Holi is a festival of colors and now people all over the world know about the auspicious festivals of the Indians. It is mainly celebrated by the Hindus and it marks the victory of good over evil. This year Holi will be celebrated on 8 March 2023 and the Holika Dahan ceremony will take place on 7 March 2023.
But Holi is celebrated in several ways in different parts of the country and people make various sweets and snacks to serve their guests. Here are a few easy recipes that will help you have a balance of sweets and savory this Holi 2023.
1. Thandai- You can use seeds and dried fruits like almonds, cashews. pistachios, fennel seeds, poppy seeds, melon seeds, dried rose petals, sugar, cardamom, and milk. Soak the seeds and nuts to make a fine paste. Now you can add one tablespoon of Thandai paste, sugar, dried rose petals, and rose water to every glass of boiling milk to prepare thndai. Store it in a the refrigerator and serve chill. You can use saffron, or yellow food color for the yellow color in Thandai.
2. Gujiya- You can make the gujiya dough with all purpose flour or combination of all purpose flour and wheat flour with water and ghee. You can mix mawa, milk powder, coconut powder, grinded sugar, and nuts of your choice. You can make small equal parts of the dough and fill the prepared mawa. Then put water on the edges so that the filling doesn't come out. Deep fry the gujiyas in oil and dip it in sugar syrup if you want.
3. Gulab Jamuns- Mix all purpose flour, grated flour, baking powder, cardamom powder, with ghee. Add milk when the dough begins to form and cover the dough with wet cloth for 30 minutes. For sugar syrup, boil water, sugar and cardamom. Use rose water for smell and lemon to prevent formation of sugar crystals while cooling. Make small balls without cracks and fry them until golden. Then put the gulab jamuns into cool sugar syrup.
4. Suji ka Halwa or Sheera- In a small pot, boil the milk and water with sugar, ground cardamom, and saffron. Stir at regular intervals and boil until the sugar is mixed. Roast sooji or semolina in ghee until golden brown and then add nuts. Now add the mixture of water and milk to the semolina and keep stirring it till it comes to a porridge like consistency.
5. Kalakand- Grease a square tray with ghee. In another pan, on a medium flame add ricotta cheese, condensed milk, and milk powder and mix well. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens and starts to leave the sides of the pan. Now add ghee, cardamom powder and rose water. Mix well for 1-2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tray and use a spatula to flatten it. You can sprinkle pistachios and crushed saffron. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours and cut with a sharp knife into squares.
6. Ragda Chaat - Rinse the white peas in water and soak them overnight. Then strain the water and let it boil them with turmeric, coriander powder, salt in the pressure cooker for 2 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally and make sure the peas are well cooked. In a serving bowl, take half cup ragda curry, diced green chili, onions, tomatoes, and julienned ginger. Top with 1 tablespoon of tamarind chutney, ½ tablespoon green chutney, little roasted cumin powder, black salt, lime juice, and chaat masala. You can garnish it with cilantro leaves and sev to enjoy.
7. Khaandvi- In a blender, add gram flour, plain yogurt, water, salt, ginger paste, turmeric powder, and mix it well. Then cook the batter on a medium flame and keep stirring it continuously for 5-7 minutes. Make a thick batter then spread a thin layer on a silicone mat. You have to be quickso the batter doesn't cool down. Once the khandvi is cooled, cut them into equal-sized strips with a sharp knife and gently roll them tightly and put them in a tray or a serving plate. You can heat some oil, add green chillies, asafoetida, mustard seeds and pour it with a spoon evenly on the rolls. Garnish it with chopped cilantro and grated coconut.
8. Paneer Puffs- Firstly, remove the frozen puff pastry sheets from the freezer and let them thaw while you prepare the filling. For the filling, heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, diced onions, tomatoes, salt, turmeric, red chili powder and garam masala. Mix well to form a thick paste like consistency. Then add mashed paneer and mix until soft. If baking in oven, preheat oven to 400°F. Spread the puff pastry squares on a parchment paper on a baking sheet with cooled down paneer filling at the center of the puff pastry square. Make sure the paneer filling is at room temperature when filling in the puff pastry. Gently fold it and pinch to the other side to make a triangle. You can use a fork to seal the edges. Then add beaten eggs on the top and bake for 12-15 minutes until the paneer puff's are golden browned.
9. Mathri- Add a few ground spices like turmeric powder, red chilli powder and garam masala powder with all other ingredients (Refined flour, Whole wheat flour, Carom seeds, Black pepper crushed, Dry fenugreek leaves, Cumin seed, Asafoetida, 1 pinch baking soda, and salt to taste. Then add little hot ghee or oil for moyan which ensures the Mathri is crispy. The flour mixture should be pressed and should hold shape. Add hot water to the mixture to make a tight and stiff dough and roll and flatten them ensuring there are few cracks. Deep fry the Mathris in preheated oil on a medium flame.
10. Bread Pakora- Mix rice flour and Besan in a mixing bowl and add red chili powder, ginger garlic paste, and salt and whisk it well to form a batter. Make sure to make a medium-run batter and then set it aside. Now trim the edges of the bread slices and cut them diagonally in the shape of triangles. Now add cooking soda to the batter. Now dip the triangle slices in the batter until both sides are covered with the batter. Heat the oil in a pan and add the bread slices, turn over and cook on both sides until they turn golden. Cook them on a low medium flame and then drain the extra oil with the tissue and serve the bread pakoda hot.
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