Holi 2021: Festive treats you can make at home and a guide to ordering in

Don’t let the rising cases dampen your culinary skills this Holi as two chefs help you whip up innovative festive treats. Plus our handy guide to ordering in

Barley thandai
One of the many reasons to look forward to Holi celebrations is thandai, points out home chef Vindhya Karwa who runs the food blog @vinsplate. While the North Indian beverage is made with lots of nuts and spices, Karwa’s version has a healthy twist in the form of the popular super food barley. “Its benefits were well-known in ancient India and it was commonly used to heal heat sickness in the form of barley water. It also keeps up your energy levels,” she elaborates.

Ingredients
For thandai mix: 
> 1/2 cup almonds > 1/2 cup cashew nuts > 1/2 cup unsalted pistachios > 25 black peppercorns > 10 cardamom pods > 2 tbsp poppy seeds > 2 tbsp fennel seeds > 1 tsp nutmeg powder
Others:
> 25 to 30 saffron strands
> 4 tbsp rose petals
> 1/4 cup soaked and boiled pearl barley

Method
For a thin, thandai consistency: Add the thandai ingredients into a blender and grind into a coarse powder. Mix two tbsp of this powder in a glass of chilled milk; add honey as per your taste and blend it in too. Tip in the boiled barley. Garnish with rose petals and saffron strands.For a thick, smoothie-like version:  Whisk one serving of yogurt in a bowl. Mix in the thandai paste and add the boiled barley. Sprinkle rose petals and saffron strands, and serve chilled.

Baked jaggery gujiya
What’s Holi without hot, decadent gujiyas? Patisserie chef and recipe curator Guntas Sethi Bhasin adds a healthy baked spin to this calorie-high dish with jaggery.

Ingredients
For the dough:
> 1.5 cups wheat flour
> 3 tbsp ghee
> 1/3 cup water
> A pinch of salt
For the filling: 
> 1/2 cup fine semolina
> 1 cup jaggery powder
> 1/4 ghee > 2 tbsp desiccated coconut > 2 tbsp almonds (chopped) > 2 tbsp cashew (chopped) > 2 tbsp raisins
> 1 tbsp pistachio (chopped)
> 2 to 3 tbsp dates (chopped)
> 1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Method
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt and butter with your hands until it bears a bread crumb-like texture. Pour little water at a time and mix the dough until it comes together. Cover and let it rest for 20 minutes. For the filling, heat a pan and add ghee. Once it melts, add raisins; as soon as they puff up, take the raisins out and set aside. Add semolina in the same ghee and roast it on medium heat until it gives off a nice aroma and slightly changes in colour.Tip in coconut and other dry fruits and roast for a minute. Switch off the flame and pour in the jaggery and raisins; let the mixture cool.

Now, take a small ball of the dough and roll it into a small puri shape. Pack in one to two tbsp of filling on one side of the puri, apply water on the sides and fold it into half, making semi-circular dumplings. Shape all the gujiyas similarly and arrange in a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush some melted butter or ghee on top and bake in a pre-heated oven at 175 degrees Celsius for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle some honey and sprinkle some chopped nuts and rose petals.

Thandai mousse jar
While thandai is a popular drink on Holi, an indulgent and unique way to enjoy it is to turn it into a piece of confection, like chef Sethi Bhasin has with the thandai mousse jar. “It’s a refreshing and sweet twist to enhance the festivity of your Holi celebrations,” she asserts. 

Ingredients
> 2 cups whipping cream
> 1 tbsp icing sugar 
> 1 cup full-fat milk
> 3 tbsp thandai powder
> A pinch of saffron 
> 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
> Vanilla sponge cake

Method
Whip the cream in a bowl, till it has more than doubled in its size. Add the sugar and whip until the cream reaches very soft peaks. Next, on a stove top, in a bowl, tip in the milk, thandai powder, cardamom and saffron. Whisk until lump-free. Now, heat it on the stovetop, stirring occasionally until it reaches a simmer. Switch off the flame and let it cool. 

Fold in the chilled bowl of cream and the thandai mixture together until everything is mixed well. Assemble the thandai mousse in a jar by adding layers of vanilla cake sponge soaked in thandai, and alternate with the thandai mousse. Sprinkle some nuts and rose petals on top. Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Feast at home
> Bombay Sweet Shop’s Phoolon Ki Holi collection includes thandai kheer kadam, nutty gujiya and phool and pista barks.
Log on to: bombaysweetshop.com 

> NairOnFire’s Kallu Shaap Holi menu features a meaty spread.
Call: 9324059522

> Dig into Karnataka’s popular sweet dish Bele Holige, at Thangabali.
Log on to: Zomato or Swiggy

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