Flavours Of India

The light southerly breeze, the crooning cuckoos, the basant bahar melodies-all herald the arrival of spring season and then comes the holi festival, adding more colors to this sultry weather. No Indian festival is complete without food customized for the occasion, same goes for holi too. Each state of India has its own delicacies to add their local flavor. From sugar candies to intoxicating drinks, there is a mind-boggling range of snacks, sweets and thandais, which add more aromas to the southerly spring air. Try and rustle up these holi delicacies.

Thandai

Ingredients:
1 ½ litre water;1 ½ cups sugar;1 cup milk;1 tbsp almond paste;1 tbsp water melon seeds,skinned;1/2 tbsp poppy seeds;1/2 tbsp aniseed;1/2 tsp cardamom powder or 10 whole pods;1 tsp rose water(optional);1 tsp peppercorns;20 gm rose petals

Method:

Soak the sugar in ½ litre of water and set aside. Wash all dry ingredients (except cardamom powder), soak in two cups of water and let stand for two hours. Grind into a fine paste and mix with water. Strain till you get a dry residue. Add milk, soaked sugar, rose water and almond paste. If using cardamom powder, fold it in now. Refrigerate for an hour. Serve chilled.

Gujia (north Indian dish)

Ingredients:
500 gm Maida(flour);1 kg khoya;75 gm raisins;200 gm almonds,silvered;500 gm sugar;200ml water;200 ml refined oil

Method:

Heat six tbsp oil and mix well with the flour, using your fingers. Add some water and knead lightly into soft dough. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside.

Stir -fry the khoya till it turns light brown. Add sugar to it and mix well. Add almonds and raisins. Fry for a few minutes and remove from the fire. Roll out the kneaded dough into small rounds, thicker and smaller than normal chapattis.
Place some khoya mix in the round, fold it into half and seal it, twisting the edges in, so the filling does not ooze out. Heat the remaining oil and deep fry these gujias, till they turn deep golden brown.

Puran poli (maharashtrian dish)

Ingredients:
300 gm chana dal;300 gm jaggary;1 tsp cardamom powder; 150 gm refined flour(maida);3 tbsp ghee;lukewarm water

Method:

Boil the dal in plenty of water till soft. Drain and break it with your fingers. Mash jaggery and mix it with the dal. Put this mixture in a heavy saucepan and cook till a soft lump is formed. Stir continuously, so that the mixture is not charred. Set aside .mix 1 tbsp ghee with flour, adding enough water to make soft dough. Make small balls and roll out into 4 chapattis. Put some dal filling in the centre and seal. Re-roll into 6 chapattis. Roast on a warm tawa till golden brown on both sides. Apply a dollop of ghee on top and serve. Or, shallow fry on tawa like a parnatha. Serve hot.

Here are some refreshing and mouth watering soggy cheesy salad recipes for all food lovers.

Marinated mushroom salad

Ingredients:
1 cup sliced fresh button mushrooms;2 tbsp olive oil;1 tsp(chopped)garlic;1 tsp(chopped)ginger;1 (chopped)onion;1 tsp paprika flakes;1 tsp Soya sauce; 1 tsp red chili sauce;1 tsp green chili sauce;1 tbsp tomato ketchup;1 tbsp white wine(optional);red and yellow capsicums shredded;1 cup lettuce leaves; salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Clean the mushrooms well using Maida and then wash under a running tap slice each into 3-4 slices and keep in cold water. Heat olive oil in a pan, sauté the garlic and ginger in a pan, add the onion and the mushrooms and toss well. Cook for just about 2 minutes and remove. Cool and mix all the sauces and paprika etc, season well and chill the same. Arrange the assorted lettuce leaves on the serving plate and arrange the chilled marinated mushroom salad on it. Top with red and yellow capsicum juliennes.

Baby corn and Soya chunk salad

Ingredients:
1 cup baby corn sliced;1 cup soyabean chunks soaked in hot water for 20 minutes;1 tsp garlic (chopped);2 tbsp olive oil;1 tbsp red chili sauce;1 tbsp imli chutney;1 tsp chaat masala;1 tsp lime juice;1 tbsp peanut butter dissolved in 3tbsp water; salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Heat olive oil in a pan, sauté the garlic for a few seconds, add the baby corn and toss well. Add seasonings to taste and the peanut butter, soyabean chunks which have been soaked and then drain. Toss well for 10 seconds and remove. Serve the salad chilled over a bed of lettuce leaves. Drizzle with the sauce and chaat masala.

Mix vegetable salad with coconut dressing

Ingredients:
1 carrot peeled and diced;2 capsicums diced; 2 cucumbers peeled and diced;1/2 cup cherry tomatoes;1 white radish peeled and cubed;4-6 baby corns sliced;1/2 cup small onions peeled; 1 cup iceberg lettuce eaves

For dressing:
½ cup mayonnaise sauce;1/2 tsp mustard paste;1 tbsp peanuts(chopped);1 tbsp tomato ketchup; ½ cup sliced tender coconut

Method:

Prepare the veggies for the salad. Chill until tossed in the salad. For the dressing mix all the ingredients and toss with veggies and arrange the salad on a bed f crisp lettuce leaves and garnish with roasted peanuts. Serve chilled.