[www.keralites.net] Diwali Sweets Recipes

Diwali is a festival not just for lights, lamps and firecrackers, but for some mouth-watering delights as well. Each region of India has its own traditional variety of sweets and cuisines made specifically for this festival. So, for dining pleasure there are some sweets recipes from the different states of India. It is a way of spreading joy and goodwill among both the givers and the receivers of these delights.

Shrikhand

(Sweetened yogurt with saffron)
Serves 6-8
2cups plain yogurt (20 fl. oz.)
1 Tbsp warm milk
tsp saffron
tsp elaichi (cardamom) powder
cup sugar
2 tbsp raw pistachio nuts, skinned and chopped

Put the yogurt in a muslin bag and hand it up for 4-5 hours to drain whey. Soak saffron in milk for 30 minutes. Whisk the drained yogurt, sugar, saffron milk, and cardamom together until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Put in a dish and chill until set. Garnish with the nuts.

Tasty Mava Burfi

Ingredients:

250 gm Khoya
150 gm Powdered sugar
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
1 edible Silver foil

Method :

1.In a saucepan, mix the khoya with sugar and saute over low heat until the mixture turns to very soft lump.
2.Place the mixture on a working board and roll with a rolling pin to 1/2 inch thickness.
3.Allow to cool for 5 minutes and spread the silver foil on the mixture.
4.Cut into the mixture into desired shapes and size.

Shakkar para

Ingredients
1 cupmaida
1/4 cup finesooji
2 tblsp oil
1/2 cup water

For syrup

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp coarsely grounded cardamom
3 tbsp coconut powder

Method

For the syrup

Put the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Continue stirring. Heat the syrup till its about half thread consistency. Add cardamom to the syrup and mix it well.

For the paras

1) Takemaida,soojiand oil and make a stiff dough adding water slowly as needed. Cover the dough and keep aside for 15 minutes or more.
2) Make a bigchapattiof the dough and prick it with a knife or fork so that they don't puff while frying.
3) Cut the dough into several small one-inch squares (paras).
4) Heat oil in akadhaiand fry the paras till golden brown in colour. Allow them to come to room temperature and make sure they are crisp.
5) Put all theparasinto the syrup and mix but make sure all of them are coated with syrup.

Coconut Laddu

Ingredients:

1. Grated Coconut - 1 cup
2. Shredded Jaggery - 1 cup
3. Cardamon Powder - 1 tsp
4. Chopped Cashew's - 3 tbsp's
5. Chopped Almond's - 2 tbsp's
6. Raisin's - 1 tbsp

Method:

In a Thick Bottomed Pan or in a Kadaai, add the Grated Coconut and Jaggery and keep stirring, till the Jaggery melt's and starts sticking to the coconut. Add the Cardamon Powder and Mix well.

Keep stirring on slow flame for about 5 minute's, till the coconut Jaggery mix starts sticking to the kadaai and slightly get browned.

Remove from the flame, when the coconut-jaggey mix, sticks to the Pan and add all the dry

fruits, Cashew's, almond's, and Raisin's. Chopped Dates will also be a great addition.

Cool them for 2 minute's. apply oil on your palm and start shaping the coconut-jaggery mix into ball's. if its too hot, wait till the heat is bearable by your palms and start shaping them into balls.

You can have it instant or allow them to set for about 5-6 hrs. it gets firm and tastes good too.

Cucumber Cake

Serves 4-6

2 Tbsp ghee (clarified butter)**
1 lb cream of wheat
1 lb cucumber (peeled and grated) lb jaggery*
1/8 tsp sugar cup cashews, finely chopped
6-8 cardamoms, peeled and powdered grated coconut.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Fry cream of wheat in 2 Tbsp. ghee until light brown. Add grated cucumber, jaggery, sugar, cashews, cardamom powder and 1 Tbsp of ghee. Mix well. Pour in greased pan and bake for 30-45 minutes in oven, until nicely browned.



