Khubani ka Meetha

A traditional apricot pudding

• CuisineIndian
• CategoryDessert
• CourseDessert

Ingredients

• 400 gmsDried apricots
• ½ cupSugar
• 2cardamom
• 1 pinchSaffron
• 1 cupVanilla ice cream

Preparation

1. Soak dried apricots in warm water for 8 hours
2. Coarsely ground the apricots adding as much of the water as necessary
3. Gently heat the crushed apricots in a pan
4. Crush cardamom and add along with the sugar, saffron and enough water
5. Simmer for about an hour
6. Cool and serve with vanilla ice cream

The traditional khubani ka meetha is made with a kind of apricot that is hard to find outside India. Most apricots you see in the market tend to be a lurid orange. This is partly due to the use of sulphur dioxide and the colour is considered desirable. But for this dessert, you need a brown apricot. I discovered this organic apricot in the market. I am assuming the organic bit is the lack of sulphur dioxide and this gives it this nice brown colour.

The apricots were succulent - almost damp. There was no need to soak them. I also skipped the grinding. To retain some texture, I just put them in whole and crushed them with the spoon as I stirred them.

Usually, you put a dollop of cream on top but I am not a great fan of cream and decided to go with vanilla ice cream.