India, a land of mythology and celebration, of legend, religion and tradition has evolved over centuries as a mystic land of festivals. Every occasion you can dream of is celebrated with gaiety, pomp and fevour. Some festivals welcome the seasons of the year, the harvest, the rains, or the full moon, others celebrate religious occasions, the birthdays of divine beings, Saints, and gurus or the advent of the new year. A number of these festivals are common to most parts of India, however, they may be called by different names in the various parts of the country or may be celebrated in a different fashion. What is unfailingly common and the joyous reason to celebrate is the various gastronomic and aesthetic delights that mark all such celebrations.
Besan Halwa
Ingredients
gram flour 1 cup
milk 1 cup
sugar 3/4 cup
ghee 1/2 cup
cardamom powder 1 tsp
almonds 1 tbsp (finely sliced)
pistachios 1 tbsp (finely sliced)
Method:
- Heat ghee and fry the gram flour until until the flour turns golden brown in color and a beautiful smell comes from it.
- Add cardamom powder, milk, sugar and keep stirring until the mixture turns thick.
- Serve it hot, decorated with nuts.
Motichur Laddoo
Ingredients
Boondi batter
Bengal gram flour 1 1/2 cup (besan)
semolina 1 1/2 tbsp (rawa)
Sugar syrup
sugar 1 1/4 cup
milk 1 tbsp
saffron few drops (food color)
saffron strands
almonds 2 tbsp (chopped)
pistachios 2 tbsp (chopped)
cardamom powder 1 tsp (elaichi)
rose water 2 tsp
Ghee/butter for deep frying
Edible silver sheets, for garnishing (optional)
Method:
Sugar syrup
- Combine the sugar and milk with 1 1/2 cups of water in a bowl and heat while stirring continuously till the sugar dissolves.
- Add the saffron food colour to the syrup and make a syrup of one string consistency and keep warm.
Boondi
- Combine the gram flour, semolina and 3/4 cup of water and mix well to make a smooth batter.
- Heat ghee or butter in a kadhai.
- When hot, hold a perforated spoon (boondi jhara) over the hot ghee and pour a little boondi batter at a time using a ladle over the perforated spoon.
- Spread the batter with the back of a spoon so that the boondi falls into the ghee.
- Fry the boondis over a high flame to a light golden color, taking care to ensure that they are not very crisp.
- Add the boondis to the warm sugar syrup and mix well so that the boondis soak in the syrup well.
- Wash and dry the perforated spoon (boondi jhara) every time you pour the boondi batter through it.
- Proceed making the boondis with the remaining batter and immerse them in the sugar syrup immediately after frying.
- Allow the mixture to cool completely.
- Add 2 tbsps of hot water, the saffron, chopped almonds, chopped pistachios, powdered cardamom, rose water and mix well.
- Shape the mixture to make laddoos and garnish with silver sheets (optional).
