Lip-smacking festive dishes
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This is the time when every
that household celebrates Diwali is busy cooking up some of the most
savoury classic dishes. Let's face it, no Diwali is ever complete
without snacking on traditional, homemade goodies.Even though the types
of snacks are similiar, everyone has a different way of making them.
While some go easy on the oil, masalas and other rich ingredients, there
are also those for whom all the diet resolutions and promises are
forgotten for the whole week, and they go on a guilt-free snacking trip,
gorging on barfis, laddoos, karanjis and homemade farsaan -`homemade'
being the key word. And sure, it might be a bit of hard work preparing
all these snacks, but all that effort pays off when you see friends and
relatives relishing the sumptuous feast. But if you want to try your
hand at a few dishes this time, check out these classic recipes you can
rustle up easily.
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| divali cha faral |
MIXED FARSAN
A popular snack, farsan is something that everyone eats. The crunchy rice and cornflakes, peanuts, roasted moth beans, dried fruits, salt and spices add up to make a snack that is not only tasty but can also be nutritious if prepared right.INGREDIENTS
1 cup rice flakes 1 cup corn flakes 12 cup peanuts 12 cup roasted moth beans 14 dried fruits A cupful of papdi Chaat masala Curry leaves 2 green chillies diced Salt to taste Oil to deep fry
METHOD
Deep fry the cornflakes in hot oil till crisp, but not brown. Drain the oil and place it in a plate. Do the same with rice flakes. Fry the peanuts, curry leaves, raisins, chillies and dried fruits all at one time and drain the oil. Mix
it with the rice and corn flakes and sprinkle the masala over the ingredients and mix with your hands until the masala is evenly coated across all the ingredients. You can use the masala of your choice, and if you want to make things a bit more exciting, a spoonful of powdered sugar can be added to the mix.
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BESAN LADDOO
One of the most famous sweet dishes, besan laddoo is synonymous with the festive season, especially in Maharashtra. Easy to make, it is a rather healthy sweet dish that is low on calories and high on the nutrient value.INGREDIENTS
2 cups besan or gram flour 12 cup ghee 1 cup powdered sugar 4 cardamoms, ground in a mortar-pestle 1 or 2 tbsp golden raisins1 or 2 tbsp golden raisins
METHOD
Roast the besan in a pan on slow flame for about 10-12 minutes. Keep stirring the mixture continuously as it could stick to the pan and burn up, and make sure it browns evenly . Add melted ghee, as the mix turns brown and keep stirring on a slow flame for five more minutes until it gives off a nice, nutty aroma. Switch off the fire and take the pan off the stove. Add the powdered sugar, cardamom, raisins and chopped dry fruits to the mix. Mix it evenly so that no
lumps are formed and set it aside to cool down. After it has cooled sufficiently, make small ladoos and store in an air-tight container.Also, if the mix is taking time to cool, keep it in the fridge for 10 minutes and let the ghee inside solidify . You can then easily make perfect, round laddoos. A lot of people also prefer coarse gram flour for a more crispy texture. Additionally, you can add the dry fruit of your choice, and even coat the laddoos in semolina for a festive look.
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KARANJI
A typical Maharashtrian dish, karanji is 1 prepared across the state on the occasion of Diwali. It's tough to find a home that doesn't make it. Plus, it has a great shelf life, so all that effort will pay off over a long time, so make it in bulk.INGREDIENTS
1 cup maida s 14 cup sooji r 12 cup warm milk 1 tsp poppy seeds
1 cup dry grated coconut 1 cup powdered sugar 14 tsp cardamom powder Assorted dry fruit Oil to deep fry
METHOD
Mix the maida, sooji and salt in a bowl and pour hot oil over it. Mix it with a spoon until it turns crunchy . Pour the warm milk slowly so that the crunchy dough now reaches medium consistency. Cover it and keep it aside for 30 minutes. For the filling, roast sooji and poppy seeds. Add coconut to dry-roasted sooji and poppy seeds, add sugar, cardamom powder, dry fruits and mix well. After that, take the dough and knead to make it smooth. Divide dough in to three parts. Roll into thin rotis. Take the roti, spread rice flour mixture on it and place another roti on top of it.
Then, spread rice flour mix again.
Repeat with a third roti and roll them together like a Swiss roll.
Bend it, and make a design around the edges with a fork. Deep fry the karanji until it turns golden brown.
Serve when cool.
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CHAKLI
Chaklis are wonderful round the year.People choose to make these goodies during a festival. While there are several different type of chaklis, as they can be made from maida flour or rice flour, wheat flour chakli, usually made in Gujarati or Maharashtrian households.INGREDIENTS
2 cups whole wheat flour 3 tablespoons sesame seeds 3 teaspoons red chilli powder 18 teaspoon turmeric 12 cup yoghurt Salt to taste Oil to deep fry
METHOD
Add some water in a pressure cooker. Put the wheat flour in a small container and place it in the cooker. Cover the con tainer with a lid, close the cooker and turn the heat to medium. Let it cook for three or four whistles. Remove the flour which is now hard, in a bowl and mix lightly with hands. Now, add sesame seeds, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and oil. Mix it up, pour the yoghurt and knead into a soft dough. Use a chakli disc, available in the market, or a cloth with a hole in it and make spirals over an aluminium foil. Pinch the ends of each spiral and deep fry until golden in a pan. Fry it on both sides. When the chakli turns golden brown and crispy on both sides, remove and drain the oil.
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