Palms filled with frisky colours, loaded water guns, coloured faces, loud music, plates stacked with festive goodies and the aromatic breeze – Ah, that’s the Holi spirit! This is how we have been celebrating the festival of colours for ages, yet every year, there is a certain excitement to get soaked in coloured water and enjoy some of the most mouth-watering delicacies.

Different regions of the country celebrate the festival of colours in their own way. And the delicacies also vary region to region.  Food is an integral part of every festival in India. The festive celebrations make us drool over the crispy kachoris, gujiyas, papads even in our thoughts. This year, try some of these Holi special dishes given below and enjoy the festival with full zeal.

Gujiyas – (servings-20)

Gujiyas are the most popular and loved Holi Sweets. Check out how you can make healthy and tasty Gujiyas at home.  This is rather one of the traditional holi sweets.

Ingredients: 4 cups all purpose flour, 200 gm khoya, 1 cup sugar, 1 tbsp powdered green cardamom, 1 tbsp finely chopped almonds, ¼ cup semolina, 1 ½ cup ghee, ¼ cup water.

Step 1

Take flour in a bowl and add water to make soft dough. To enhance the taste, add some ghee.

Step 2

Once the dough is done, keep it aside for 60 minutes. Meanwhile, take a pan and saute khoya and semolina till it turns golden and aromatic. Keep it aside to cool.

Step 3

Add sugar, green cardamom and chopped almonds to the khoya mixture and mix it well. You can also add some dry roasted nuts and raisins.

Step 4

Take two drops of ghee or refined oil and rub it on your palms. Now make small round balls from the dough and make a cup-like-space in the balls to fill the stuffing. Next, seal the corners to secure the stuffing while frying the Gujiya.

Step 5

Heat ghee in a pan. Fry the Gujiyas till golden brown from all the sides and they are ready. Garnish them with some saffron strands and crushed pistachios.

Mal pua – (servings-6)

This can be one of the Holi Special foods. If want to try something new this time, go for Malpuas.

Ingredients: 200 gm maida, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp powdered green cardamom, 1 cup ghee, 250 ml water, 50 gm khoya, 100 gm semolina, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 500 ml milk, 250 gm sugar, 2 tablespoon chopped pistachios, saffron as required

Step 1

Firstly, place water in a pan over medium flame, add sugar in it and stir until fully dissolved. Add 2-3 tsp milk and stir again. In a few minutes, scum rises to the top. Remove it and as the sugar syrup thickens, remove the pan from the flame and put it aside.

Step 2

Mix maida, semolina, khoya, baking powder, fennel seeds, cardamom powder and milk. The mixture must have a pourable consistency. Keep it aside for few minutes.

Step 3

Heat ghee in a pan. Pour a ladleful of the batter and spread it over the pan. Keep the flame low and cook it until it turns light brown. Turn it and let it cook from the other side as well. Now remove the cooked malpua from the pan and drain the excess ghee. Drop the cooked malpua in sugar syrup and let it soak for about 10 minutes. Drain the malpua from sugar syrup and garnish with pistachios.

Thandai

Thandai keeps you hydrated and chilled out when running behind your friends and family to colour them. Try the thandai with other holi snacks and enjoy.

Ingredients – 1 cup water, sugar as required, 2 tbsp melon seeds, 1/2 tbsp aniseed, 1/2 tsp rose water, 1/4 cup dry rose petals, 500 ml milk, 2 tbsp almonds, 1 tbsp poppy seeds, 1/2 tbsp green cardamom, 1 tsp peppercorns, 100 gm fennel seeds.

Step 1

Soak the almonds, poppy seeds, fennel seed and melon seeds in one cup water for half an hour. Grind into to a fine paste and keep aside.

Step 2

Boil the milk in a pan and add saffron to it. Add sugar and mix well. Grind the rose petals and peppercorns to make a fine powder. Add it to the milk.

Step 3

Add the paste and the cardamom powder to the milk. Mix well and let it be on a low flame for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the flame and let it cool. Now refrigerate it for 2 to 3 hours. Beautify it with some crushed rose petals, saffron strands and chopped almonds. Serve chilled.

Bhang pakode –  (servings-5)

Pakoras are a deep love of all Indians. Check out this holi special recipe and enjoy the festival.

Ingredients: 2 cup gram flour (besan), 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp dry mango powder, 3 medium sliced onion, 2 cup refined oil, 2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp bhang seed powder, 4 chopped potato

Step 1

Bhang Pakora is a must try party recipe, which makes you feel the chill. Take chickpea flour, salt, turmeric, chilli powder, mango powder, bhang powder and water in a bowl to make a batter of dropping consistency. Add finely chopped onions and potatoes and mix it well. Keep it aside for some time.

Step 2

Take a pan and heat the oil. When the oil gets hot enough, put the batter in the oil using a spoon and deep fry. Once the pakora turns fluffy and golden brown, take them out of the pan.

Step 3

Put the pakoras on a plate covered with tissue paper. This will drain out the excess oil from the Pakoras. Serve them with mint chutney or red spicy chutney.

Dal kachori – (serving-6)

Kachori is one of the Holi snacks which is loved by all. Try this simple recipe and let everyone appreciate your efforts.

Ingredients for kachori: 2 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup water, 5 tsp refined oil, 2 cup refined oil

Ingredients for filling: 1/2 cup soaked moong dal, 2 cup chopped green chilli, 1 tsp fennel seeds powder, 1 gm asafoetida, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds, 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/4 tsp red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp ginger powder, 1/4 tsp garam masala powder

Step 1

Take a large bowl and add all purpose flour, salt and oil. Add water and knead soft dough. Cover the dough and let it set for 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 2

Heat a pan and add 3-4 tbsp oil in it. Add cumin seeds, asafoetida, green chilli, coriander powder, fennel powder and saute the spices for a minute. Add soaked dal, salt, garam masala, ginger powder and red chilli powder.

Step 3

Saute until the dal dries up. Let it cool.

Step 4

Heat oil in a pan for frying. Take a dough ball and flatten it using your fingers. Fill it with the dal stuffing and make the kachori. Fry the kachori till it turns golden brown. The crunchy Moong Dal Kachori is ready to be served with green coriander chutney or sweet chutney.