Festivals Of India


DIWALI

	Diwali is a major Indian festival that is very significant in Hinduism and Jainism. Celebrated by approximately 1 billion Hindus and Jains and known as the "Festival of Lights," and lamps (called diyas or kandils) are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for humankind. The lights also represent the time when Rama came back from the forest, and the people of Ayodhya (the capital of his kingdom) lit lamps to welcome him back home. Celebrations focus on lights and lamps, particularly traditional dipa or deeya (earthen lamp, as illustrated). Fireworks are associated with the festival. Diwali is a colloquial name used in North India, while the festival is formally called Deepavali in South India. For more information Click here

	List of recipes available
	Masala Cashew Soan Papdi Besan Ki Barfi Malpua Karanji Rava Ladoo	Mini Samosa Khoya-Til Ladoo Mysore Paak Fig Burfi Date Burfi Coconut Sandesh


MASALA CASHEW

	Preparation Time :		35 minutes

	Serves :		6

	Ingredients :
	Whole big Cashew Nuts – 500 gms Ghee – 3 tbsp Citric Acid Powdered – 2 pinches	Red Chili Powder – ½ tsp Garam Masala – 3-4 pinches Salt - to taste
	Method :
	Heat ghee in a deep frying pan. Add cashews few at a time. Fry till light brown on low flame. Drain, keep aside in a colander. Repeat for remaining cashew nuts. Sprinkle all other ingredients over them. Toss with hand till masalas are well blended with cashew nuts. Cool completely to room temperature before storing in airtight container.
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SOAN PAPDI
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	Preparation Time :		50 minutes

	Serves :		6

	Ingredients :
	Gram flour – 1 ¼ cup Maida – 1 ¼ cup Ghee – 250 gms Sugar – 2 ½ cup Water - 1 ½ cup	Milk – 2 tbsp Cardamom seeds crushed coarsely – ½ tsp 4" squares cut from a thin polythene sheet
	Method :
	Sift both the flours together. Heat ghee in a heavy saucepan. Add flour mixture and roast on low till light golden. Keep aside to cool a little, stirring occasionally. Prepare sugar syrup simultaneously. Make syrup out of sugar, water and milk. Bring syrup to 2 ½ thread consistency. Pour at once into the flour mixture. Beat well with a large fork till the mixture forms threadlike flakes. Pour onto a greased surface or thali and roll to 1" thickness lightly. Sprinkle the elaichi and gently press down with palm. Cool, cut into 1" squares, wrap individually into square pieces of thin plastic sheet. Store in an airtight container.
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BESAN KI BRAFI

	Preparation Time :		60 minutes

	Serves :		8

	Ingredients :
	Gram Flour - 1 kg Sugar - 1 kg Water – ½ litre	Ghee - 1 kg Pistachios & Almonds, sliced – to garnish
	Method :
	Fry gram flour in ghee on low flame for about 30 minutes till it becomes pink and ghee separates. Mix sugar and water to make sugar syrup. Add this syrup to the flour and mix well. Pour this mixture into a greased tray. When it cools cut into cubes and garnish with the nuts.
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MALPUA

	Preparation Time :		45 minutes

	Serves :		5

	Ingredients :
	Wheat Flour – 1 ½ cup Yogurt or curd – 4 tbsp Whole Peppercorns – 10 -15	Milk -1 cup Water - 1 cup
	Method :
	Make a batter of all of these dry ingredients and the curd, using 1/2 milk and 1/2 water till it is thick and of pouring consistency, similar to pancake or dosa batter. And whip till smooth. Add the 10 peppercorns. Keep aside and allow it to rise for about two hours. Heat oil in a frying pan on medium flame. Drop large ladlefuls into the oil to form circles of 6-8 inches. Typically the dough will sink and line the bottom of the karhai and rise up in the shape of a disc. Fry till golden. Drain and pat off the oil. Serve with cream or garnished with pista.
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KARANJI

	Preparation Time :		60 minutes

	Serves :		8

	Ingredients :
	For Filling: Dry Coconut, grated – 1 cup Powdered Sugar – 1 cup Nutmeg Powder – a pinch Dry Ginger Powder – a pinch Cardamoms- 4 Refined Flour – 2 tsp Poppy Seeds – 2 tsp Mixed Dry fruit pieces – 2 tbsp	For Dough: Refined Flour – 1 cup Ghee – 1 tsp Salt - to taste Warm milk - to prepare dough
	Method :
	Roast dry coconut. Roast the flour in ghee. Roast poppy seeds. Mix all the above ingredients & grind them. For Dough: Mix all the dough ingredients & prepare dough (a little hard). For Karanji: Make small oval shaped puris from dough. Fill the prepared stuffing inside. Apply some water or milk so that it will seal properly (don't apply too much of water as it will not seal properly). Deep fry it till it becomes brownish colour on low flame. Serve it hot or cold. Karanjis can be stored for weeks.
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RAVA LADOO

	Preparation Time :		60 minutes

	Serves :		6

	Ingredients :
	Semolina – 1 cup Sugar – 1 cup Milk – 1 cup	Currants – 1 tbsp Cashew nuts – 1 tbsp Ghee – 3 tsp
	Method :
	Break the cashew nuts into 4 pieces. Wash and dry the currants. Heat up a little ghee and lightly fry them. Keep aside. Heat up ghee in a deep pan and fry the semolina on low flame till it turns light brown in colour. Then mix in sugar and milk and stir fry till the mixture becomes sticky. Mix in the fried cashew nuts and raisins to the mixture. Take the pan off the flame and form the dough into small balls. Serve when cool and dry.
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MINI SAMOSA

