Holi Hai! Relish Yummy Bhang Ke Pakore, White Chocolate Gujiya & Delicious Malpua This Festival Of Colours

The festival of colours is here and the obvious way to celebrate it is to play around with colours and pichkaris. However, Holi is that time of the year when most of us let the diet-conscious eaters in us go to sleep as we devour our favourite food items - ranging from gujiyas to laddoos. Holi is one day when we put our diet plans to rest and savour copious amounts of favourite delicacies.

This Holi, if you have guests over and are not sure what to serve them, you could try your hand at these easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy recipes and cook up a storm in the kitchen.

Ingredients
Pistachios, Almonds, Walnuts and Cashews: 1 cup, in equal proportions
Dates, deseeded and coarsely chopped: 1 cup
Cocoa powder: 4 tsp
Vanilla extract: ½ tsp
Pista powder: to roll
Method

-Toast the nuts on a medium flame and set aside to cool
-Microwave the dates for 30- 45 seconds to soften them a bit
-In a processor, pulse the nuts to coarsely chop them
-Pulse the dates with vanilla and cocoa powder till it becomes a smooth paste
-Mix the nuts and dates till it becomes a smooth paste
-Mix the nuts and dates till it becomes a dough, and roll it into balls
-Roll it in the pistachio powder for the enticing green colour

(Courtesy: Chef Ashish Juyal, The Westin Sohna Resort & Spa, Gurgaon)

Ingredients
Honey : ½ cup
Raw almonds, roughly chopped: ½ cup
Pistachio kernels, roughly chopped: ½ cup
Sunflower seeds: ½ cup
Shredded coconut: ½ cup
Cardamom powder: 1 tsp
Salt: 2 tsp
Saffron threads: a pinch
Rosewater: 1 tsp

Method
-Preheat oven to 300 degrees
-In a large bowl, mix honey, pistachios, almonds, rose petals, cardamom, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, salt, saffron and rose water
-Transfer the mixture on the baking tray and spread it flat
-Bake the granola in the oven for 45 minutes in total, checking it every 15 minutes to make sure that the granola bakes evenly
-After 45 minutes, remove the tray from the oven
-Let it cool for an hour
-Serve or gift this Holi

(Courtesy: Chef Ashish Juyal, The Westin Sohna Resort & Spa, Gurgaon)

Ingredients

For Gujiya
All-purpose flour (Maida): 1 cup
Clarified butter (Ghee): 1 tbsp
Salt: A pinch
Water: ½ cup
For Stuffing
Khoya (Mawa): ½ cup
Cashew nuts - chopped: 4
Almonds - chopped: 4
Raisins: 12-15
Desiccated coconut: 1 tbsp
Green cardamom seeds powder: ¼ tsp
Freshly grated nutmeg: 1 pinch
Sugar: 3 tbsp
Oil/ Ghee: For fryingMethod

Making the stuffing
-Heat the mawa in a pan on medium heat
-Keep stirring continuously, it will start to melt. Cook till it becomes light brown, and then turn off the stove. This takes about 3-4 minutes
-Remove it in a bowl and let it cool down to touch or let it become slightly warm
-Now add sugar, cardamom powder, nutmeg, cashews, almonds, and raisins. Mix it well and use your fingertip to break all the lumps. Keep it aside

Making the dough
-Mix all-purpose flour and salt in a bowl
-Drizzle ghee and rub it into the flour using your fingertips. You should get a breadcrumb like texture
-Start adding little water at a time. Knead into the stiff and smooth dough
-Cover it and let it rest for 15 minutes

Making mawa gujiya recipe-After the resting time of the dough, knead the dough once again and divide it into 10 equal portions, then roll it into a smooth ball and flatten it between your palms
-Work with one flatten disc at a time. Roll it into a 4-inch diameter circle
-Put about a tablespoon of stuffing in the center
-Apply little water around the edges using your finger, or the pastry brush
-Fold it into a half circle. Seal the edges by pressing it and then by using a fork, make an indentation and seal it well. If you have gujiya molds then use those
-Make all the gujiya and keep them covered with the kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out
-When about to finish shaping, heat the oil or ghee in a pan on medium heat for frying
-Once it is hot enough, then fry a few at a time, flip or move in between for even browning
-Once it is golden brown and crispy from all sides, use the slotted spoon to remove it

