Festive treats

Every ritual comes with a set of delicacies that are specific to it. Some of our chefs have taken the traditional recipes and given them a twist while others have a few new ones which fit in perfectly with the celebrations of the festival of colours

KHASTA METHI MATTHI

INGREDIENTS: Refined flour 500 gm; Desi ghee 125 gm; Ajwain (caraway seeds) 20 gm; Salt to taste; Kasuri methi 30 gm; Baking powder 1 tbsp and Baking soda 1 tsp METHOD: o In a bowl, add refined flour, salt and kasuri methi and mix well. o Add ghee followed by lukewarm water and knead the dough. Let it rest for half an hour. o Knead it again and make small portions with the dough. o Roll them with a rolling pin and cut them in the desired shape. o Fry them in hot oil till golden brown. o Enjoy the crisp methi matthi with tea.

GULKAND GUJIYA

INGREDIENTS: Desi ghee 100 gm; Khoya 100 gm; Coconut powder 100 gm; Gulkand (rose petal conserve) 75 gm; Sugar 500 gm; Saffron 1 gm; Black cardamom seeds 10 gm; Green cardamom seeds 10 gm; Kewra water (pandan leaf extract) 10 ml; Gulab jal (rose water): 10 ml and pistachio 20 gm METHOD: o Sieve the flour, add ghee and mix it well. o Add some water and knead the flour. o Let it rest for some time. o In a

bowl, mash khoya. Fry the khoya till it turns light brown in colour. o Add sugar and cardamom powder in the khoya and mix well. o Add chopped almonds, coconuts and raisins and fry it for two minutes. o Take the dough, and divide it into small balls and fill them with gulkand. o Fold and seal properly, making sure the filling doesn’t come out of the gujiya. o Deep fry the gujiyas over medium high heat till golden brown in colour. o Garnish with pistachios. — Devraj S Sharma, senior sous chef, Crowne Plaza New Delhi Okhla

DAHI WADA

INGREDIENTS: Urad dal (skinned black gram) soaked overnight 500 gm; Baking soda a pinch; Chilled fresh yoghurt 2 cups; Oil for frying; Red chilli powder ½ tsp; Salt to taste; Black salt a pinch; Chaat masala a pinch; Roasted cuminpowder a pinch and Tamarind and mint chutney as desired METHOD: o Prepare the wada batter by grinding the urad dal to a fine paste with a little water. Add the baking soda and beat till it is light and fluffy. o Prepare small wadas using your palms and deep fry till light brown. Drop the wadas into cold water and soak for 10 minutes. o Remove the wadas from the water and squeeze out the excess. o To serve, place the wadas in a bowl. Top with beaten yoghurt, a sprinkle of the spices and the chutneys. Garnish with ginger juliennes and serve. INGREDIENTS: Filling: Cubed boneless chicken 150 gm; Yoghurt 1 tbsp; Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp; Mustard oil as required; Finely chopped garlic 1 tsp; Finely chopped onions 1 tbsp; Finely chopped green chillies 1 tsp; Red chilli powder a pinch; Garam masala powder a pinch; Finely chopped coriander 1 tsp and Salt to taste Bread: Flour 1 cup; Water as required and Ghee ½ tsp Roll: Oil/ghee as required; Egg 1; Tomato ketchup and Kasundi (Bengali mustard sauce) METHOD: o Marinate the chicken in yoghurt, ginger-garlic paste, a dash of mustard oil and a pinch of salt for about an hour. o In a medium bottomed pan, heat some mustard oil. Saute garlic, onions, green chilli with spices. Add the marinated chicken. Add some water and cook for about 15 minutes until done. Add coriander and set aside. o Make a dough using flour, water and some ghee. Divide into smaller balls and roll out the bread for the roll. o Heat a tawa. Dry roast the bread. Add a few drops of oil/ghee on either side till the bread is nicely done. o On one side of the bread, add a beaten egg and cook until done. Remove from heat. o To assemble, place the parantha on a plate egg side up. o Add the chicken filling along with garam masala, some smears of ketchup and kasundi. Season with pepper and salt and desired. o Serve hot with coriander chutney.

