No Indian festival, especially not Holi, is complete without food and drinks. While you enjoy playing with colours, relishing delicious food is also an integral part of the celebrations. If you have plans to host guests or just enjoy time with family, bookmark these homemade, delish desserts and sips. My Kolkata has some easy recipes for decadent desserts and drinks.
Makhana Kheer
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A quick-and-easy dessert option loaded with dry fruits and makhana.
Ingredients:
- Makhana: 100gm
- Mixed dry fruits: 100gm
- Mawa Kheer: 50gm
- Condensed milk: 1 small cup
- Full fat milk: 1l
- Bay leaf: 1 large
- Cardamom: 2
- Rose water: ½ teaspoon
- Rose petals: 2 tablespoons
- Ghee: 2 tablespoons
Method
- Pour ghee on a nonstick pan and heat. Add the makhana and saute until golden
- In the same pan, toss the mixed dry fruits
- In a deep wok, add milk, bay leaf and cardamom. Cook on a low flame until the consistency thickens a little, and the quantity has reduced to half
- Grate the mawa kheer and add, along with the dry fruits, condensed milk, and rose water. Cook for 5 minutes on medium flame, and add the makhana
- Cook the makhana for 2 minutes and turn the flame off. Serve hot or cold, garnished with rose petals
Nutty Fruity Thandai Laddoo
Get the flavours of thandai but in a wholesome laddoo. Bite into a decadent treat!
Ingredients
- Besan: 2 cups
- Ghee: 1 cup
- Powdered sugar: 1 cup
- Pistachios: 1/4 cup (chopped)
- Almonds: 1/4 cup (chopped)
- Dried rose petals: 1/4 cup
- Cardamom powder: 1/4 tsp
- Poppy seeds: 1 tsp
- Thandai syrup: 1 tsp (optional)
Method
- In a dry pan, dry roast all the nuts and poppy seeds. Keep aside and let it cool
- Now roast the besan on a low flame. Keep stirring until it lets out a nutty fragrance. Now pour the ghee and mix well for another 30 seconds before turning off the flame
- Finely chop the nuts and crush the rose petals
- Now add the nuts and rose petals to the besan, keeping aside about one tablespoon later for garnishing. Mix well
- Add the ghee and mix well
- While the mixture is still hot, smear some ghee onto your palms and make small laddoos of the mixture
- When the laddoos are cooled down, brush them with the thandai syrup and roll them in the finely chopped nuts mixture
- If using thandai syrup, consume them within a day or two. Otherwise, you can store them in an air-tight jar
Rainbow Malai Marble Cake
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Adding a dash of colours to your simple cake can surprise and amuse the kids. This Holi, make this soft and colourful rainbow cake with the creaminess of malai.
Ingredients
- All purpose flour: 300gm
- Powdered sugar: 150gm
- Butter: 100gm
- Eggs: 3-4 pieces
- Baking powder: ½ tsp
- Compound chocolate: 50gm
- Organic food colour: As per your choice
- Fresh malai: 100gm
- Whipped cream: 100g
Method
- Take powdered sugar in a bowl and add melted butter to it. Mix it well until the sugar blends with the butter and becomes fine
- Now add the eggs and beat it well
- Add flour little by little and keep mixing it
- Add half teaspoon of baking powder
- Keep beating the batter until a thick, smooth consistency is achieved
- Now take out the mixture in equal quantity in separate blows according to the number of colours you are using and keep aside. Add the colours one by one and mix well. Keep one bowl for the chocolate
- Break the chocolate in small pieces and using the double boiler method melt it smooth
- Now add this melted chocolate to one bowl of the batter you have kept aside
- Grease the baking mould with oil and sprinkle some flour
- Now comes the main part of bringing the texture of the rainbow cake. Take a tablespoon for each batter. Layer the baking mould one by one with the colourful batter. Use light and dark colours alternatively
- Pre-heat the oven at 180∘C and put the mould for 30 minutes. Bake for 30 minutes
- Meanwhile, whip the malai and the fresh cream well
- Once the cake is baked, let it cool down. Layer it with the cream. You can also use chopped nuts for garnishing
- Serve it in slices along with some savoury snacks
Vodka with strawberries
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A hic (and hip) sip to make your Holi party a success.
Ingredients
- Vodka: 500ml
- Strawberries: 100gm
- Lemon juice: 2 tablespoons
- Chaat masala: 1 tablespoon
- Jaljeera powder: 2 tablespoons
- Green chillies: 2 teaspoons
Method
- Divide the strawberries in two equal halves. Crush one half and keep aside. Finely chop the remaining strawberries
- Crush the green chillies with lemon juice
- In a shaker or a bottle, add vodka, chaat masala and jaljeera powder, along with the crushed lemony green chillies
- Serve chilled with thinly sliced lemon wedges
Khus sherbet with a twist
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A thirst quencher to feel rejuvenated after the ultimate Holi bash.
Ingredients:
- Khus syrup: 1 small cup
- Coconut water: 500ml
- Soaked basil seeds: 2 tablespoons
- Mint leaves: 3 tablespoons
- Lemon juice: 4 tablespoons
- Honey: 5-6 tablespoons
- Pink salt: 1 teaspoon or to taste
- Crushed ice: 1 large cup
Method
- Add the khus syrup, coconut water, basil seeds, lemon juice, honey and pink salt in a bottle or a shaker and shake well. You can also add everything in a blender and give it a quick whirl
- Crush the mint leaves and add, along with crushed ice
- Serve chilled