Sindhi khoya is not easily available in mithai shops; if you’re lucky you may get it in a shop that specialises in Sindhi foods. But there’s nothing like the homemade khoya. That’s why we are sharing the authentic Sindhi Khoya recipe with you.

Preparing Sindhi Khoya requires lots of patience and time, so make sure you have an abundance of these two on the day you’re making it. Sindhi khoya stays good in the refrigerator for up to a month, so you can make a large batch and just refrigerate it. To serve, just add 1-2 tbsp milk to the serving and heat on a stove.

The important thing to remember is that this Sindhi khoya recipe must be cooked on a low flame to get the perfect taste and consistency. You can reduce or increase the proportion of nuts as you like. This is very calorie dense food, so a little goes a long way. It’s rich in healthy fats, but be sure to control your portion size.

Traditional Sindhi Khoya Recipe

Ingredients

• Milk 2.5 litres
• Dry dates [khaareek or chuara] 200 – 250g
• Poppy seeds [khuskhus] 100g
• Cardamom 25 – 30 [powdered]
• Nutmeg powder 1/2 tsp
• Sugar 300g [can be adjusted as per your taste preference]
• Ghee 200g
• Almonds 50g [chopped]
• Walnuts 25g [chopped]
• Cashews 25g [halved]
• Coriander seeds [dhaniya magaz] 3 – 4  tbsp [coarsely ground]

Method

1. Wash and pound the dry dates. Discard the seeds. The dates should be coarsely broken, not powdered.
2. Heat the milk. When it boils, lower the flame. Now rest of the cooking has to be done on low flame. Add the broken dry dates to the milk and let it cook till they soften. This will take about 15 – 20 mins.
3. Now turn off the flame and leave this overnight or for 6-7 hours. You may leave it outside or refrigerate. Letting this mixture stand for few hours helps the dry dates to soften completely and gives them a “melt in mouth” consistency, which is what makes the khoya so delicious.
4. The next day, heat some ghee [just enough for frying nuts] in a frying pan. Fry the almonds, cashews and walnuts and add them to the milk-date mixture. Take care to not brown/burn the nuts.
5. Also fry the poppy seeds, coriander seeds and cardamom powder in ghee, again being careful to not burn it. Add these ingredients too to the milk.
6. Now place the milk vessel on low flame and let it cook, stirring occasionally to make sure it does not burn at the bottom. Add the remaining ghee to the milk mixture. Keep cooking till the milk browns and only then add sugar. Stir till the sugar has melted in.
7. Keep cooking on low flame till the mixture dries up. Turn off the flame and add nutmeg [jaiphal] powder. Your sindhi khoya is ready.

The post Sindhi Khoya: a traditional winter delicacy appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown poha / beaten rice / rice flakes [can substitute with white poha]
• ¾ cup sugar / jaggery/ grated palm sugar
• 2 green cardamoms
• ½ cup desiccated coconut [optional]
• ¼ cup ghee or milk or coconut oil for binding
• Cashew nuts and raisins as desired

Preparation method

1. Dry roast poha till crunchy. Add coconut and fry till it begins to smell good. Transfer this to a wide plate to cool.
2. Once cool, add the mixture to a blender along with the cardamom and grind into a fine powder, add jaggery and blend well again. Transfer this mixture onto a plate.
3. Heat ghee in a pan, add cashews and fry them till they turn golden, then add the raisins. Switch off the stove.
4. Add the fried cashews and raisins to the mixture. Knead everything well with the palm sugar and add a small amount of the ghee/milk/coconut oil and roll into balls.
5. Dry roast nuts and use them to garnish your dish. Store these in an airtight container.

This was first published in the February 2015 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

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Eat food that is mild, easy to digest and maintain regular meal timings. It is better to avoid spicy foods, sexual intercourse, heavy exercises, attempts to loose weight, negative emotions, difficult postures like balancing on one leg or squatting and exposure to unhappy or violent news or events.

General advice

Here are some general guidelines for the wellbeing of the mother and foetus:

• Do not tie a tight knot over the abdomen.
• Do not use heavy blankets or place them over the abdomen.
• Do not change your sleeping position from left side to right side or vice-versa without getting up.
• Keep both thighs together while sitting.
• Sleep sideways instead of sleeping on the back.

Month-wise regime [during pregnancy]

First month

A pregnant woman should take natural supplements like draksha, khajoor, manooka, and vidari with milk [cold/room temperature] in the morning.

For the first 12 days, have ghee [prepared from cow’s milk] boiled with leaves of saliparni herb. If you can then have this preparation in a vessel precious metals like gold or silver. After that, have water that is boiled and cooled. Your breakfast should comprise sweet, cold and semi-solid foods.

Women tend to start taking a massage or reverse massage from this month. However, massages are to be avoided till the fifth month.

Second month

Have milk mixed with the above-mentioned natural supplements.

Third month

Have the same sweet natural supplements, but now mix them with milk, honey and ghee.

Fourth month

Continue taking the same sweet supplements with milk. This time replace ghee with butter [12 – 15g of makkhan] made from milk.

Fifth month

Continue the supplement regime of the fourth month. Oil application and gentle massage followed by a bath with lukewarm water is recommended. Continue this till the end of your pregnancy.

Sixth month

Continue the supplement regime of the fifth month.

Seventh month

Mothers-to-be may feel an itchy sensation on the breast and abdomen or a burning sensation in the chest or throat.

Eat food in smaller quantities, frequently, and a bite of sweet something with little ghee or oil that is easy to digest. Ensure that your salt intake during this period is reduced to a minimum. Also, avoid drinking water immediately after a meal.

Eighth month

Eat rice prepared with milk in semi-solid or liquid form with ghee.

Ninth month

Follow the same diet as in the eighth month.

Apply oil on the abdomen and genital areas. Take an oil enema in small quantities to help ease false labour pains. Wish you a healthy and happy pregnancy.

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