The festive season has begun and with that everybody is on the lookout for easy but indulgent recipes. For Karwa Chauth, which will be celebrated on October 24 this year, try these recipes for a fulfilling meal when you end the fast.
1. Dates and coconut jaggery seed mitha
By Chef Ajit Raman – Executive Chef, Trident, BKC
Ingredients: Foxtail millet - 100 gms, dates - 100 gms, coconut jaggery - 50 gms, ghee - 50 ml, green cardamom powder - 2 gm
Method:
• Sauté the millet with ghee until it hardens and slightly cracks open.
• Once the millet cools down, grind it coarsely.
• Cut 50gms of dates into small cubes.
• The other 50gms of the dates should be ground to a paste.
• Add both the dates, green cardamom and coconut jaggery into the ground millet. The mixture will be slightly sticky.
• Set the mixture on a greased tray and flatten it out. Cut into desired shapes
Also read | On Karwa Chauth, women fast for love and not tradition, says a survey
2. Dry Fruit Kheer
By Chef Sheriyar Rustom Dotivala, Executive chef, Della Adventure and Resorts
Ingredients: Milk - 2L, rice - 30 gms, sugar - 40 gms, cashew nuts - 5 gms, raisins - 5 gms, almonds - 5 gms, pistachio - 5 gms, cardamom powder - 25 gms
Method:
• Take a heavy bottom pan, add milk. Add rice when the milk is warm enough. Let the rice cook and blend with the milk. Let the mix come to a boil.
• Once boiled, add all the dry fruits and cook it for the next half an hour till it becomes thick. Keep stirring throughout.
• Now add sugar to the kheer and let it cook for another three to four minutes.
• Now turn off the flame and add grounded cardamom.
• Before serving, garnish with almond and pistachio flakes, and rose petals.
3. Matar ka Jhajhariya
By Chef Hemant Rematiya, Executive Sous Chef - Taj Fateh Prakash Palace, Udaipur
Ingredients: Green peas - 250 gms, ghee or clarified butter - 4 tbsp, sugar - 6 tbsp, water - ⅔ cup, mawa - 50 gms, almonds and cashews - ¼ cup, cardamom powder - ½ tsp and a few sliced almonds for garnishing
Method:
• Take green peas, add 2-3 tbsp of water and grind them to make a coarse paste.
• Heat a pan. Once it turns hot, add ghee and let it melt.
• Now add the paste to it. Stir it continuously over medium flame till the moisture dries, peas change the colour and ghee starts separating from it.
• Add sugar and water. Lower the flame, and cook the mix while stirring continuously until it reaches the required consistency.
• Now add mawa, nuts and cardamom powder. Stir until the mawa is mixed well.
• Garnish with sliced almonds and serve.
4. Blueberry Parfait
By Chef Ranveer Brar
Ingredients: Fresh/frozen blueberries, Greek/plain hung yoghurt (chilled) - 2 cups, Mini dark chocolate chips - 2 tbsps, Oats Granola/Muesli - 1/2 cup, Walnuts (chopped) - 2 tbsps, Fresh mint leaves (to garnish) - 10 to 12
Method:
• Arrange a spoonful of blueberries into each parfait glass.
• Add a spoonful of the Greek or plain yoghurt, followed by the oats granola/Muesli, 1 tsp of chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.
• Add another layer of berries, yoghurt, chocolate, walnuts, and granola. Repeat with other glasses as well.
• Garnish with fresh mint leaves and some blueberries. Serve immediately.
(Note: One can add in other seasonal fruits as well.)
Karwa Chauth is a festival celebrated mostly by married women in several parts of India. On this day, women (and some men) fast from sunrise to moonrise for the safety and longevity of their spouses.