Pal Poli

(Crepes in milk)
Serves 16
3 cups all-purpose flour water to make a firm elastic dough
1 quart milk
1 cup sugar
10 cardamoms, powdered tsp saffron, soaked in hot water oil for deep frying almonds, shredded and fried

Method

1. Make a firm dough with floor and water. Cover and set aside.
2. Boil milk in a heavy saucepan and keep simmering until thickened and reduced. Add sugar, cardamom and saffron.
3. Meanwhile, divide the dough into 1 to 1-inch-diameter balls and, using flour to dust the board, roll out into a thin 6" round. Fold in half and seal edge with water. Deep fry in hot oil. Drain on paper towel. Poli made.
4. Place polis in a shallow dish. Pour the hot milk over the polis and garnish with almonds. This dessert can be served hot or cold.

Kesar Mango Kulfi

You will need:

2 Cups Mango Pulp
Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk (adjust acc to taste
3 tbsp Chopped Pistachios
3 tbsp Chopped Cashews tsp Saffron Strands
1 Tsp Gelatin powder or Agar Agar cut into small bits
2 tbsp Water

Method

Dissolve gelatin or agar agar in hot water. Let cool and combine with the rest of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Check for sweetness and add more condensed milk if required.

Pour into moulds or small containers and freeze for 4-6 hours. Let sit on the counter for 5 minutes before unmoulding and serving.

Shahi Tukda Recipe

Ingredients:
6 slices Bread
2 tbsp Ghee
1 cup Full Cream Milk
2 tbsp Pista, blanched and chopped
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Water
1 Cardamom, powdered
4-5 Almonds, toasted and sliced
Few strands of saffron

How to make Shahi Tukda:

First you need to cut the edges of the bread. Thereafter, cut it diagonally to form 2 triangles. Keep the bread aside for about 2 hours, so that it becomes hard.

To make the sugar syrup, mix sugar and water and set the mixture to boil. Now, simmer the solution for about 10 minutes and add powdered elachi into it.

Take a pan and set the milk to boil. Simmer it until it reduces to 1/4th quantity. Simultaneously, keep stirring occasionally so that it does not stick to the pan. Now, add pista and few strands of saffron to the thickened milk.

Apply ghee on the sides of the bread and lightly fry them until they turn golden brown on both sides.

Arrange the fried bread on a plate. Pour the sugar syrup onto the bread and wait until it seeps down.

Now, spread the milk mixture onto the bread and sprinkle some almonds, pista and saffron strands over it.

Freeze it and serve when it is chill!

Jaipuri Mewa Pulao

Ingredients
Long grained white rice (2c)
chironji, coarsely ground (1/2c)
almonds, blanched and chopped (25)
ghee (1c)
sugar (2c)
milk (4c), saffron, soaked in 1 teaspoon of milk (1/2tsp), nutmeg powder (1/4tsp), chopped pistachios (25).

Method of preparation:-

Take a bowl, soak rice for about 2 hours in water in the bowl. Drain the rice. Take a pan, place it over heat. Heat ghee in it and add rice in it and then add milk in the pan. Cover the pan and keep the rice to cook over low heat by stirring it occasionally. When the rice gets cooked then add dry fruits, cardamom, sugar, saffron and nutmeg powder in it. Mix the dry fruits with rice. Then bake them in heated oven until the grains of rice get separate. When the Jaipuri pulao gets ready then serve it hot with meal as a sweet dish.

KESAR BHAT

Ingredients :

1 cup rice
1/2cup sugar
1/4 tea spoon kesar
50 gms raisins
50gms cashew nuts
1/2 cup ghee
5 pods cardamom

Preparation

Wash and cook rice in four cups water. Add ghee and sugar and continue cooking on low flame. Stir continuously. powder cardamom and add to the rice.. Keep cooking till the rice mixture leaves the sides of the vessel. Grind kesar and add to rice. Finally add raisins and chopped cashew nuts and mix well.

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