Pistachio/ Pista

1/2 Cup Milk Solids / Khoya

1 Cup Sugar/ Cheeni

1 Tbsp Rose Water / Gulab Jal

1/2 Tsp Cardamom / Choti Elaichi Powder

A pinch of Saffron / Saffron

A small pinch of organic edible Green Food Colour (optional)

Red Rose Petals, dried or fresh for garnishing

Let's Make Gil E Firdaus / Hyderabadi Sweet Dish In Easy Steps ~

Step ~ 1

* In a large pan pour the milk, bring to a rolling boil, simmer for 25 minute, so that it thickens a bit.

NOTE ~ Keep stirring from time to time or else you might end up with the milk sticking to the bottom & getting burnt, resulting in an obnoxious odour.

* Soak the Sago Pearls in water for 30 minutes. Drain & keep aside.

NOTE ~ It's tricky to soak Sago pearls, if you don't use the right amount of water, they will stick to each other & finally disintegrate as soon as you drop them into the milk. So SOAK THE SAGO PEARLS IN JUST ENOUGH WATER, SO THAT THEY ARE JUST SUBMERGED & THE WATER LEVEL IS JUST ABOVE THE SAGO PEARLS. Don't use more water.

Step ~ 2

* Once both the milk & Sago Pearls are ready, take a large pan, pour Clarified Butter. Throw in Cashewnuts, Almond Slivers, Pistachios. Fry till light brown. Take them out & keep them in a bowl for later use.

* In the same Clarified Butter, throw in the coarsely grated skinned Bottle Gourd.

NOTE ~ While grating the Bottle Gourd keep a bowl of water by the side, so that as soon as the grating is over transfer the grated bottle gourd into the water. Give it a nice wash, drain & use. This will prevent the milk from curdling when grated bottle gourd is added to it.

* When the water that the bottle gourd releases dries up & clarified butter is seen on the sides, add the milk. Stir well.

* Next add the Sago Pearls. Simmer for a couple of minutes.

* Add a pinch of Organic Edible Green Food Colour. Stir well till the colour dissolves completely.

** NOTE ~ Please note this is totally optional, if you don't want to add the colour it is fine. Colour only adds to the visual enhancement & has no effect on taste, so the choice is totally yours.

Step ~ 3

* Add Rose Water, stir.

* Add Khoya and mix well. You can now increase the flame.

* Add Sugar & stir gently till it dissolves which should not take more than a couple of minutes.

Step ~ 4 

* Add Green Cardamom powder. Mix.

* Add saffron & the fried Nuts.

* Remove from Flame. 

* Garnish with rose petals.