Around 1.9 billion people all around the world are gearing up for Eid-ul-Adha (Eid Qurban) celebrations on July 19, 2021. In the Muslim Calendar, this occasion is marked as one of the most important festivals. Known as the “Festival of sacrifice”, the observance commemorates the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son out of obedience to Allah. Likewise, Muslims celebrate the festival by carrying out a Qurbani (sacrifice) of usually a goat, sheep, cow or camel.

While Eid-ul-Fitr is known as “sweet Eid,”  Eid-ul-Adha is referred to as “salty Eid.” Cuisine enjoyed on Eid-ul-Adha is savory including the animal which is sacrificed. Families religiously host gatherings serving traditional food while invitations are sent over to relatives and friends. Chances are, gatherings are a backseat in the pandemic-stricken world, but this doesn’t really forbid us from enjoying mouth-watering dishes with family members.

CouponCodesME lists down the traditional dishes enjoyed on Eid-ul-Adha. Grab your phones or pens as you might feel an urge to take screenshots or pen recipes down. Save huge on your groceries from Noon, and Amazon.

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Lamb Shuwa (Oman)

Lamb shuwa

Eid-ul-Adha can no way be celebrated without indulging in some salacious Lamb Shuwa. It is quite popular in Oman because of its size and flavor. The slow-cooked lamb is marinated for hours before it is placed on top of a large platter of flavorful rice.

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

  • 1 leg of lamb or 1 sheep shoulder
  • 3 tbsp. white vinegar
  • 2 fresh limes
  • 1 tbsp. salt
  • 3 tbsp. garlic paste or 10 cloves
  • 50 ml of vegetable oil

(Baharat spice mix)

  • 2 tbsp. black peppercorns
  • 1 tbsp. coriander seeds
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 tbsp. cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp. cloves
  • 5 cardamom pods
  • 1 tbsp. nutmeg powder
  • 2 tbsp. chili flakes

Method:

(Making of Baharat)

In a frying pan, combine all spices and dry fry on medium to high heat till it begins to smoke and you can smell a strong aroma. Ensure to keep stirring the spices. Do not leave on heat for too long. Place the mixture in a blender and blitz until you find a fine powder.

(Marinating meat)

Combine Baharat mix with vinegar, limes, salt, garlic, and oil. Mix them together until they form a paste. Place your meat inside a roasting tray that is covered in foil. Using a knife, cut small slits all over the meat to allow the marinade to get inside. Pour the marinade over and massage with your hands into all creases, folds, and cuts of the meat. Pour the excess marinade all over. Pull the foil from the bottom to wrap it over the meat so that it gets sealed. Leave to marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 12 hours.

Cooking:

Take out the meat from the fridge and let it cool to room temperature. Heat oven to 140 °C and cook for approximately 5 hours. It is best served with saffron rice or yogurt-based salad. Drool-worthy, right?

Oruk (Turkey)

Oruk

Commonly known as Kurban Bayrami in Turkey, Oruk is deliciously baked meatballs. These are made from bulgur dough and semolina.

Serves: 12-14

Ingredients: (for filling)

  • 250 g ground beef
  • 100g shelled walnuts, finely crushed to small pieces
  • 3 medium onions finely grated
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • Salt to taste

(For the bulgur dough)

  • 450g fine bulgur
  • 1 ½ cup warm water to wet the bulgur and another 1 cup warm water to knead bulgur
  • 1 cup semolina
  • ½ cup warm water for semolina
  • 250g extra lean ground beef
  • 4 tbsp. Turkish hot pepper paste
  • 3 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • Salt to taste
  • Bowl of cold water for shaping oval balls

Method:

Grease a small baking tray. Preheat oven to 160°C/320 °F.

Prepare a filling by heating oil in the pan and stirring ground beef. Sauté and stir it over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until all juice is evaporated. Add grated onion, salt, ground pepper, red pepper flakes and sauté for another 5-8 minutes until onions soften and begin to color. Put in finely crushed walnuts and chopped parsley. Mix well. Let it cool.

Place fine bulgur dough in a large mixing bowl. Stir in red pepper paste, cumin, salt, red pepper flakes. Use your hands to mix. Slowly pour 1 ½ cup warm water all over it. Give the mixture a good mix and make sure the bulgur is wet. Let it rest and absorb water for 10 minutes. In the meantime, place semolina in a separate bowl and add in ½ cup of warm water. Knead it using your hands till it turns into a soft dough.

Put ½ cup warm water bowl next to you while you keep kneading the bulgur mixture for about 5 minutes. Keep your hands wet while doing so. Put semolina dough into this mixture and while your hands are wet, knead for another 5 minutes. The dough will keep getting elastic and will start binding together. Add ground beef to the mixture knead for another 10 minutes until you get a smooth elastic dough.

