FESTIVAL DELIGHTS

Ingredients

• Maida 500 gm
• Khoya 1 kg
• Oil or ghee 6 tablespoons + some more for frying
• Water 200 ml
• Kismis 30 pieces
• Almonds 250 Gms cut into thin strips

Ingredients

• Besan 2 dessert spoons
• Mustard oil 1-heaped teaspoon
•  Salt 1 teaspoon
• Chilli powder 1cup
• Water  10 gm
• Methi leaves   
• Oil ½ to ¾ litre
• Maida 250 gm

• Mix the besan, salt, chilli powder and mustard oil well.
• Add water and knead into dough. Mix the methi leaves and knead for another 3 minutes. Heat the cooking medium to high heat.
• With some oil in hand roll the dough into a long roll of 1inch thickness and cut it into 1-inch pieces.
• Flatten each piece into a round shape and roll it into 6 inch chapattis, but it should be thinner than normal chapattis.
• Now fry it lightly at medium flame to a yellowish shade.

Ingredients

• Basmati rice 500 gm
• Almonds 20 pieces
• Pista 20 gm
• Kaju 20 gm
• Kismis 20 gm
• Khoya 250 gm
• Lavang 10 pieces
• Elaichi 10 pieces
• Saffron ½ teaspoon
• Kewra 400 gm
• Sugar 100 gm
• Ghee 100 gm
• Water 7 glasses

• Soak the rice, badam and kaju. Put the saffron in the 7 glasses of water and boil. Put the soaked rice in the boiling water and also some lavang and elaichi pieces. When the rice is done sieve it to drain excess water.
• In a heavy bottomed pan put some ghee and add some more elaichi and lavang and fry for 2 minutes. In a pressure cooker put half of the cooked rice and then half of the sugar and then the remaining rice.
• Cook over a low flame. Add the remaining ghee to the rice, occasionally stirring it. Cook for 25 minutes.
• Now add all the dry fruits and the mixture should be well steamed. Add 3 teaspoons of kewra and cover the vessel.
• After the water has dried up add the khoya and cook for 15 minutes and take the vessel off the fire and put a silver foil over it. Totally it would take around 45 minutes to 1 hour for this preparation.

Ingredients

Ingredients

• In a vessel take some water enough to cook the rice. Put it over the fire. Now add the rice, ghee and milk to it.
• The boiling over of the liquid and the rice symbolizes the overflowing prosperity
• When 3/4 cooked, add the salt, jeera and pepper.
• Serve hot with Sambhar and Vada

Ingredients

• Bora rice                              2 cups (glutinous rice)
• Black sesame seeds          80 Gms
• Jaggery or molasses         100 gms

• Soak the rice overnight and grind it in a food processor. Take care not to over grind it
• Roast the sesame seeds in a tawa and pound it in a mortar to remove the outer shell and release the aroma.
• Slice the jaggery into small chips and add the sesame seeds to it. Heat a tawa and spread the rice batter on it to the size of a small puri with a small ladle.
• While it gets roasted place the stuffing of jaggery and sesame seeds in its center and fold it on both the sides
• Lightly heat it and remove from fire and make sure the jaggery does not melt and flow out.
• The pitha should be white and should not be made to turn brown. Store it in an airtight container and it will keep for one week at room temperature.

Ingredients

• Sesame seeds                     40 gm
• Black or Brown Jaggery      50 gm
• Ghee                                     1 tablespoon

• Lightly roast the sesame seeds. Heat the jaggery in a pan till it melts and then add the roasted sesame seeds to it.
• Once the jaggery starts to firm up, remove from fire.
• Lightly grease your palm with some ghee and roll one tablespoon of the mixture into a ball.
• Be careful with the hot jaggery but the balls should be made while the mixture is still hot
• Serve when the balls come to room temperature.

