With Holi around the corner, the city is on a roll with preparations for the colourful festival all around the city. Holi is one of the festivals that is widely celebrated in all the parts of India including Nepal, starting with Holika Dahan on the previous day and playing with colours on the following morning.  Holi is not just a festival of colours, it also forms a part of one of the festivals in India that focuses on the various scrumptious delicacies made on this day. After the galore of colours, there will not only be lots of dancing and singing but also lots of special dishes made on the day along with the famous ‘Thandaai’ and ‘Bhang’. Here are three Holi recipes that you can try at home:

Image Credit: Archanas Kitchen

Malpua

Malpua is a pancake served as a dessert or a snack, popular in India and Bangladesh. It is a very popular dish of Odisha and is also served to Lord Jagannath of Puri in his Sakala Dhupa. Malpua along with mutton curry is served in many non-vegetarian Maithil homes during Holi.

To prepare this dessert, you will need about 50 minutes with 25 mins preparation time and 25 minutes of cooking time.

Ingredients:

200 gm all purpose flour

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon powdered green cardamom

1 cup ghee

250 gm sugar

1 pinch saffron

100 gm semolina

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

500 ml milk

2 tablespoon chopped pistachios

250 ml water

50 gm khoya

How to make Malpua:

For making sugar syrup, place water in a pan over medium flame. Add sugar in it and stir until fully dissolved.

Then add 2-3 tsp milk and stir again, after a few minutes remove the scum that rises to the top. Once the sugar syrup is thick, remove the pan from the flame and keep aside.

Mix maida, rava, khoya, baking powder, fennel seeds, cardamom powder and milk. Ensure the mixture is of pouring consistency and not too thick.

Now heat ghee in a pan over low flame. Pour a ladleful of the mixture and spread evenly.

Keep the flame low and cook till it is light brown on both sides. Remove the cooked malpua and drain the excess ghee.

Drop the malpua in sugar syrup and allow it to soak for 10 minutes. Repeat the same with the remaining batter.

Drain the malpuas from the syrup, garnish with pistachios and serve hot.

Recipe Credit: TOI

Image Credit: Vegan Richa

Namak Paare

Namak paare is pastry like crunchy snack lightly seasoned with carom seed. This is great snack with cup of tea, usually better with spiced mango or lemon pickle.

You will need about 40 minutes to make this snack with 20 minutes preparation time and 20 minutes cooking time.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup All purpose flour (plain flour or maida)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons Sooji fine (semolina flour)

3/4 teaspoon Salt

1/4teaspoon Carom seeds (ajwain)

2 tablespoon oil

About 1/3 cup water as needed

Oil to fry

How to make Namak Pare:

Mix flour, sooji, salt, carom seeds, and oil, and mix it with fingertips to get consistency of breadcrumb.

Add water as needed to make firm but smooth dough. Cover with damp cloth and set aside at least for ten minutes.

Knead the dough for another minute and divide in two equal parts.

Take each part of the dough and make a flat ball shape. Roll them into 9-inch circles and thickness of salted crackers.

Prick them with a fork all over the rolled dough, so the paras do not puff when frying.

Cut each of the rolled dough into about half inch wide and 2 inch long pieces. Note: you can cut them in your desire shape.

Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat.

The frying pan should have at least 1 ½ inch of oil. To check if the oil is ready, put a small piece of dough in the oil. The dough should make the oil sizzle and come up slowly.

Make sure to place just enough namak paras so you can turn them over easily when frying. Fry the namak paras until both sides are light golden-brown.

After namak paras come to room temperature they should become crisp.

Recipe Credit: EkNazar

Image Credit: Naukrinama

Bhang ke Pakore

Crunchy onion and potato pakoras dipped in a chickpea flour batter induced with a hint of bhang, is one of the most famous snack made especially on Holi.

Ingredients:

For the batter:

1 cup chickpea flour

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp mango powder water

1 tsp bhang leaves-ground to a paste

For the pakoras:

Various pieces of vegetables for the batter, optional

125 gm onions-sliced into thin rounds

125 potatoes-sliced into thin rounds

Oil for deep-frying

How to make Bhaang ki Pakori:

With the ingredients for the batter, make a batter of dropping consistency.

Adjust the water as required.

Mix the onions and potatoes into the batter and sneak in the ground bhang leaves paste.

Heat the oil in a kadahi till some batter dropped into the oil comes up at once.

Now scoop the pieces of the vegetable out of the batter and drop them into the hot oil.

Fry over medium heat, to very light brown.

Remove from oil with slotted spoon and set aside.

Continue till all the onions and potatoes are used up.

When ready to serve, heat oil again and fry the pakoras over high heat till golden brown.

Remove from oil, drain on absorbent paper and serve with green chutney.

Recipe Credit: NDTV

Mohit Srivastav, who hails from Varnasi, provided us with information for these dishes that are made at his home every Holi. An ex-Vizagite, he’s now pursuing his education in Hyderabad.