Now, have a bowl of cold water aside to shape oval bulgur balls. Wet your hands, take small size bulgur dough into your palm. Give it an oval shape. using your thumb, hollow out an opening in the middle. Fill the bulgur shell with about 1 ½ tbsp. of filling. Pinch the edges of the ball to seal. Place it on the oiled tray. And brush it with olive oil and bake. Place it on the dining table where it is devoured by diners.

Tharid (Emirati Lamb Stew)

thareed

It is often referred to as Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) favorite dish. Lamb and vegetable stew is served over thin, cracker-like bread called regag to soak up the rich juices.

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 3 lb. bone-in lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 3’ pieces
  • 2 tbsp. bzar (Emirati spice mix)
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 2 chiles de àrbol, stemmed
  • 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (4”) piece ginger, peeled and minced
  • 1 tbsp. ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp. ground cardamom
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 4 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 15 baby Yukon gold potatoes
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and halved crosswise
  • 2 small zucchinis, halved crosswise
  • Salt to taste
  • 4 (12”) pieces roti flatbread, toasted

Method:

Heat oil in an 8-qt Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season lamb all over with spice mix. Add lamb to pot and cook. Turning as needed until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer lamb to a plate and set aside. Add cloves, chilies, and onion to the pot. Cook stirring occasionally, until onion softens and begins to caramelize for about 10 minutes.

Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring until fragrant for about 2 minutes. Add cumin, pepper, cardamom, tomatoes, and bay leaves and cook stirring until tomatoes are soft. Return to lamb pot. Then add potatoes, carrots, zucchinis, and 12 cups of water. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer. Cover it partially till lamb becomes tender. It would take about 1 ½ hour. Season it with salt and pepper.

Line a deep serving dish with roti. With the help of a spoon, arrange meat and vegetables over flatbread. Serve liquid on the side by pouring it into a large bowl. Every inch of this recipe screams Eid Mubarak!

Kabsa (Saudi Arab)

Kabsa

All around the world, Eid-ul-Adha is celebrated with gusto. Happiness is just over the moon when delicious recipes are served. This traditional Saudian recipe is adopted all over the region and is very easy to make.

Serves: 7-10

Ingredients:

  • 2 1⁄2 kg lamb, large cubes
  • 4 cups basmati rice
  • ½ kg carrot, peeled and finely diced
  • 1 green pepper, seeded and finely diced
  • 1 kg tomatoes, peeled and diced
  • 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 kg finely chopped onions
  • 1 pinch ground cumin
  • ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
  • 1 pinch ground coriander
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • Butter or olive oil

(For Kabsa spice mix)

  • ½ tsp saffron
  • ¼ tsp ground green cardamoms
  • ½ ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground allspice
  • ¼ tsp white pepper
  • ½ tsp ground dried limes

(For sauce)

  • 2 cups water
  • 1 beef stock cube
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 400g chopped tomatoes
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • t tbsp. tomato paste
  • ¼ cup diced celery
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp. butter

Method:

Fry meat until it is browned on all sides. Add enough water in the pot to cover the meat by about 5 cm, bring it to boil and cook gently over medium heat for 1 ½-2 hour or till it becomes tender. Set meat aside and reserve the stock. Soak rice for about 10 minutes. Drain, rinse under running water, then drain again.

Add butter to a casserole. Fry onion, pepper, carrot, and spices. Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes. Add rice to vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Finally, add meat stock until it covers the rice. Cover pot and cook until tender for about 30 minutes.

(Sauce making)

Fry onion, garlic, and tomato in butter. Add in tomato paste, celery, salt, cinnamon, water, and stock cube. Cook on medium heat until slightly thickened and celery is tender. Place rice first in a large dish. Top with meat mixture and garnish with pine nuts. Serve the sauce in a jug with a spoon. It is also enjoyed with hot sauce.

Salad Recipe (Jordan)

Salad

Serves: 4 people

Ingredients:

  • 4 roma tomatoes
  • 1/3 cucumber
  • 6-8 romaine lettuce leaves
  • ½ small onion
  • ½ bell pepper
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped finely

Dressing:

  • 1 tablespoon dried mint
  • 1 tablespoon bular wheat (presoak wheat in water)
  • juice from 2 lemons
  • 5 tablespoons of olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients well.

Method:

Chop all ingredients into small squares and pour the dressing over the salad. Serve right away!

No Eid is complete without sweet treats. They are enjoyed by children and adults alike. Staples that hit quite a fame include Arabian pastries Ma’amoul, orange and coconut semolina cake, qatayef, asab e zainab.

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It’s festival time so don’t fret about gaining weight. You can always shed some extra pounds by managing proper workout routine. We say a very happy Eid-ul-Adha!