Delicious food is a must-have in all Indian festivals and what will be better to indulge in the temptation than preparing it the healthy way. When it is all about the festival of colours, it becomes very essential to savour in some traditional delights. This Holi, welcome spring with a myriad of colours and nutty delicacies that you will love forever. This will definitely leave a long-lasting impact on your near and dear ones and will transform this festivity into an unforgettable experience.
Try out these amazing Holi delicacies and make your Holi more colourful and memorable.
Walnut Paneer Makhani (By Chef Madhuri Aggarwal)
Ingredients : For the paste
1 teaspoonjeera (cumin seeds), 3 pods of Cardamom, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, A handful of walnuts, 2 kashmiri red chillies, 6 cloves of Garlic, 1/2 inch inger, 1 onion, 5 tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoongaram masala powder, Salt to taste, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 cup water
For Paneer Makhani
1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tea spoon jeera, 1 teaspoon ginger (julienned), 2 green chillies (slit), 250g paneer, 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon toasted kasuri methi leaves, 1 teaspoon tomato ketchup, 1 teaspoon honey, Salt to taste, 1/4 cup fresh cream, Tomato paste that we have prepared, Butter and coriander leaves to garnish, Coal to give the smoky flavour(optional)
Preparation
Prepping the paste
Add all the above ingredients into a pan and cook it over medium heat. Stir it in intervals to prevent it from sticking. Cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes till all the tomato and onion are cooked well. Let it cool completely and then grind it to a smooth paste. Keep it aside to use later. Heat butter and oil together in a heavy bottom pan. Add jeera to this and let it splatter. Add the tomato paste to this along with a cup of water. Add green chillies, salt and julienned ginger to this. Let it come to a boil. Add Kasturi methi, red chilli powder and tomato ketchup and boil further. Once the gravy reaches a creamy consistency, add honey, and cream and give it a good mix. Add fresh paneer to this and let it boil just for a minute. Garnish it with butter and coriander powder. Place the coal on the flame directly and let it turn red hot. Place this coal in a plate and place it on the curry. Add a spoon of ghee on top and cover the pan immediately. Let the smoke flavour the curry for 5 mins. Remove the lid and give the curry a good mix.
Note: You can make the gravy in advance and add paneer just before serving.
Walnut Milk Kheer (By chef Madhuri Aggarwal)
Ingredients : 2 tablespoon basmati rice(washed and soaked for an hour), 1 tablespoon sago pearls (soaked for a couple of hours), 1 cup milk, 1 cup soaked walnuts, ½ cup condensed milk, A pinch of saffron, 1 tablespoon ghee, Cardamom powder for flavour, Few walnuts for garnishing
Preparation
Soak walnuts overnight and grind them in 2 cups of water. Let there be no lumps in this walnut milk. Heat milk in a heavy bottom pan along with basmati rice. Keep the flame low at all times. Add saffron to the milk and keep stirring the milk to avoid it from sticking to the bottom. Once the milk is reduced to half and the mixture is thick, add walnut milk and sago pearls to this. At this point keep stirring the kheer very gently and continuously. You do not want to break the sago by stirring it rigourously. Add condensed milk and cook the kheer till it thickens. Add milk as and when required to keep the consistency you like. Add a pinch of cardamom powder to this. Heat ghee in a small pan. Add walnut pieces to this and let it crisp up and turn golden. Add this to the kheer and serve it hot.
Til and California Walnut Barfi (by chef Shumaila Chauhan)
Ingredients : 1 tablespoon ghee, 500ml full fat milk, 1/2 cup milk powder, 1/2 cup walnuts, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, 3/4 cup sesame seeds, 1/3 cup jaggery powder, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
Preparation
In a pan over medium low heat, add the sesame seeds and heat 3-4 minutes. They will turn slightly golden and pop. Do not burn. Let cool and coarsely grind them. Pulse walnuts to make walnut meal. Be careful to not over grind, else you will make walnut butter. In a heavy bottom pan, heat ghee. Add milk and stir. Let the milk come to a soft boil over medium heat. Add the milk powder. Cook over medium heat, stirring often. Make sure to scrape the sides of pan. Cook for 10-15 minutes, till milk is reduced to half. Add walnut and jaggery powder, and mix well. Cook for another 5-6 minutes. Add in the powdered sesame seeds. Mix well. Stir another 2-3 minutes. Add in the cardamom powder and chopped walnuts (reserving a few for the top). Mix well. Stir till mixture thickens and starts leaving the pan and looks doughy. Turn off heat. Grease a 5” by 7” pan. Line it with parchment paper. Spread the cooked mixture evenly. Top with the reserved chopped walnuts, and sprinkle some sesame seeds. Let set for an hour in the refrigerator. Cut into rectangles and serve.