(Courtesy: Chef Francis Vaz, the Chef de Cuisine at The Westin Mumbai Garden City)

Ingredients
Whole wheat flour: 250 g
Jaggery: 250 g
Kova: 50 g
Banana ripe: 1
Milk: 100 ml
Fennel seed: 5 g
Green cardamom powder: 5 g
Ghee: 10 g
Refined Oil: to deep fry (600ml)

Method
-Take Jaggery in pan and dissolve it by adding 500 ml of water and pinch of cardamom powder and boil it till thin syrup consistency
-Take a mixer jar, mix in all ingredients, add little milk and water blend it to get a consistency of pouring batter
-Meanwhile heat oil in a thick bottom fat frying pan
-As the oil is heating up, reduce the heat to low
-Now take a small deep ladle and spoon out the batter and deep fry till dark brown
-Take out on a paper lined plate and Dip it in the hot syrup for 5 minutes
-Now arrange in serving platter sprinkle cardamom powder on top
-Serve hot or room temperature.
-Can be served flambeed with Rum.
-Decorate with dry fruits and dried rose petals|

(Courtesy: Chef Mani Mohan Pathak, Executive Chef, Fox in The Field)

Ingredients
Almond: 1/4 cup
Saffron: a pinch
Sugar: 2 tbsp
Milk: 3 tbsp
Milk powder: 1/2 cup
Ghee: 1/2 tsp

Method
-Soak almonds in hot water for 15 minutes and take out the skin
-Soak saffron in lukewarm milk
-Grind this almonds and sugar into a fine paste
-Grind this into a smooth paste using saffron milk
-In a heavy bottomed pan add the badam mixture, ghee and milk powder
-Keep in a medium low flame and start stirring this continuously
-Stir this till the whole mixture comes to a whole mass
-Allow this to cool. With hands slightly greased with hands make the whole mass into a smooth dough.
-Make pedas of your desired size. You can use cookie cutter too to shape them.
-Roll them into a chapati and cut them in a cookie cutter.
-Kesar badam peda are ready to serve. This can be stored in the room temperature for a day.

(Courtesy: Latest Recipe, Le Méridien Gurgaon)

Ingredients
Milk: 1 L
Lemon Juice: 100 ml
Corn Flour: 10 g
Water: 1 L
Sugar: 500 g
Sweet Yogurt: 200 g
Mint Chutney: 50 g
Amchur Chutney: 50 g
Roasted Cumin Powder: 2 g
Black Salt: 2 g
Bhujia Sev: 5 g
Chopped Coriander: 2 g
Pomegranate Seeds: 10 g

Method

-Boil milk in a heavy bottom pan. Once it comes to a boil, switch off the flame-Add lemon juice till the milk curdles completely
-Using a strainer drain the water and collect the Cheena
-Rinse it under tap water so that there's no trace of lemon juice in it
-Leave it in the strainer for 10-15 minutes and then take the Cheena in your hand and squeeze out remaining water slowly
-Add corn flour and start mashing the Cheena till it’s smooth
-Once it’s smooth, make small balls out of it
-Heat sugar and water in a wide pan and wait till it comes to a full boil
-Drop the balls in boiling sugar syrup and cook for 15-17 minutes. The balls will double in size by then
-Take out the balls from the syrup and drop them in freshwater. If they sink to the bottom, the balls are done
-Put 2-3 Cheena in a serving bowl/plate and pour sweetened blended curd on it
-Add mint chutney, Amchur chutney, roasted cumin powder and black salt on top
-Garnish with coriander leaves and sev bhujiya

(Courtesy: Arun Sundararaj, Executive Chef at Taj Mahal, New Delhi)

Ingredients
Lauki / bottle gourd / doodhi / ghiya: 600 g
Ghee / clarified butter: ¼ cup
Cashew chopped: 5
Almond, chopped: 5
Raisins: 2 tbsp
Milk: ½ cup
Sugar: ¾ cup

Method
-Heat ¼ cup ghee and roast 5 cashew, 5 almond and 2 tbsp raisins
-Fry nuts to golden brown and keep aside
-Now add in grated lauki and sauté for 5 minutes
-Sauté till the lauki shrinks slightly and changes color
-Add in ½ cup milk and mix well
-Cook for 10 minutes or till milk thickens and lauki gets cooked completely
-Further add in ¾ cup sugar and mix well
-Sugar melts and boil for 5 minutes or till it thickens
-Add in khoya into lauki mixture and mix well
-Keep stirring till the mixture thickens and forms a mass
-Add in roasted nuts and ¼ tsp cardamom powder. Mix well
-Finally, transfer dudhi halwa / lauki halwa to a bowl and serve hot

