It’s that time of the year again when our kitchen sizzles with succulent aroma of meaty delights. This is the time when women — and in some cases men — will dig out their great grandmothers’ tried and tested recipes to recreate the culinary magic — not to forget jotting down tips and recipes by our popular chefs on various cooking shows.

But what exactly do our chefs themselves like to cook and eat on Eid day? Here’s a sneak peak of what their favourite recipes are:

Grilled mutton chops by Mehboob Mandokhel

Ingredients Mutton chops: 1 kg Garlic paste: 1tbsp Ginger paste: 1tbsp Red chilli powder: 2 tbsp Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp Lemon juice: 4 tbsp Crushed cumin seeds: 1 tbsp Salt: 1 ½ tsps Oil as required

Method

Mix all the ingredients and marinate the mutton chops for three hours then grill them on charcoal for 20 minutes. Serve.

Mutton shoulder (dasti) by Poppy Agha

Ingredients Mutton shoulder (dasti): 1 whole Milk: 1 litre Honey: 5 tbsp Freshly minced ginger: 3 tbsp Red chilli flakes: 2 tsp Salt: 3 tsp Whole garlic cloves (peeled): 6 Coriander seeds: 2 tsp Turmeric powder: 1 tsp Freshly squeezed orange juice: 1/2 cup (if orange juice is not available, then substitute it with 1/4th cup lemon juice) Vegetable broth: 2 to 3 cups Potatoes (peeled and quartered): 6

Method Marinate the mutton in milk, ginger, honey, chilli flakes and two teaspoons of salt for an hour and a half.

Turn the oven on to 240 degrees and let it heat up for 15 to 20 minutes. Place a large piece of foil in an oven dish and place the marinated mutton shoulder in it. Reserve the left over marinade juice for later use.

Add the other ingredients (except the potatoes) plus one teaspoon of salt to the mutton. Cover the mutton with another piece of foil and place it in the oven for 45 minutes.

Take the mutton out of the oven and flip it over. Pour over it the marinade juice that was kept aside. Add potatoes to the dish as well.

Cover the mutton with a foil and put it back in the oven. Reduce the heat from 240 degrees to 200 degrees and let the mutton cook for one hour, 40 minutes. Serve.

Kasturi malai kabab by Sayed Kazim Raza

Ingredients Boneless mutton: 1kg Kidney fat: 100gms Medium sized onion: 1, roughly chopped Khoya: 125 gms Malai or double cream: 1/4 cup Ginger-garlic paste: 2 tbsps Red chilli powder: 1 tbsp Cheese (grated): 50 gms Sweet soda: 1/2 tsp Green chillies: 8 to 10 Green coriander: half a bunch All spice powder: 1 tbsp Salt: as per taste Eggs: 2 Kasuri methi: 1 ½ tbsp

Method

Mix all the ingredients together with the mutton (except for the eggs, dry methi and 25 grams of cheese) and mince it twice in a machine to get a smooth texture.

Wrap the minced mutton around skewers and grill on barbecue or charcoal until each kebab turns light golden brown. Keep them aside.

In a bowl blend eggs, dry kasuri methi and the remaining cheese until it turns into a paste. Put the mutton-wrapped skewers back on the barbecue or charcoal and brush the egg paste on the mutton kebabs and let them cook for a few minutes.

Serve the malai kebabs with tamarind chutney.