A colourful festival calls for a lavish feast. That’s what Holi is about. And this festival is never complete without an elaborate spread of delicious dishes. From the gujiyas to the pooris, Holi is the time to forget the calorie count and just immerse yourself in a delectable treat. So as you plan to indulge in sinful munchies, experts offer quick recipes for your Holi spread.
One really popular recipe is aloo bhakarwadi.
Chef KP from Second Sin tells us, “The Holi spread should mostly comprise of homemade recipes. Don’t keep many options from outside and namkeens are a huge hit on Holi. Aloo Bakarwadi is really popular. The snack takes only 20 minutes to prepare. All you need is a mix of boiled potatoes with some til, coconut powder, jeera and haldi and some dough prepared with a mix of maida and besan. Make dough of gram flour with wheat flour, salt, asafetida. Add hot oil and enough water and knead stiff dough. Keep it aside for 20 minutes. In the meantime, roast til, coconut powder, jeera and haldi and mix this well with the mashed boiled potatoes. Divide the dough into small portions and roll each portion into thin rectangular shape chappatis. Spread filling and roll the dough with filling into a tight cylindrical shape. Seal edges with a little water. Deep fry in hot oil until brown and crisp the cut.”
And desserts have a place of their own on the Holi spread. For those who want to try a little something differnt from the usual mithais, Sumit Tandon, executive chef, Kasturi suggests his recipe for flavoured thandai pastries. “The basic idea is that instead of adding vanilla essence to the sponge, you add thandai flavour. You have to layer the cake with thandai whipped cream. Since thandai has an essence of pepper, you add extra sugar and saffron to give the pastries a smooth texture and garnish it with pistas,” he says.
And there are some who love the idea of mixing their drinks with the different flavours of thandais available in the market. Try interesting mixes of your favourite drink with the different flavours of thandai. Another Holi favourite from the grandma’s kitchen is onion bhajia. Sonia Nathani, a homemaker tells us, “Mix chickpea flour, cumin, salt, water and jalapenos together. Whip in a mixer. Heat the oil in a heavy pan to 375 degrees. Dip onions in batter and fry until golden brown.