3 appetizing, classic recipes to ramp up your Holi party charm

Holi, the colorful festival of colors, is a riot for the senses as well as the eyes. This year, let’s increase the ante at your Holi party with these classic dishes given a modern makeover by celebrity chefs. Forget boring appetizers and predictable desserts.

Kanji Vada

Recipe Credit: Birjesh Kumar, Executive Chef at Le Meridien, Gurgaon

Ingredients used

• 3.5 oz pistachios blanched
• 5-6 cardamom pods
• 1 cup cottage cheese (paneer)
• 1/4 cup condensed milk
• 1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
• Rose petals as desired for garnish
• Edible gold leaf for garnish

Procedure

1. Extract the cardamom seeds from their pods.Put the cardamom seeds and pistachios in a blender and blend until the mixture resembles paste.
2. Mix the paste, cottage cheese, and condensed milk together in a skillet.
3. Heat mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is well mixed and comes away from the skillet’s bottom.
4. Mix in one tablespoon of clarified butter or ghee until well mixed.
5. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish that has been well-greased, then refrigerate until firm.
6. Add edible gold leaf, rose petals, and chopped blanched pistachios as garnish. Slice and present.
7. Extract the cardamom seeds from their pods. Put the cardamom seeds and pistachios in a blender and blend until the mixture resembles paste.
8. Mix the paste, cottage cheese, and condensed milk together in a skillet.
9. Heat mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is well mixed and comes away from the skillet’s bottom.
10. Mix in one tablespoon of clarified butter or ghee. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish that has been well-greased, then refrigerate until firm.
11. Add edible gold leaf, rose petals, and chopped blanched pistachios as garnish.Slice and present.

Baked Mawa Chilgoza Gujiyas

Recipe Credit: Sachin Malik, Executive Chef at Radisson Blue MBD, Noida

Ingredients used
Dough:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour/maida
• ¼ tsp salt
• 6 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
• Water as required for kneading

Frying:

• Vegetable oil (as required for deep frying)

Filling:

• 1 cup khoya (grated)
• ½ cup chopped pine nuts (chilgoza)
• 1/8 tsp cardamom powder
• ¼ cup of caster sugar/ white or brown powdered sugar

Procedure

Dough:

1. In a bowl, combine all the dough ingredients (except the water) and mix. The flour mixture will start to crumble.
2. Knead hard dough while gradually adding water. Cover the dough and set aside.

Filling:

1. Grated maka should be sautéed for 5–6 minutes on low heat in a frying skillet, or until it becomes light brown. Set aside and allow it cool fully.
2. Now mix the cooled mawa with the sugar, cardamom powder, and chopped chilgoza. Stir thoroughly and set aside.

Gujiyas:

1. Roll the dough into balls, similar to the size of lemons.
2. Sprinkle a surface with vegetable oil, then begin rolling the dough balls one at a time.
3. Begin rolling each ball into a round with a diameter of 3.5″.
4. In the center of the circle, add 1½ tablespoon of the mawa mixture. Seal the edges by applying water with your finger.
5. The pastry circle should now be folded into a half-moon shape. Gently press the edges to seal.To trim the edge, use a pizza cutter.
6. Crimp the gujiyas’ edges using a fork.

Air frying or baking:

1. Bake the gujiyas at the same temperature in a preheated oven.
2. Transfer the gujiyas to an ovenproof tray lined with baking paper, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they become crisp to the touch and turn golden.
3. As an alternative, preheat the air fryer for five minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
4. Using a pastry brush, cover the ghujiyas with ghee.
5. Apply vegetable oil to the air fryer basket base.
6. Fry the gujiyas for 15 minutes on air, flipping them halfway through.
7. Remove them from the basket of the air fryer and set them aside to cool.