Ramadan special recipe: Aleesa

A specialty for Iftar, during the month of Ramadan, Aleesa blends the meat with ambrosial spices to make a perfect dish.

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Ingredients
2 cups peeled wheat (soaked overnight)
7 cups water
3-4 medium chicken pieces 
1/2 of 1 medium onion chopped roughly
2 garlic cloves
1 inch piece Cinnamon
2 pods cardamom:
6 tsp ghee
3/4 tsp salt, or as required

For Garnishing

3 tsp ghee
1 onion, sliced thin
A few Cashew nuts
A few raisins

Preparation
Wash and soak the wheat overnight
The next day, strain the water from the soaked wheat
Now in a pressure cooker, add the wheat, water, chicken pieces, onion, garlic, cinnamon, cardamom, ghee and salt and mix well
Close the lid with the weight on
First keep this on medium flame for 5 minutes then reduce the flame to the lowest on the small burner and cook for 1 hour 40 minutes
Take off the flame, wait for 10 minutes until the steam escapes completely and then open the lid
Slowly mix everything together with a ladle and then mash it using the back of the ladle till it becomes smooth and creamy
Now heat a pan, add ghee and fry the onions and cashew nuts, and take off the flame
Keeping a little aside, add the rest to the prepared Aleesa
While serving, you can add the remaining ghee-onion-cashew mix on top and spread it using the back of the spoon

(The writer is a chef and tutor at Greens Ayur)