Sweet and Savory Recipes for Holi

Holi is around the corner and I am neck deep in recipes that I want to make for this festival. While there are so many traditional Holi recipes of my childhood, there are also tweaks to these traditions that come from years of living in places where key ingredients are difficult to find. I am sure any one living away from home would identify with that reality. Substituting ingredients for traditional recipes can result in some surprisingly great results. So much so that often times I have completely switched over to the new ingredients as that agree more with the climate, our dietary habits, as well as our palettes!!

Mango Kalakand

With festive season in full swing, its time to begin preparing sweets. The first sweet I made this season is Mango Kalakand. If you love Kalakand, this is your treat. And if you love mangoes, what better way to extend the mango season in to late autumn and indeed even winter.

Seven Cup Cake | Seven Cup Barfi

Seven Cup Cake or Seven Cup Barfi is nothing more than a variation to the regular Basan Barfi. It is a deliciously rich melt in the mouth sweet that is perfect for any festive occasion. Seven Cup Cake was my choice of sweet last Diwali. I was craving Besan Barfi and Mysore Pak, but eventually settled upon this barfi. Apart from being incredibly easy to make, this sweet will keep very well if refrigerated for several weeks.

Kodubale | Kodbale | Crunchy Rings

 

Kodubale is another one of our favourite namkeens or crispy snacks. These highly addictive snacks are something I make occasionally at my home. They never survive beyond a day as they are so tasty that we are always looking for excuses to munch on them! Last month they were the favoured namkeen for Diwali. Though I made so many different Diwali snacks and sweets, these were the first to disappear, with demands being made for a second round!!

Poori Recipe | Puri Recipe | Indian Fry Bread

No festive meal in India is complete without Pooris. Poori or Puri is the much loved Indian Fry Bread. Made with atta or Indian Chappati flour, it is savored with festival favorites like Chole, Aloo Rassa, Raita, Rasedaar Gobhi, Paneer and the like. As a breakfast favorite, in the North of the country it is often eaten with sweet treats like Kheer, Amras, and Halwa.

Badam Nariyal aur Rava ki Barfi | Melt in the Mouth Almond Coconut Fudge

Barfi is the one classic Indian Sweet that graces festivals, birthdays, and all joyous occasions. Its also a wonderful tea time treat and a dessert that can be enjoyed on any day. I had planned to originally prepare this Barfi for the Navratris, but ended up making Badam aur Nariyal ki Barfi | Almond and Coconut Fudge!! This morning, as I was sifting through various ingredients in my pantry, I found two packs of dry coconut - one dessicated and the other shredded. I tend to use the shredded coconut to make chutneys and the dessicated is saved for cakes and cookies.

Microwave Saeb aur Badam Kalakand | Apple Almond Fudge

Kalakand is a decadently delicious milk fudge found in many Indian homes during festivals and other celebrations like birthdays and marriages. It is generally a pure milk fudge and is indescribably creamy. One bite and you will be hooked. Its also one of our favourite Indian desserts and I love that can make it at the drop of a hat. I generally make a microwave version of Kalakand though I occasionally made the Khoya based Kalakand too. The latter tends to be time consuming as I like to make the khoya at home too.

Kele aur Saunf ka Pua | Deep Fried Sweet Dumplings | Kumaoni Recipes

Kumaoni cuisine is unique in its ingredients, recipes, and taste. The recipe for Kumaoni Puas | Deep Fried Sweet Dumplings also carries the unique taste of bananas and fennel.

Sweet fried dumplings are found in pretty much every cuisine! Today I am sharing a family recipe for Pua or a sweet fried dumpling from the beautiful hills of Kumaon!! These Puas are unique in that that are made with bananas and fennel and so packed with nutrition and energy needed to survive the cold winters in the hills. My grandmother always made these delicious Puas or Puae as a Prasad on certain festival days. But they were made more frequently to requests by her grandchildren who just love their taste and enjoyed munching them as a snack after school or sports!!

Arisi Upma | Rice Rawa Upma | Savoury Cream of Rice Porridge

Arisi Upma | Rice Upma | Savoury Cream of Rice Porridge is one of my favourite dishes for breakfast. I love serving it up with raita, plain yogurt, and a variety of chutneys. Its simply the most comforting food on cold winter mornings with a warm cup of tea on the side. This upma is a wonderful variation on the traditional upma but is a lot less heavy. It is easily digestible and also has a lighter taste.

Sooji Halwa / Rava Halwa / Sheera | Semolina Pudding

Sooji Halwa is a delicious, melt in the mouth sweet prepared across the country. It is often made on religious occasions, as a Prasad (offering to God). Its also a great quick fix dessert and can be made in a cinch with just a few ingredients from the pantry.

Phool Gobi Matar ki Sabzi | Gobhi Matar | Cauliflower Peas Stir Fry

Cauliflower or phool gobi is available in abundance at our farmer's co-operative throughout the year. Being such a versatile vegetable, I tend to buy at least 1 head of flower every week and keep it handy in the refrigerator. From gobi parathas to Thai curries to cauliflower cheese, cauliflower adds its own distinct flavour to each and every dish, while absorbing spices and sauces it is cooked in to perfection. Sweet green peas or matar are my personal favourite. I remember my childhood when we would rush off to Sarojini Nagar Sabzi (vegetable) market every saturday morning to buy fresh produce. Both phool gobi and matar would be plenty in during the winter months!! That first peas of the season would be sweet, freshly shelled, and seasoned with nothing more than butter and salt!! And the cauliflower so creamy that it would melt in minutes once seasoned!! Mmmm....

Sookhi Rajma ki Dal | Spicy Red Kidney Beans

What would Aloo Tikkis be without an accompanying sauce? Of course, every self-respecting chef does stock up on an assortment of chutneys and ketchup!! But the simplicity of the tikkis is somehow jazzed up wonderfully with a tasty legume of some kind - often spicy chickpeas. I simply adore that combination which I love to serve up with tamarind and mint chutney. Yummy:)