Mouth-watering gujiyas and malpuas make the colourful festival of Holi complete. As you revel in the festival of colours this month, make sure to prepare some delicacies for a good time with friends and family.
LAUKI KA HALWA
Ingredients
1. 600 grams lauki / bottle gourd / doodhi / ghiya
2. 1/4th cup ghee / clarified butter
3. 5 Cashew chopped
4. 5 Almond, chopped
5. 2 tbsp. Raisins
6. Half cup milk
7. 3/4th cup sugar
Method
Heat 1/4th cup ghee and roast 5 cashew, 5 almond and 2 tbsp raisins. Fry nuts to golden brown and keep aside. Now add in grated lauki and sauté for 5 minutes. Saute till the lauki shrinks slightly and changes colour. Add in half cup milk and mix well. Cook for 10 minutes or till milk thickens and lauki gets cooked completely. Further add in 3/4th cup sugar and mix well. Sugar melts and boils for 5 minutes or till it thickens. Add in khoya into lauki mixture and mix well. Keep stirring till the mixture thickens and forms a mass. Add in roasted nuts and 1/4th tsp cardamom powder. Mix well. Finally, transfer dudhi halwa / lauki halwa to a bowl and serve hot.
MALPUA
Ingredients
1. 200 gm all-purpose flour
2. 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
3. 1 teaspoon powdered green cardamom
4. 1 cup ghee
5. 250 ml water
6. 50 gm khoya
7. 100 gm semolina
8. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
9. 500 ml milk
10. 250 gm sugar
11. Saffron as required
Method
Making syrup: To prepare the sugar syrup, place water in a pan over medium flame. Add sugar in it and stir until fully dissolved. Then add 2-3 tsp milk and stir again, after a few minutes remove the scum that rises to the top. Once the sugar syrup is thick, remove the pan from the flame and keep aside.
Making batter: Mix all-purpose flour, semolina, khoya, baking powder, fennel seeds, cardamom powder and milk. Ensure that the mixture has a pourable consistency and is not too thick. Once the batter is ready, keep it aside for a few minutes so that the flavor of spices and herbs are fully absorbed.
Frying: Now heat ghee in a pan over low flame. Pour a ladleful of the mixture and spread evenly. Keep the flame low and cook till it is light brown on both sides. Remove the cooked malpua and drain the excess ghee. Drop the malpua in sugar syrup and allow it to soak for 10 minutes. Repeat the same with the remaining batter. Drain the malpuas from the syrup, garnish with pistachios and serve hot.
GUJHIYA/GUJIYA
Ingredients
For the stuffing
1. 4 cups all-purpose flour
2. 200 gm khoya
3. 1 cup sugar
4. 1 tablespoon powdered green cardamom
5. 1/4 cup semolina
For Dough
1. 1 1/2 cup ghee
2. 1/4 cup Water
Method
Making the dough: To make the dough, mix together all-purpose flour and water, knead well by sprinkling some water. Once the dough attains a perfect consistency, keep it aside for 60 minutes.
Making filling: Take a deep-fry pan then sauté khoya and semolina till it turns golden and keep it aside to cool. Add sugar, green cardamom and soaked almonds to the cooled khoya and mix well. Then make small round balls from the dough and make a cup-like-space in the balls to fill the sumptuous stuffing. After adding the filling, seal corners in such a way that it secures the stuffing while frying the Gujiya. It should not come out. Heat ghee in a pan over medium flame. Fry the Gujiyas till golden brown from all the sides. Garnish it with some saffron strands and crushed pistachios.
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