Name: Khubani ka meetha (Hunza apricots with custard and cream)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: Serves 8–10
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 250 g/9 oz ready-made vanilla custard (shop-bought custard works best); 250 g/9 oz/1 cup double (heavy) cream, whipped; 250 g/9 oz/1¼ cups caster (superfine) sugar; 1 tbsp blanched dry-roasted almonds, to decorate (optional); 1 kg/2¼ lb Hunza apricots

Preparation info

Serves
8–10

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
1 hr 50

Appears in

Summers Under the Tamarind Tree

By Sumayya Usmani

Published 2016

About

Hunza apricots have a stunning toffee-like flavour and this Hyderabadi dessert is a little taste of heaven. The unassuming dried fruit is rehydrated overnight in water then stewed and served with a rich, creamy custard. This recipe was shared with me by my old friend Humaira.

Ingredients

1 kg/2¼ lb Hunza apricots
250 g/9

Method

The day before making the dessert, wash the dried apricots and soak them in a bowl of water overnight. The water should come up 3 fingers or 5cm/2 inches above the apricots. Leave the bowl uncovered.

The next day, the apricots should have doubled in size and become plump. Remove the stones carefully without breaking the flesh. Reserve the stones and the water.

In the same water,