Indian cooking / Dishes / Khoobani ka Meetha

Khoobani ka Meetha

Stewed Apricots with Clotted Cream

VegetarianOrigin HyderabadPrep 1½ hours, plus soaking and cooling timeCook 15 minutes

A rich dessert of slow-simmered dried apricots cooked into a sweet compote and paired with luxurious clotted cream. It offers a balanced contrast between tart, fruity sweetness and dense, milky richness.

Ingredients

Dried apricot · Sukha Khubanipreferably Hunza

500 g

fruit

Granulated sugar · Cheeni

150 g

sweetener

Clotted cream or heavy cream · Malai

250 g

dairy

Method

Place 500 g dried apricots (preferably Hunza) in a bowl with 75 g of the 150 g granulated sugar, cover completely with water, and leave to soak overnight.
Transfer the soaked apricots and their soaking liquid into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 1 hour until thoroughly tender and pulpy.
Take the pan off the heat and allow it to cool down. Remove and discard all the stones, then mash the apricot flesh thoroughly.
In a separate large saucepan, bring 500 ml of water to a boil. Add the mashed apricots along with the remaining 75 g granulated sugar and cook over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes, stirring continuously.
Ladle into serving bowls and accompany with 250 g clotted cream.

Don't have something?

Dried apricot

Dried fig
Use the same weight, chopped. Slightly less tart and more seedy; add a little lemon juice if the dish needs tang.
Date
Use 80% of the weight, chopped. Much sweeter and softer, so reduce any added sugar.
Raisin or sultana
Use the same weight. Sweeter and smaller; reduce sugar and expect less tartness.

Granulated sugar

Jaggery
Use equal weight; grate or shave finely so it dissolves rapidly, giving a warm, caramel-like sweetness and slightly darker sauce.

Clotted cream or heavy cream

Double cream
Use the same weight. For clotted cream, whip lightly or spoon over; it is thinner and less nutty. For heavy cream, it whips and cooks the same.
Single cream
For cooking only, use 75% single cream plus 25% melted unsalted butter by weight; it will not whip and is less rich.
Full-fat natural yoghurt
Use 75% of the weight off the heat or over low heat; it is tangy and can split, so not for whipping.

Similar dishes

Khubani Ka Meetha

Stewed Apricots with Almonds, Pistachio & Saffron

Khubani Ka Meetha tastes more fragrant from saffron and nuts and less sugary than this dish, with a tart apricot flavor and creamy richness.

Same: Khubani Ka Meetha is also a stewed dried-apricot dessert served with clotted cream.
Different: It uses less dried apricot, adds water and only a small amount of sugar, and includes saffron, almonds and pistachios, while this dish uses more apricot and much more sugar with no water, saffron or nuts listed.

Jardalu Boti

Lamb Cooked with Apricots

Jardalu Boti tastes savoury, spicy, and tangy rather than purely sweet and creamy like this dish.

Same: Jardalu Boti also features dried apricots cooked down with sugar.
Different: Unlike this simple compote served with clotted cream, Jardalu Boti is a savoury curry made by braising lamb in vegetable oil with onions, tomatoes, vinegar, and spices like cumin, chilli, and cinnamon.

Parsi Gajjar Mewa nu Achar

Sticky Carrot, Date & Apricot Chutney

Parsi Gajjar Mewa nu Achar tastes sticky, sweet-and-sour and warm-spiced, whereas this dish tastes tart-fruity and milky-rich.

Same: Parsi Gajjar Mewa nu Achar shares dried apricots and sugar with this dish, so both are fruit-based and sweet.
Different: Parsi Gajjar Mewa nu Achar adds carrots, dates, raisins, white wine vinegar, ghee, garlic powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, nutmeg and cardamom, while this dish uses only dried apricots, sugar and clotted cream.

Parsi Salli Boti

Apricot Lamb Curry with Crispy Potato Straws

Parsi Salli Boti tastes savory, spicy and rich with a sweet-sour apricot-vinegar gravy and crisp potato straws, while this dish tastes tart, fruity, sweet and creamy.

Same: Parsi Salli Boti shares dried apricots and a sweet-sour fruit note with this dish.
Different: Parsi Salli Boti is a lamb-on-the-bone curry cooked with onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, oil, cardamom, clove, cumin, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli, garam masala, jaggery and malt vinegar, topped with potato straws, while this dish is only stewed dried apricots with sugar and clotted cream.