INSTANT GUJIYA

[NO COOK OR BAKE]

For gujiya shells: Almond paste/ Marzipan 400 gm; Four different edible colours few drops and Cocoa powder 10 gm For gujiya filling: Khoya 250 gm; Brown sugar 75 gm; Pistachio crushed 50 gm; Cashews crushed 50 gm; Almond crushed 30 gm; Coconut grated 50 gm and Ghee 50 gm For gujiya filling variety: Chocolate chip 25 gm; Mukhwaas/Pass Pass 20 gm; Gems or M&M candy 25 gm and Linseed 20gm METHOD: o Divide the marzipan in four equal parts. o Add one colour to one part. o Mix well and cover with a plate. o Roll out thinly and slice with a cutter. Repeat the process with the other colour and keep aside. o Once filling base is ready, divide in four equal parts and add condiments to make four different varieties of filling. o The four types of gujiya shells are ready as are the four types of filling. o Now stuff the shells with different fillings and shape like a gujiya

CAPSULE

Sable: Sugar 100 gm; Butter 50 gm; Flour 80 gm; Almond flour 30 gm; Cocoa 30 gm and Egg yolk 1 o Mix all the ingredients together and let the dough rest for 30 minutes in the freezer and roll out as per thickness required. Cut with cutter and bake at 170°C for 16-17 minute. Passion fruit chocolate mousse: Tumaco Luker 65% white chocolate 200 gm; Fresh cream 150 gm; Whipped cream 300 gm; Passion fruit sauce 150 gm; Gelatine leaf 8 gm o Make a ganache from the fresh cream and chocolate, add soaked gelatine leaf, whipped cream and passion fruit sauce.

INGREDIENTS: Milk 1 litre; Sugar ½ cup; Saffron a few strands; Blanched almonds, cashew, pistachios 1 cup; Cardamom powder 1 tsp; Cinnamon powder 1tsp and Fennel seeds 1 tsp METHOD: o Boil the milk with sugar in a heavy bottomed pan. o Soak the saffron in a small bowl with some warm milk and add it to milk. o Make a thandai paste using the rest of the ingredients and some milk. o Add the paste to the milk and continue to cook. Once the milk thickens, remove from the flame. o Serve chilled.

— Rajesh W Wadhwa, executive chef, Taj Palace, New Delhi

Strawberry Jelly: Fresh strawberry pulped 150 gm; PAAN ICE-CREAM Vodka 50 gm; Sugar 70 gm and Gelatine leaf INGREDIENTS: Fresh paan 8 gm leaves 600 gm; Dried paan o Heat the pulp with sugar and mix well. Take off leaves 50 gm; Gulkand 50 gm; from the heat and add soaked gelatine leaf. Milk powder 250 gm; Sugar Finally, add vodka and pour into insert. 300 gm; Stabiliser 30 gm; Colour glaze: Water 140 gm; Glucose 1,600 gm; Bakery cream 800 ml; Glucose Caster sugar 280 gm; Sweetened condensed milk 150 gm and Milk 800 ml 100 gm; Gelatine powder 17 gm; Water 80 gm; METHOD: o Wash and dry Tumaco Luker 65% white chocolate 100 gm and paan leaves. Puree and Yellow a and r red colour reserve. o Cook milk and o Cook the water, caster sugar and glucose at cream till first boil. Reduce the 103°C. Pour over the condensed milk, the gelatine temperature to 40°C and cool it mass and the white chocolate. down. o Mix milk powder, o Divide the liquid into two and add yellow colour sugar, glucose and whisk well. in one and red in the other part. Refrigerate o Add paan puree and overnight. The following day, heat and use. stabiliser. Check for flavours ASSEMBLY: o Set the mould in tray. Pour half of the and adjust. o Strain the liquid passion mousse. Let it set for five minute and then and put it in ice-cream put strawberry insert. o Let it set for five minutes. churner. o When the mixture Now pour the rest of the mousse and cover it with a starts achieving the texture of sponge. o Let it freeze in blast chiller for two hours. ice cream, add dried paan Once set, demould and finish with colour glaze in leaves and gulkand in layers. half and half and place on sable. o Keep it in chiller. Serve the —Anand Panwar, executive pastry chef, next day. Roseate Hotels & Resorts — Arun M Mathur, executive chef, Trident Gurgaon

KESAR, KESAR, GUR GUR AUR AUR BHANG BHANG KI KI LASSI LASSI

INGREDIENTS: Yoghurt 500 gm; Ice cubes 100 gm; Jaggery 120 gm; Fresh cream 120 ml; Bhang (cannabis) ½ tsp; Pistachio 30 gm; Saffron water as required and Fennel seeds 3 gm METHOD: o Add ice cubes, jaggery, fresh cream, bhang, pistachio saffron water and fennel seeds in a blender. o Blend to make a smooth puree. Strain if required. o Mix it with yoghurt and whisk until it reaches creamy consistency. o Serve chilled in a glass.