	Preparation Time :		50 minutes

	Serves :		6

	Ingredients :
	All Purpose Flour (maida) – 2 cups Oil – 1 cup Moong Daal (soak 6-8 hrs in Plenty of water with baking soda) – 2 ½ cup Red Chili Powder – 1 tbsp Garam Masala – 1 tbsp	Coriander Powder – 1 tbsp Dried Mango Powder -1 tbsp Asafoetida - 3-4 pinces Cumin Seeds – 1 tbsp Oil - for frying Salt -1 tbsp
	Method :
	Grind the moong daal with minimum quantity of water. Add oil in heavy pan. Add cumin seeds, asafoetida powder and daal paste in it. Stir it properly. Add salt, garam masala, coriander powder, chili powder and dry mango powder. Stir it until the mixture dries very well. Preparation for cover Sieve all-purpose flour, add salt. Add vegetable oil (so that you can make bowls) and mix it very well. Then add small quantity of water and make smooth dough. Make small round rolls with dough. Roll it like chapatti (chapatti should be around 4-5 inches in diameter). Cut it into 2 equal halves along the diameter. Put small water along the diameter. Join and press together to make a cone. Place a tbsp of filling in the cone and seal third side. Make five to six such cones. Put in hot oil, deep fry on low to medium till light brown. Do not fry on high, or the mini samosas will turn out oily and soggy. Drain on rack or kitchen paper. Serve hot with green chutneys.
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KHOYA-TIL LADOO

	Preparation Time :		65 minutes

	Serves :		6

	Ingredients :
	Khoya ( Dried whole milk) – 2 cups Coarsely powdered roasted Sesame Seeds (til) - 1 ½ cups	Powdered Sugar - to taste Saffron Threads – to garnish Chopped Almonds and Pistachios - for decoration
	Method :
	Roast the khoya on low flame till it is very light golden yellow color. Let is cool for few minutes. Then add coarsely powdered roasted sesame seeds and mix it. Add powdered sugar when the above mixture is lukewarm. Mix well and shape into small balls. If the mixture is too hot then the sugar will melt so care has to be taken that mixture should not be hot. Arrange in a plate and decorate with saffron, chopped almonds and pistachios. Method for Making Khoya in Microwave: Take three cups of full cream milk powder in microwave oven proof casserole. Add sufficient water to make a thick paste. Add 2 tablespoon of ghee. Cover with plastic cling film and microwave for 3 minutes with in between stirring. (Time depends on power of Microwave oven.)
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MYSORE PAAK

	Preparation Time :		25 minutes

	Serves :

	Ingredients :
	Milk powder - 200 gms All-purpose flour (maida) - 60gms	Ghee or butter - 500 gms Sugar - 200 gms
	Method :
	Mix milk powder, all-purpose flour together with 50 gms of ghee and keep aside. Add sugar, 1/2 litre of water in a pan and boil until the syrup gets string consistency. To the syrup, add milk powder mixture and mix well with no lumps. Now add remaining ghee and stir until the mixture thickens. Grease a plate with ghee and pour the above mixture into the plate. Allow to cool, cut into pieces and serve.
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FIG BURFI

	Preparation Time :		15 minutes

	Serves :		Makes 12

	Ingredients :
	Dried Figs - 12 Chopped dry fruits (almonds, pista, cashewnuts, walnuts) - 1/3 cup	Cardamom (elaichi) powder - 1/4 tsp A few saffron strands 2 Edible silver leaves for garnishing Ghee or butter - 1 tsp
	Method :
	Blanch the figs in boiling water for about 2 minutes. Drain and puree them in a food processor. Combine the fig puree, dry fruits, ghee, cardamom powder and saffron to make a soft dough. Roll out into a rectangle of 100 mm. x 75 mm. (4" x 3"). Garnish with silver leaves and cut into 25 mm. x 25 mm. (1" x 1") squares.
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DATE BURFI

	Preparation Time :		30 minutes

	Serves :		4 - 6

	Ingredients :
	Sweetened condensed milk - 400 gms Dates, de-seeded & chopped - 500 gms	Ghee - 2 tbsp Water - 1/2 cup Maida - 2 tbsp 2 silver leaves
	Method :
	In a pan heat the ghee, add the maida and fry for a minute. Add the water mixing well and allow it to boil. Add the dates, condensed milk and cook well, till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Remove from fire and cool and cut into squares. Serve garnished with silver foils.
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COCONUT SANDESH

	Preparation Time :		20 minutes

	Serves :		3

	Ingredients :
	Condensed milk - 1/2 tin Fresh paneer, crumbled - 250 gms Milk cream powder - 2 tbsp	Milk - 2 tbsp Coconut powder - 200 gms
	Method :
	Combine all the ingredients in the mixer grinder, except the coconut powder. Heat the ghee. Add the mixture and fry for 10 mins. Add the coconut powder and cook for 15 mins or till the mixture is dry. Then cool. Shape the mixture into desired shapes. Store at room temperature.

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