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Holi is one of the most unique festivals of India. It is mostly referred as a festival of colors taking place in the month of Basant (spring) and is therefore also known as “Basantotsav”. The festival of Holi is in true terms vibrant, shaded with the color of ‘gulal’ (dry color). The individuals become deeply engrossed in putting colors on each others on Holi and thus it becomes a festival rendering marked warmth among all individuals. The various sweet delicacies also happen to be a significant part of Holi. It is the festival which indulges people to come out of bounds and indulge in activities which their heart desires often but mind don’t approve always. The festival is marked by an assortment of special holi recipes. The Holi recipes mainly constitute the various kinds of sweet dishes and a drink known as “Thandai”. This happens to be a delicious drink that can also be referred as an intoxicating drink made of poppy seed or opium. It is a harmless drink which is a must item in Holi celebration. The Holi dishes comprise many sweets, the main reason being, on one hand sweets add up to the auspicious charm of the festival and on the other hand they prove to be perfect attributes to the Thandai. Here are the preparations of Holi recipes, which are very popular. It is sure that this selection of Holi recipes will surely enchant you heart, soul and the taste buds with an extraordinary feel.
Some of the traditional Holi recipes are,
- Jaljeera
- Thandai
- Dahi Bhalla
- Kesar Chawal
- Moong Dal ka Halwa
Jaljeera
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp Amchur or dried Mango Powder
- 2 tbsp paste of Mint leaves
- 2 tbsp Dry roasted and ground cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp Black Salt or Rock salt
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1/2 tsp paste of Cilantro leaves
- A pinch of Sugar
- 5 cups Cold Water
- 2 tbsp Mint leaves for garnishing
Preparation:
Mix the ingredients in the bowl and then add the col d water and serve garnished with mint leaves. The Jaljeera indeed act as a refreshing drink during scorching days of summer.
Thandai
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 litres Water
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
- 1 tbsp Watermelon seeds with skin
- 1/2 tbsp Aniseed (Saunf )
- 1/2 tbsp Poppy seed (Khuskhus)
- 1 tsp Whole peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp Rosewater
- 1/4 cup Dried or fresh rose petals
Preparation:
Add sugar in ˝ liter water and keep it separately. Put the saunf, khuskhus, water melon seeds and rose petals in 2 cups of water for about 2 hours till all the ingredients settle at the base of the container. After that take, them out and grind them in a mixer. After grinding them to fine paste, mix water with it. Use a muslin cloth to strain the mixture of the paste and the water. Press through the muslin to pass on the liquid in the vessel. Add more water and keep on straining until the residue become dry and husky. Add the milk, rosewater and the sugar to the liquid. Mix the cardamom to the milk and mix it with the liquid. Blend it well and refrigerate before you serve it.
Dahi Bhalla
Ingredients:
Bhallas:
- 1 Cup Urad daal
- Salt to taste
- Oil to fry
Dahi:
- 1 kg Dhahi (yogurt)
- 1/2 tsp. grated Ginger
- Finely chopped coriander leaves
- 1-2 green chilies chopped
- Salt to taste
- 2tsp Roasted cumin (jeera) powder
- Red chili powder to taste
Preparation:
Wash the dal and oak them in water overnight. The following morning grind the dal in a mixer to a smooth paste and add salt to it according to your taste. Thus the batter is prepared. Take oil in the pan and drop spoonful of batter in it and fry until they turn golden brown. As all the bhallas will be prepared, put them in cold water for 2-3 minutes. Then, take out the bhallas and extract the excess water and keep apart.
The curd will be prepared by mixing the yogurt with little water and turn it to a nice blend.Add chili powder, cumin powder and salt to the curd. Thus the Dahi is prepared. Then arrange the bhallas on a plate and pour Dahi on it. Garnish it with freshly chopped coriander leaves. Serve it accompanied by green chutney and tamarind chutney. Refrigerate it and serve chilled.
Kesar Chawal
Ingredients:
- 1 cup long grain Indian Basmati Rice
- 15-20 pieces of Paneer cubes
- 10 Cashewnuts
- 1/3 Cup raisins
- 2 inch Cinnamon sticks
- 4 Green cardamoms
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cup warm water Salt to taste
- A little hot milk
- 1/4 tsp strands of Saffron
- 2 tbsp ghee or clarified butter oil for frying
Preparation:
Thoroughly wash the rice and soak it water for about half an hour and drain the excess water. The strands of saffron should be soaked in water for about 15 minutes until the milk turns orange yellow. It mainly depends on the quality of the saffron that how nice the color will be and how fast the color can come from the minimum of the saffron. Take oil in a pan and fry the cashew nuts until they turn golden and keep them aside. Then fry the paneer cubes till they become golden. Then again take ghee or clarified butter and add cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaves in it. Add the rice and put salt. Stir well so that the ghee completely covers the rice. Put warm water and leave it to boil, then add raisins and stir once to mix. Put the flame to low and cover the pan with a lid keeping little gap so that water shouldn’t boil out. As the water will start evaporating, put the paneer cubes and also sprinkle the saffron liquid on the rice. As the water will evaporate entirely, serve it hot. Garnish the beautiful saffron colored rice with cashew nuts.
Moong Dal Ka Halwa
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup Moong dal
- 3/4 cup crushed Mawa
- 1 1/2 litre Milk
- 1/2 tsp Saffron soaked in a little milk
- 1 cup Sugar
- 5 Cardamoms powdered
- 6 tbsp Ghee
Preparation:
Soak the moong dal in water for some time and coarse grind the moong dal and then take ghee in a saucepan and fry the dal until it turns golden. Add the milk and cook till the entire milk gets absorbed by the dal. Then add the mawa and stir constantly on a low flame so that the mawa and the dal get evenly mixed. Remove it from flame and keep apart. Mix sugar in water and prepare consistent sugar syrup. Add cardamom powder and saffron to dal, add the fried dal to the syrup, and stir well to mix them. Therefore, the Halwa is ready.
Sigi advices you to add up a special charm to the festival of Holi by preparing these Holi delights and celebrate the colorful festival amidst fun and splendor.
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