INGREDIENT: Gram flour 250 gm; Salt 15 gm; Turmeric powder 10 gm; Chilli powder 5 gm; Chat masala 10 gm; Bhang paste 3 tsp; Spinach 700 gm and Refined oil for frying METHOD: o Wash, shred spinach leaves and collect in a mixing bowl. o Add rest of the ingredients and mix well while sprinkling water. o Ensure that spinach leaves are coated with gram flour. o Heat the oil in a pan. Shape and deep fry until golden and sprinkle the chat masala on top. o Serve hot with mint chutney. — Prem K K P Pogakula, executive chef, The Imperial, New Delhi

DRY FRUITS GUJIYA

For stuffing: Khoya 700 gm; Sugar 250 gm; Cashew nuts 50 gm; Chironji (Cuddapah almond) 50 gm; Raisins 50 gm; Pistachio 50 gm and Cardamom powder 20 gm OR DOUGH: Flour 1 kg; Ghee 250 gm; Water 400 ml and Refined oil 2 litre for frying For sugar syrup: Sugar 2 kg; Water 700 ml and Saffron: 1 pinch METHOD: o Chop all the dry fruits and keep them aside. o Crush cardamom into a fine powder. o Take refined flour in a bowl and add ghee. Mix it well. Add water gradually to prepare a slightly firm dough and keep it aside for 30 minutes. o Melt half tablespoon ghee it becomes soft and make balls of oil. Flip the sides at regular intervals in a pan on a low flame. o Add khoya equal size. o Place the balls in a bowl and continue frying until they start and stir continuously. o Cook till it and cover with a moist kitchen towel. getting brown. o Take the fried gujiyas leaves the sides of the pan. Switch off o Flatten the dough with a roller pin out on a tissue paper to remove the flame and let it cool. o Add and put stuffing in the centre and close excess oil. Dip in a sugar syrup and cardamom, sugar, dry fruits and keep the dough by pressing it at the edges. served hot, garnished with slivers of the mixture aside. o Rub the dough till o Deep fry the gujiyas in medium hot pistachio on top. — Sudarshan B Bhandari, executive chef, Eros Hotel New Delhi Nehru Place

Ghevar: Flour 360 gm; Ghee 240 gm; Ice cubes 4; Water 500 ml; Milk 500 ml and Ghee (for deep frying) METHOD: Blend all ingredient together to make smooth batter and deep fry in a medium heat to get a nice golden colour. For the syrup: Sugar 500 gm and Water 1 litre METHOD: Mix sugar and water. Boil it to get a thick syrup. For Rabri: Milk 1 litre; Coconut puree 500 ml and Sugar 50 gm METHOD: o Reduce milk on a slow flame to get the desired texture. o For strawberry cream Fresh strawberry 500 gm; Strawberry puree 500 gm; Sugar 150 gm and Pectin 10 gm METHOD: o Boil all ingredients in a pan with pectin and pour in a silicone mould and freeze it for a day. De mould and use red glaze.

For chandrakala dough: Flour 500 gm; Ghee 125 gm; Water 150 gm and Ghee to fry METHOD: Mix all ingredients together to make dough and rest for an hour. For chandrakala stuffing: Khoya 200 gm; Grated coconut 100 gm; Chopped cashew nut 50 gm; Chopped almond: 50 gm; Raisin 50 gm; Ghee 20 gm and Cardamom powder 2 gm METHOD: Mix all ingredients together to make dough and rest for an hour. For the syrup: Sugar 500 gm and Water 500 ml METHOD: Boil it to get a thick syrup. For strawberry cream: Passion puree 180 gm; Mango puree 90 gm; Egg yolk 120 gm; Egg 150 gm; Sugar: 135 gm; Gelatine 3 gm and Butter cube 135 gm METHOD: o Boil the puree then add the eggs and sugar. cook it on medium heat. o Once 85°C temperature is reached, remove from heat and add gelatine and butter. Blend well. o Set in a mould for a day. o De mould, glaze and put on top of chandrakala — Nayindra B B C Chetry, executive pastry chef, Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitfield Hotel & Convention Center

INGREDIENTS: Basmati rice 1 cup; Saffron strands 9-10; Ghee 3 tbsp; Milk 2 tbsp; Cinnamon 1 inch stick; Cloves 2; Cardamom pods 4-5; Bay leaf 2-3; Cardamom powder 1 tsp; Sugar 1 cup; Slivered almonds 2 tbsp; Cashew nuts 2 tbsp; Golden raisins 1 tbsp and Hot water 2 cups METHOD: o In a small bowl add hot milk and saffron strands. Set aside and allow it to bloom and release the saffron colour. o Wash and soak the rice for 20 minutes. Drain and reserve. o In a deep pan on medium heat, melt the ghee. Once melted, add the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom pods and rice and sauté for five-six minutes. o Add the saffron milk mixture, sugar and hot water. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes. o Uncover and add almonds, raisins and cardamom powder. Cover again for seven-eight minutes or until rice is fully cooked. o Garnish with nuts and raisins, and serve warm.

SAFFRON RICE

— Sougata H Halder, executive chef, Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park

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