The East Indian Kitchen: Khimad

Khimad is a spiced sweetened liquor with coconut liquor as its base, ideally. “(It) is made from the spirit which is the first distill and so is smoother than feni,” writes chef Michael  Swamy in his book. Once made it forms the base for cocktails like mojitos, martinis and the Khimad twist. [caption id=“attachment_34751” align=“alignleft” width=“330” caption=“Khimad. Image courtesy: Westland”]  [/caption] Ingredients: • 700 ml neutral liquor/ gin/vodka/tequila • 4 tbsp sugar • 6 green cardamoms • 1” stick cinnamon • 6 cloves • 1 tea bag Method: In a non-reactive pan, boil 250 ml of liquor with sugar and 200 ml of water. Crush the spices coarsely and add to the pan with the tea bag. Set aside and steep for awhile. Add to the remaining alcohol. Reheat before serving and serve warm. Note: The neutral liquor used here is the local country-made liquor which is home-distilled. There is also a variety that is commercially available (extra neutral alcohol). Gin, vodka or tequila may be used, as it has no flavour. This recipe appears in the book The East Indian Kitchen authored by Cordon Bleu chef and food stylist Michael Swamy (Westland: Rs 395).