A Holi party is incomplete without batches of pakoras, glasses of thandai and plates heaped with mithai. There’s no stopping at one, like there should be no stopping you letting your hair down and going ‘Happy Holi!’ Check out these recipes, stock up the pantry and let the Holi party prep begin.
Pakora recipes
Kickstart the celebrations with gulal and a plateful of piping hot pakoras.
Mixed greens pakora with spinach, coriander and mint
Wikimedia Commons
Ingredients:
- Finely chopped spinach leaves: 1 medium cup
- Finely chopped coriander leaves: 1 small cup
- Finely chopped mint leaves: ½ of small cup
- Finely chopped green chillies: 3-4
- Lemon juice: 4-5 tablespoons
- Nigella seeds: 1 teaspoon
- Sugar: 1 tablespoon
- Amchur powder: 1 tablespoon
- Chaat masala
- Besan
- Salt
- Vegetable oil
Recipe:
- Mix all the ingredients except chaat masala and vegetable oil. Use splashes of water to bind and make small balls
- Heat oil well and deep fry on low flame until the besan part turns golden brown
- Sprinkle chaat masala and serve piping hot
Moong dal pakora with mustard, garlic, green chilli filling
Shutterstock
Ingredients:
- Dry roasted moong dal: 1 large cup
- Finely chopped onion: 1 large
- Finely chopped green chillies: 3-4
- Yellow mustard seeds: 4 tablespoons
- Garlic: 4-5
- Lemon juice: 4-5 tablespoons
- Salt
- Vegetable oil
- Besan
- Chaat masala
Recipe:
- Make a fine powder of the roasted moong dal
- Add onion, salt to taste, lemon juice, besan, some water and mix well with the moong dal to make a tight mix that can be formed into balls. Keep aside
- Take the mustard seeds, garlic, green chillies, a pinch of salt, some lemon juice and make a right paste
- Now make medium sized moong-besan balls and make a pocket at the centre
- Add the filling of mustard seeds and garlic and give even round shapes
- Heat oil and fry on low flame until light brown
- Serve hot with some chaat masala sprinkled on top
Thandai recipes
Chilled thandai teamed with tasty pakoras and looking forward to what’s next on the menu — this Holi spread is literally as #lit as the colours. What say?
Rose Thandai
Shutterstock
Ingredients:
- Store bought thandai powder: 5-6 tablespoons
- Full fat milk: 500ml
- Powdered sugar: ½ of a small cup
- Rose syrup: 4-5 tablespoons
Recipe:
- Mix all the ingredients together in a blender and refrigerate for about an hour
- Serve with ice cubes. Do not leave overnight or for longer hours in the freezer or outside
- Use milk in room temperature while blending
Paan Thandai
Representational image Shutterstock
Ingredients:
- Thandai powder: 6-8 tablespoons
- Gulkand: 1 tablespoon
- Full fat milk: 500ml
- Powdered sugar: ½ of small cup
- Paan or betel leaf: 1
Recipe:
- Use milk in room temperature
- Add thandai powder, sugar, milk, gulkand and the betel leaf in a blender and give a quick blend for about a minute maximum
- Serve with ice cubes. Do not leave overnight or for longer hours in the freezer or outside
Tips:
- Do not blend betel leaves and discard if the milk has turned brown
- Taste the thandai using a spoon in small quantities to be sure of its quality. Do not consume spoiled thandai. Discard if it tastes, looks or smells funny
Mithai recipes
Before you and your guests move to the lunch spread, ask Siri to play your Holi playlist, break into a dance, and enjoy thanda thanda kulfis and barfis to up the energy levels.
Walnut, almond and anjeer kulfi
Representational image Wikimedia Commons
Ingredients:
- Walnuts: 10-12
- Almonds: 10-12
- Anjeer: 6-8
- Full fat milk: 2l
- Powdered sugar: 1/4th of a small cup
- Condensed milk: ½ of small cup
- Saffron strands: 1 teaspoon
- Rose water: 1 teaspoon
- Cornstarch: 1 tablespoon
- Cardamom powder: ½ teaspoon
Recipe:
- Make a dry powder of walnuts, almonds and anjeer
- Keep boiling the milk with cardamom powder until it starts to thicken and is near half in quantity
- Now lower the flame and add sugar and condensed milk and stir continuously until the milk starts to thicken
- Mix the cornstarch with little water or milk and pour in the boiling milk. Stir continuously to keep the milk lump free
- Keeping the flame low throughout, allow the milk to thicken
- Add saffron strands and boil the milk for 2-3 minutes more
- Now add the dry fruit powder and rose water and give a quick mix
- Turn off the flame and bring it to room temperature
- Pour in kulfi moulds and put in the deep freezer for minimum 12 hours and preferably overnight
- Unmould immediately and enjoy frozen
Pista barfi
Shutterstock
Ingredients:
- Pistachio powder: 1 medium cup
- Chopped dry fruits: 8-10 tablespoons
- Milk powder: 1 medium cup
- Mawa: ½ of small cup
- Saffron powder: 1 teaspoon
- Cardamom powder: 1 teaspoon
- Condensed milk: 1 small cup
- Cornflour: 1 and ½ teaspoon
- Edible green colour: 1 teaspoon
- Ghee
Recipe:
- Mix all the ingredients together into a soft dough
- Grease the mould and spread the dough
- Sprinkle chopped dry fruits
- Refrigerate for about an hour, cut into pieces and serve