(Courtesy: Chef Naresh Singh Rawat, Jr. Sous Chef, Courtyard by Marriott Bengaluru ORR)

Ingredients
All-purpose flour: 200 g
Fennel seeds: 1 tsp
Powdered green cardamom: 1 tsp
Ghee: 1 cup
Water: 250 ml
Khoya: 50 g
Semolina: 100 g
Baking powder: ½ tsp
Milk: 500 ml
Sugar: 250 g
Saffron: as required

Method

Making syrup
-To prepare the sugar syrup, place water in a pan over medium flame. Add sugar in it and stir until fully dissolved
-Then add 2-3 tsp milk and stir again, after a few minutes remove the scum that rises to the top
-Once the sugar syrup is thick, remove the pan from the flame and keep aside

Making batter
-Mix all-purpose flour, semolina, khoya, baking powder, fennel seeds, cardamom powder and milk
-Ensure that the mixture has a pourable consistency and is not too thick
-Once the batter is ready, keep it aside for a few minutes so that the flavor of spices and herbs are fully absorbed

Frying
-Now heat ghee in a pan over low flame
-Pour a ladleful of the mixture and spread evenly. Keep the flame low and cook till it is light brown on both sides
-Remove the cooked malpua and drain the excess ghee
-Drop the malpua in sugar syrup and allow it to soak for 10 minutes. Repeat the same with the remaining batter
-Drain the malpuas from the syrup, garnish with pistachios and serve hot

(Courtesy: Chef Naresh Singh Rawat, Jr. Sous Chef, Courtyard by Marriott Bengaluru ORR)

Ingredients
Gram flour: 250 g
Salt: 15 g
Turmeric powder: 10 g
Chilli powder: 5 Gms
Chat Masala: 10 Gms
Bhang paste: 3 tsp
Spinach: 700 g
Refine oil for frying: 1 L

Method
-Wash and shred spinach leaves and collect in a mixing bowl
-Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well sprinkling water with hand
-Mix until spinach leaves are coated with gram flour
-Heat the oil in Pan
-Shape and deep fry until golden colour and sprinkle the chat masala on top
-Serve hot with mint chutney

(Courtesy: Chef Prem K Pogakula, Executive Chef, The Imperial, New Delhi)

Ingredients
For Dough
All- purpose flour: 2 Cups
Clarified butter (ghee): ¼ Cup
Water: ½ cup

For Filling
White chocolate: 1 cup
Desiccated coconut: ¼ cup
Green cardamom powder: a pinch
Almond: ½ cup
Jaggery: 1 tbsp

Method-Rub the flour and ghee together and bind them together with water to form a soft dough. Rest it for ½ hour
-In a bowl, mix the chocolate flakes, coconut, almonds together and add jaggery
-Make small balls of the dough and roll it out into ½ cm thick rotis
-Place filling in the center, do not overstuff it as it will result in bursting of gujiya while frying
-Apply water on the edges and seal the ends, the shape will resemble half-moon
-Use cutter to make a design around the edges or pinch and twist the edges
-Heat oil/ ghee in a deep pan; fry the gujiyas till golden brown

(Courtesy: Chef Manish Mehrotra)

Ingredients
Mutton Curry Cut: 1kg
Refined Oil: 100ml
Salt: to taste
Onions: 200 g
Black Cardamom: 5 g
Bay leaf: 5 g
Cinnamon stick: 5 g
Green Cardamom: 5 g
Ginger Garlic paste: 50 g
Deggi Mirch: 50 g
Mathania Chilli paste: 25 g
Tomato Puree: 100 g
Coriander Powder: 25 g

Method
-Take oil in a pan, add whole spices and let it crackle.
-Add onions sliced, cook it till golden brown, and add ginger garlic paste
-Now add mutton and salt and cook it
-Put deggi mirch and mathania chilli paste and coriander powder, mix it well
-Now add 1-liter hot water to the pan and let the mutton cook
-When the mutton is almost cooked, add the tomato puree
-To finish, add fresh green coriander and desi ghee

(Courtesy: Gaurav Misra, Executive Chef, The Westin Pushkar Resort & Spa)