The festival of colours, Holi captures all the joys of life in all its forms. It could be enjoying varied colours to getting wet to eating delicacies to one’s heart content. With family and friends dropping in to exchange wishes to makes them doubly welcome there is nothing better than serving pakodas and thandai. Here are the recipes to prepare them at home.
PAKODAS
Ingredients
Besan 1-1/2 cup
Metha soda 1/4 tsp
Potatoes medium, chopped 1 no
Onion medium, sliced 1 no
Green chillies, chopped 1 no
Ginger, chopped 1/2 tsp
Ajwain 1/4 tsp
Black salt to taste
Cooking salt to taste
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Kutti mirch powder 1/2 tsp
Coriander seed, crushed 1 tsp
Oil for frying and if you want the guests to get a little tipsy add two bhang leaves.
Garnish with chat masala
Method
Pick, wash and drain the bhang leaves.
Make a thick batter of besan, salt and metha soda.
Now mix all the ingredients into batter and mix thoroughly and keep aside for half an hour.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Fry the pakodas till golden brown colour.
Sprinkle chat masala and served hot.
THANDAI
Ingredients
Milk, boiled 1 litre
Almond 100 gm
Char magaj 50 gm
Poppy seed 25 gm
Sunflower seed 50 gm
Rose petals 5 gm
Fennel seed 15 gm
Black peppercorn 15 nos
Green cardamom 15 nos
Nutmeg powder 1/4 tsp
Sugar 150 gm
Saffron 1/4 gm
Rose water 20 m
Garnish with saffron, soaked in hot milk
Pista, chopped
Method
Dry roast all fennel seeds, black peppercorn, rose petals, saffron, poppy seed, sunflower seed and char magaj and keep aside.
Blanched and peel almond.
Now soaked all the ingredients in the milk for one hour and keep it in a freezer.
Now make a fine paste, stain, garnished and served in purvas.
(Recipes courtesy Chef de Cuisine Ashwani Kumar of the Leela Ambience Convention Hotel)
