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Special treats for Diwali
SUJATA MALANISUJATA MALANI
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With Diwali just round the corner, try these mouth-watering traditional sweets and savouries which can be made well in advance.
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SAVOURY SIDE: Dig into the snacks for the party season.
FOOD GOES well with the festive season. Now that it is that time of the year when you get to set all those crackers and rockets into the air and make the sky bright even on a New Moon night, let us celebrate the festival of crackers and goodies. Here are the recipes for some traditional sweets and savouries, which can be made easily and much in advance without getting bogged down by the busy schedules and work loads. Wishing you all a happy and tasty Diwali.
Boondi laddu
Ingredients:
Gram flour (besan) - 2 cups
Plain flour (maida) - 1/4 cup
Rice flour (rice atta) - 1/4 cup
Semolina (rawa) - 3 tbsp
Milk- 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Ghee for frying
For the syrup:
Sugar - 2-1/2 cups
Milk - 2 tbsp
Water - 3 cups
Saffron strands - 1/2 teaspoon
To add to the laddus:
Pistachios (finely chopped) - 3 tbsp
Almonds (finely chopped) 3 tbsp
Cardamom powder - 2 tsp
Rose water (gulab jal) - 2 tsp
Method:
Mix the gram flour, plain flour, rice flour and semolina. Mix the milk and water (the amount of water may vary). Beat well so as to get a batter of smooth consistency. Keep aside the batter for 15 minutes. Heat the ghee in a frying pan. Pour the boondi batter through a perforated spoon (jhara) little by little so that small drops of boondi fall into the ghee. Fry the boondis until golden brown in colour. (Keep washing the jhara every time before passing batter through it so that you get neat boondis). Keep the boondis aside.
SWEET TOOTH: Forget those calories and indulge.
Make the syrup by mixing the sugar with water in a pan over a low flame. Keep on stirring continuously until the sugar dissolves. Then, add the milk. Remove all the impurities, which float to the top. Keep on heating the syrup till you get a thin consistency.
Dissolve the saffron in a little warm water and add it to the syrup. Add the boondis to the syrup. They should soak well in the syrup. Add the cardamoms, rose water, almonds and pistachios. Form balls of the above mixture when warm. Allow the ball to cool. Store and serve as required.
Coconut sooji laddus
Ingredients:
Dry desiccated coconut - 1 cup
Semolina - 1 cup
Powdered sugar - 1 cup
(may vary as per your taste)
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Nutmeg powder - 1/2 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Finely chopped almonds - 2 tbsp
Pistachios (optional)
Method:
Heat the ghee. Roast the semolina in it until it turns light golden colour. Allow it to cool and add the desiccated coconut, sugar, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, pistachios and almonds. Warm the milk. Add the hot milk to the above mixture. Knead well. Make small rounds of laddus from the above mixture. You may cover with a silver foil if you desire.
Besan laddus
Ingredients:
Gram flour (besan) - 250 gms
Powdered sugar - 300 gms
Vijaya ghee - 400 gms
Cardamom powder - 3 tsp
Chopped almonds - 2 tsp
Chopped pistachios - 2 tsp
Method:
Heat the ghee in a flat frying pan. Add besan to it and gently stir fry on a low flame.
Keeping on stirring to avoid formation of lumps. Roast on a low flame until light brown (You will know when it is cooked by an appetising and aromatic smell). Allow it to cool.
Add the powdered sugar, cardamom powder, chopped almonds and pistachios to the above flour. Mould the mixture into small balls of required size.
Dry fruit delight
Ingredients:
Churva (poha) - 300 gms
Peanuts - 50 gms
Dalwa (putana dal) - 50 gms
Cashewnut - 50 gms
Rasins - 50 gms
Almonds - 50 gms
Pistachios - 50 gms
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Dry coconut (cut finely) - 25 gms
A few curry leaves
Green chillies (cut lengthwise) - 3-4
A pinch of citric acid
A pinch of sugar (optional)
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Method:
Heat the oil in a frying pan. Fry the churva. Drain on an absorbent paper. Keep it aside.
Deep fry all the dry fruits, peanuts, dalwa and coconut slices on a low flame until light brown. Add it to the above churva. Heat a little oil. Stir fry the curry leaves and green chillies until crisp. Add this seasoning to the churva and dry fruits. And the remaining spices, citric acid, salt and sugar. Mix well. Cool it. Store in an airtight container.
Crispy methi rounds
Ingredients:
Wheat flour (gehu ka atta) - 2 cups
Plain flour (maida) - 1 cup
Gram flour (besan) - 1 cup
Semolina - 1 cup
Rice atta - 2-3 tbsp
Fresh fenugreek leaves
(methi) - 2 cups
Oil - 2 tbsp
A pinch of turmeric powder
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
A piece of ginger (finely chopped)
Green chillies - 4-5 (finely chopped)
A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
A pinch of sugar (optional)
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Method:
Mix all the flours. Then add the fresh fenugreek leaves, salt and sugar. Rub in the oil until evenly distributed. Add the remaining spices. Add water and make stiff dough. Knead well and keep aside for a few minutes. Make small thin rounds. Prick with a fork. Deep fry in hot oil until crisp. Allow it to cool and serve in an airtight container.
Murukku
Ingredients:
Gram flour (besan) - 1-1/2 cup
Rice flour - 3/4 cup
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Ajwain seeds - 1/2 tsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 3 tbsp
Oil for frying
Method:
Mix the besan and rice flour. Add the spices and salt. Rub in the oil evenly. Add water and make thick dough (the consistency of the dough should be such that it passes through a murukku mould). Heat the oil.
Fill the mould with the dough. Push it into the hot oil. Fry the murukkus until golden brown.
Drain on an absorbent paper. Cool and store in an airtight container.
(Swad: 7730165)
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