Holi special: These recipes will make your Holi tastier, sweeter
Whoever heard of a Holi without gujiya, peda, matthi or thandai? For once, forget calories and use Holi as an excuse to savour these classic delicacies!
Whoever heard of a Holi without gujiya, peda, matthi or thandai?
Holi without these treats is like a birthday party without a cake. For once, forget calories and use Holi as an excuse to savour these classic delicacies!
If you are wondering about the need to slog in the kitchen at this time then just think about the abundance of adulterated and unhealthy food available in the market right now. Unless you are interested in spending Holi in a hospital bed, use the recipes shared by Indian masterchef, Sanjeev Kapoor, to recreate the magic at home.
Gujiya
Ingredients:
For the filling
Khoya/mawa: 500 gm
Sugarfree natura diet sugar: Six tablespoons
Desiccated coconut: 3 1/4 tsps
Cashewnuts (blanched and chopped): 15 nos
Almonds (blanched and chopped): 15 nos
Raisins: 20 nos
Green cardamom or nutmeg powder: 1/2 tsp
For the outer covering
Refined flour (maida): Four cups
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Ghee: Five tbsps + to deep fry
Gujiya mould
Method
- Mash the khoya and roast it in a deep pan on medium heat till pink. Take off the heat and let it cool.
- Add all the other filling ingredients to the khoya and keep aside.
- To prepare the covering, sieve flour and salt and rub in five tablespoons of ghee.
- Add enough water and knead into a firm dough. Cover it with a moist cloth and keep aside for 15 minutes.
- Divide the dough into small balls and roll each ball into a small puri of four inches diameter.
- Spread a puri on a greased gujiya mould and fill a tablespoon of the filling mixture on one side.
- Moisten the edges of the puri and fold one side of the mould over the other. Press the edges and remove the excess dough and reuse.
- Prepare all the gujiyas and spread on a damp cloth.
- Heat sufficient ghee in a deep pan and deep-fry the gujiyas, in batches on medium heat, till golden brown.
- Drain on to an absorbent paper. Cool and store in an airtight tin.
Kesari Malai Peda
Ingredients:
Four cups of milk
A few strands of saffron
A pinch of citric acid
Two teaspoons of cornflour, dissolved in two tablespoons of milk
1/4 tsp green cardamom powder
10 teaspoons Sugar Free Natura Diet Sugar
Eight almonds, chopped
Method:
- Bring milk to a boil in a deep pan and simmer till it reduces to half its original quantity. Add saffron and mix well.
- Mix citric acid in two teaspoons of water and add to the thickened milk.
- Add dissolved cornflour and stir continuously till the mixture thickens.
- Add green cardamom powder and mix well.
- Take pan off the heat and stir in Sugar Free Natura Diet Sugar and set aside to cool.
- Divide the mixture into eight equal portions and shape them into round pedas.
- Sprinkle almonds over the pedas and serve.
Mathhi
Ingredients:
Two cups of refined flour
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp carom seeds
One tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
Five tbsp Nutralite Table Spread
Oil for deep frying
Method:
- Place the flour in a bowl and add the salt, carom seeds and dried fenugreek leaves and mix well.
- Add five tablespoons of Nutralite Table Spread and mix well. Add sufficient cold water and knead into hard dough. Cover and rest the dough for 15 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 24 equal balls and flatten them slightly. Roll each ball thinly into small puri and fold in half and then fold again to make a triangle. Stick a clove at one corner making it appear like a paan.
- Heat sufficient oil in a kadai. Slide in the mathhis, a few at a time, and deep fry on medium heat till golden and crisp.
- You can also make these in round shapes. Lightly prick them with a fork so that the mathhis do not rise like puris.
- Drain on absorbent paper. Cool completely. Store in airtight tins.
Thandai
Ingredients:
Full cream milk: 1 1/2 litres
A few strands of saffron
Sugar Free Natura Diet Sugar: Five tbsp
Almonds, blanched and peeled: 25 nos
Cashewnuts, soaked: 20 nos
Pistachios, blanched and peeled: 30 nos
Melon seeds (magaz), soaked: Three tbsp
Poppy seeds (khuskhus), soaked: Three tbsp
Green cardamoms: 8 to 10 nos
Rose petals, dried: 20-25 nos
Cinnamon: 1-inch stick
Peppercorns: 8-10 nos
Method:
- Bring milk to a boil in a pan. Add saffron and simmer.
- Grind together almonds, cashewnuts, pistachios, melon seeds and poppy seeds with a little milk to a fine paste.
- Add this paste to the milk and mix well. Simmer for three to four minutes.
- Grind green cardamoms, dried rose petals, cinnamon and peppercorns to a fine powder.
- Add this to the milk and mix well. Add sugarfree natura Diet Sugar and mix.
- Chill the milk and serve.
All images used for representation only.