Ingredients

• Coconuts            2 numbers
• Sugar                  2 cups

Ingredients

• Cottage cheese1 kg
• Sugar 300 gms
• Elaichi 6 nos
• Kewra   3 spoons

• Take fresh cottage cheese. Put the ghee in a kadai and add powdered sugar and the cheese and the shelled elaichi.
• Saute well but do not allow it to turn brown.
• Turnnoff the heat and add some more powdered sugar which is of binding consistency.
• Make into small balls of desired size and allow it to cool and serve.

Ingredients

• Kharbuja or musk melon seeds         75 gm
• Sugar or boora                                    30 gm
• Water                                                    one cup
• Ghee                                                    1 tablespoon

• Clean the beej seeds and allow them to dry. Saute them in a pan till they turn brown.
• Cook for three to four minutes.
• Add the finely ground sugar or the boora which is a sweet binding for the seeds.
• Serve with Makhanas and beej in a thali

Ingredients

• Makhanas               50 gm
• Sugar                      2 dessert spoon
• Water                      2 dessertspoons
• Ghee                       1 teaspoon

• Break the makhanas into two or three pieces and saute them in a frying pan on medium heat.
• Saute for 3 to 4 minutes but do not allow it to turn brown. Add ground sugar with the makhanas and then water.
• Sugar forms a light coating over the makhanas. Makhanas should not stick together but should remain white and round.
• Total cooking time is 5 to 6 minutes.

Ingredients

• Gari or coconut gratings        100 gm
• Ground sugar                          2 dessert spoons
• Water                                       2 dessert spoons
• Ghee                                        1 teaspoon

• Take a cooking medium in a frying pan and add the coconut gratings and saute for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Do not let the gari become brown or mushy.
• It should remain loose even after adding the powdered sugar Now add the water, which will bind the gari. Cook for 2 more minutes.
• Cooking time is 5 to 6 minutes.

Ingredients

• Charonji                   50 gm
• Ground sugar          2 dessert spoons
• Water                       2 dessertspoons
• Ghee                        1 teaspoon

• After cleaning the charonji put it inside a frying pan with the cooking medium inside and saute it for 3 to 4 minutes.
• The brick color of the charonji should be maintained but it should not be raw inside. Then add sugar and the water and mix thoroughly.
• The sticky syrup will bind the charonji well. The mixture can be served with dry fruits.
• Time taken for cooking this item is around 5 minutes.

Ingredients

• Gond (white variety)      50 gm
• Ground sugar                 2 tablespoons
• Ghee                              1 cup

• Get some white Gond crystals and not the brown ones. This paag is found to cure backaches and hence it is given to women after delivery.
• First the cooking medium is heated and the Gond crystals are put in.
• The crystals should be more or less deep-fried. Make sure that both the sides are evenly puffed.
• Water should not be added and the sugar should be added after the pan is taken off the fire.
• Sprinkle the sugar. Serve with the other paggi meva.

Ingredients

• Ghee                     2 drops
• Ground sugar        6 dessertspoons
• Honey                    ? dessertspoon
• Tulsi leaves           8 broken
• Gari or coconut    1 teaspoon, grated
• Ganga jal              1 dessertspoon
• Makhanas             8

• Add all the other ingredients leaving the tulsi, makhanas and the gari.
• Slowly stir the mixture with a spoon.
• Finally add the remaining items and keep it in the refrigerator.
• At the time of puja serve in small cups with a little curd.

Ingredients

• Rava                               500 gm
• Ghee                              1 teaspoon
• Ground sugar                3 dessertspoons
• Gari, makhanas            small quantity

• Place a frying pan in fire and saute the rava till it turns brown adding the ghee.
• Then add the sugar when the rava turns white again.
• Take the pan out of fire and add the beej, makhanas and gari. It should be decorated on top of the kasaar.
• Mix the meva well while serving.

Ingredients

• Milk                        1 litre
• Makhanas             2 cups in pieces
• Ground sugar       2 dessertspoons
• Paggi gari            2 dessertspoons
• Almonds               1 dessertspoon in pieces

• Mix the makhanas with the milk and cook for about half an hour.
• Once the makhanas are cooked add sugar and take it off the fire. Add the coconut and almonds.
• This kheer will he more watery and it should be refrigerated before use.

