Recipes for Indian festivals - Holi
 

Papri | Puran Poli | Thandai | Hare Chane Ki Chaat | Dabeli | Chenna Malpua

Ingredients:

• Besan 500 gm

• Mustard oil 2 dessert spoons

•  Salt 1-heaped teaspoon

• Chili powder 1 teaspoon

• Water  1cup

• Methi (fenugreek) leaves 10 gm

• Oil ½ to ¾ litre

• Maida 250 gm

Steps:

1. Mix the besan, salt, chili powder and mustard oil well.

2. Add water and knead into dough. Mix the methi leaves and knead for another 3 minutes. Heat the cooking medium to high heat.

3. With some oil in hand roll the dough into a long roll of 1inch thickness and cut it into 1-inch pieces.

4. Flatten each piece into a round shape and roll it into 6 inch chapattis, but it should be thinner than normal chapattis.

5. Now fry it lightly at medium flame to a yellowish shade.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chana dal, soaked in water for 4 hours

• 2 cups jaggery (adjust for sweetness)

• 2 cups refined flour
  3 tbsps oil

• 1 tsp cardamom powder

• 1/4th tsp nutmeg powder

• a generous pinch of saffron

• 3/4 tsp turmeric powder

Steps:

1. Drain and cook chana dal in a pressure cooker till soft. Drain out excess water till the dal is absolutely dry. Add jaggery and cook further till blended and mash into a soft paste. Add cardamom powder, saffron,and freshly grated nutmeg powder and mix well. Form 20 balls of equal size and reserve.

2. Mix refined flour, oil, water and turmeric powder. Make a very soft, sticky dough. Knead very well. Use oil to knead. Divide into 20 equal portions. With greased palms, take one portion of dough and flatten  it into a disc of the size of the palm. Place a ball of "chana jaggery" paste in the centre and fold the disc from all sides to cover the paste completely.

3. On a well-floured board, preferably over a sheet of clean transparent plastic wrap, gently roll out each poli to a 6 inches disc. This can get very tricky as the paste does try to slide out. Use a little flour if that happens. Roll.

4. Roast each poli on a hot, dry girdle with no oil or ghee. Roast both sides till well done and aromatic. Smear with ghee on both sides when done. Serve warm with clarified butter or a bowl of milk.

Ingredients:

• 1 liter full fat milk

• ½ cup powdered sugar

• 10 to 12 peppercorns

• a few saffron strands

To be ground into a fine powder

• ¼ cup almonds

• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds (khus khus)

• 2 tablespoons fennel seeds (saunf)

• ½ teaspoon cardamom (elaichi) powder

• 20 nos. white peppercorns

Steps:

1. Boil the milk and allow it to cool completely. Keep aside.

2. Add the ground powder and mix well. Refrigerate the mixture for 3 to 4 hours.

3. Strain the mixture through a sieve, add the sugar, peppercorns and saffron and mix well.

4. Serve chilled.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups green chana (hara chana), boiled

• 1 cup onions, finely chopped

• 3 to 4 green chilies, finely chopped

• 1 cup tomatoes, finely chopped

• 1 teaspoon chaat masala

• juice of 1/2 lemon

• 2 tablespoons chopped coriander

• 2 tablespoons butter

• salt to taste

• For the garnish

• 8 to 10 baked papadis, crushed

• 2 tablespoons sev

Steps:

1. Heat the butter in a pan, add the onions and sauté till the onions turn translucent.

2. Add the green chilies, green chana, tomatoes, chaat masala and salt and sauté for a further 2 minutes.

3. Add the lemon juice, coriander and mix well.

4. Serve hot garnished with the crushed papadis and sev.

Ingredients:

For the dabeli masala

• 1 red chili

• 1 teaspoon coriander (dhania) seeds

• 1/2" (12 mm.) stick cinnamon

• 2 cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)

For the filling

• 1 cup boiled and mashed potato

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)

• pinch asafoetida (hing)

• 2 teaspoons dabeli masala, recipe above

• 2 tablespoons khajur imli ki chutney

• 2 tablespoons oil

• salt to taste

Other ingredients

• 15 small burger buns

• butter or oil for cooking

To serve

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts

• 1/2 cup chopped coriander

• 1/2 cup sev

• 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate (anar), use grapes cut into small pieces if pomegranate is not available

• 2 teaspoons fresh garlic chutney

• 6 tablespoons khajur imli ki chutney

Steps:

For the dabeli masala

1. Roast all the ingredients in a pan for 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Grind to a fine powder in a blender. Use as required.

For the filling

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the asafoetida, dabeli masala, potato, salt and ½ cup of water and mix well.

2. Remove from the fire, add the 2 tablespoons of khajur imli ki chutney and mix well. Divide into 15 portions. Keep aside.

How to proceed

1. Slice the burger buns into halves horizontally and cook the buns in a pan using a little butter.

2. Place a portion of the filling on the lower half of each bun.

3. Top with the chopped onion, peanuts, coriander, sev, pomegranate , fresh garlic chutney and khajur imli ki chutney.

4. Sandwich it with the top halves of the burger buns.

Ingredients:

For the malpuas

• 1 cup chenna

• 1 cup cold milk

• 4 tablespoons plain flour (maida)

• 4 tablespoons corn flour

For the syrup

• 1 1/4 cups (250) sugar

• a few drops kewda essence

Other ingredients

• ghee for deep frying

Steps:

1. Dissolve the sugar in 1 cup of water and boil for 5 minutes.

2. Cool slightly and add the kewda essence.

For the malpuas

1. Mix the chenna, milk, plain flour and corn flour in a bowl and make a smooth batter by blending the mixture in a blender.

2. Heat ghee in a shallow non-stick pan (the ghee should be approx. 1" deep).

3. Pour 1 tablespoon of the batter into the ghee. It will double in size.

4. Deep fry on both sides till lightly browned.

5. Repeat for the remaining batter.

How to proceed

1. Drain and soak the hot malpuas into the prepared sugar syrup and allow them to soak for approximately 5 minutes.

2. Drain the malpuas from the syrup and arrange them on a serving plate.

3. Serve warm.