Easy/Special/Delicious Diwali Recipes  Happy Diwali Wishes
From 101lifeStyle.com
Diwali is the one Hindu festival that unites the whole of India. It is traditionally known as the "festival of lights", for the common practice is to light small oil lamps (called diyas). Fresh flowers, exchanges of gifts, new clothes, meeting friends and relatives and offerings of traditional sweets sum up a typical Indian celebration. Universally it is accepted as a time to celebrate the approach of winter, the coming of the sowing season and the Hindu New Year.Diwali or more aptly Deepavali is very enthusiastically celebrated for five continuous days and each day has its significance with a number of myths, legends and beliefs.
There are so many mouth-watering specialities prepared with special fervour and enthusiasm for this occasion. A.Traditional Sweets: 1.Kheer:  Ingredients:
1 litre milk, 1 tbsp basmati rice(washed), 1 cup sugar, 2-3 bay leaves, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, 5 cardamoms, 4 cm cinnamon, 4 cloves, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp ghee.
For Garnishing:6 almonds(sliced), a handful of raisins, 8 cashewnuts(chopped), a little ghee.
Method:
Heat ghee in a pressure cooker.Add bay leaves and cuminseeds.When they splutter add 2 tbsp sugar.Lower the heat and stir the sugar.When it caramelises to a dark brown colour, add milk, When the milk comes to a boil, add rice.Stir well.Pressure cook for 10-15 minutes.When cool, mix the rice and milk well with a hand beater.Add sugar and simmer for 5 minutes.Remove from heat.Powder cinnamon, cardamoms and cloves finely, and add to the milk.Stir well. Heat a little ghee and fry the raisins, cashewnuts and almonds lightly.Add to the milk and serve. *********************************************  2.Motichoor Laddu:
Ingredients:
3 cups gram flour, 2 cups water, 4 cups sugar, 3 tbsp rice flour, oil for frying. Method:
Mix gram flour and water to a smooth thick batter.Put water in a large bowl and keep it handy.Heat oil in a kadai and line it with a strainer that fits in neatly. Using a slotted spoon, gently tap the gram flour batter through the holes into the oil.When done, lift out the strainer with the fried boondi and drop on paper towels to drain out the excess oil.Quickly dip the boondis in the bowl full of water kept ready and remove.Wipe dry the strainer before tapping the next batch.When all the boondis are ready, bring water and sugar to a boil to obtain syrup of soft ball consistency.Take 3 tbsp of the syrup, heat it in a thick bottomed pan till frothy.Add the boondis and stir the mixture till it begins to leave the sides of the pan.While still warm, shape a little of the mixture into a laddu.Coat the hands with rice flour or cornflour for easier handling.Makes about 20 laddus.Store in an airtight jar. ********************************************* 3.Badam Ka Seera: Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup almonds (soaked overnight), 3 cups hot milk, 250 gm ghee, 1/2 to 1/3 cup sugar. Method
Peel the almonds, wash and grind to fine paste. Heat ghee in a heavy pan.Add paste and cook on first high then slow flame, stirring continuosly.After a while it should turn a light brown and aromatic. Carefully pour hot milk and stir.Use a long-handled spatula as the mixture tends to splatter.When thickens, add the sugar and cook, stirring continously and gently till ghee begins to separate.Decorate with chopped nuts and serve hot . ********************************************* Next |