Ingredients

• Fry the potatoes and pumpkin with a little haldi and salt. Put 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, tejpatta, the seeds and red chilli.
• When smell comes put in the vegetables and ginger and half cup hot water
• Simmer still soft. Sprinkle powdered masala after taking off from fire.

Ingredients

• Rice                            1 cup
• Channa dal                1 cup
• Ginger                        1 inch piece
• Tejpatta                      2 nos
• Dalchini                      2 inch piece
• Elaichi                         5 nos
• Cloves                        6 nos
• Salt and sugar            to taste

• Wash and strain the rice and the dal.
• In a thick-bottomed pan pour 3 tablespoons of ghee and put the tejpatta, dalchini, elaichi and cloves
• Fry for some time and then add the dal and rice and continue the frying. Put the ginger and enough water for cooking the rice and dal but the bhunee khichari should be dry finally.
• Cover and simmer. Add some sugar and salt according to the taste desired and also some green chilies.
• Remove from fire and sprinkle dalchini powder and serve with a final dash of ghee or butter.

Ingredients

• Rice flour                      2 cups
• Water                            4 cups
• Oil                                 1 teaspoon
• Coconut gratings        2 cups
• Sugar                           1 cup
• Dry fruits                       4 tablespoons
• Milk                               ? cup
• Khoya                           2 tablespoon

• Boil the water along with the oil and then take it off. Add the flour and knead it well.
• Mix the coconut gratings, dry fruits and sugar.
• Stir them on fire. Add milk and khoya and cook till well done.
• Make small holes in the dough and place small amount of the filling inside it and seal it well.
• Shape it like garlic and steam it for 10 minutes.
• Take it off, cool it and store it in airtight containers

Ingredients

• Milk  2 ½ litres
• Sugar 6 tablespoons
• Rice   3 fistfuls
• Almonds 10 nos sliced
•  Raisins 2 teaspoons
• Kevra essence 2 teaspoons
• Silver foil   optional

Ingredients

• Maida                             ? kg
• Sugar                             ? kg
• Dry coconut                  1 tablespoon
• Cardamom                   4 nos
• Cloves                          2 nos
• Cashew and raisin      a little

• Mix the maida, ghee and sugar with warm water. Also mix ground cloves, cardamom, raisins, cashews and coconut.
• Mix till a binding consistency is achieved.
• Then take small quantities of the mixture and shape them like small pancakes.
• Fry them in ghee and keep them in airtight containers when cool.

Ingredients

• Water                 ? cup
• Sugar                1 cup
• Suji                    1? cup
• Maida                250 gm
• Ghee                 6 dessertspoons

• Warm the water and add sugar to it. Sieve the maida and suji and mix well.
• Add 6 dessertspoons of ghee and mix well to the breadcrumbs stage
• Mix the sugar syrup to this mixture slowly and knead it well.
• Then roll out the dough into small puri like balls of around ? inch thickness
• Then deep-fry them in ghee at medium fire. The mandhi should be dark brown in color.
• The above measurements would yield around 14 Mandhis.

Ingredients

• Milk 1 cup
• Aniseed 1 teaspoon
• Poppy seeds  1 tablespoon    
• Black cardamom 1 teaspoon
• Flour   4 tablespoons
• Ground sugar  2 tablespoons

Ingredients

• Seviyan or vermicelli 250 gms
• Ghee 100 gms
• Honey 2 tablespoons
• Sugar 125 gm
• Ground cardamom seeds 1 teaspoon
• Nutmeg ½teaspoon
• Sliced almonds, raisins and pista 25 gms
• Charoli 1 tablespoon
• Khoya 100 gms

• Put sugar, a little water and honey in slow fire.
• Remove from fire and keep aside.
• With ghee fry the vermicelli till golden color.
• Add the prepared syrup, cardamom and the nutmeg.
• Mix well and cook on slow fire till it is dry.
• The final product should be separate and not sticking together.
• Serve garnished with the almonds, khoya and raisins.

Ingredients

Ingredients

Ingredients