Sweets are a must-have for all Indian festivals and there's no better way to indulge in the temptation than giving it a healthy twist. With Poila Baisakh or Bengali New Year's Day just a week away, here are two healthy sweet recipes for Malpua and Kheer made with the goodness of walnuts for you to try on the occasion.
California Walnut Malpua by Chef Hemasri Subramanian
Ingredients for Malpua Batter: 1 cup all-purpose flour/maida |3 tsp unsweetened khoya/mawa |1 tsp fennel seeds | Water
For Sugar Syrup: 1 cup water | 1 cup sugar | 2 tsp milk | 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
For Frying: Oil / ghee
For Rabri: 1 litre milk | 1/4 cup sugar | 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder | A pinch of saffron | California walnuts
Preparation:
Malpua Batter
1. Mix all-purpose flour/maida and unsweetened khoa/mawa, then add fennel seeds to it.
2. Gradually add water and mix to a thick flowing batter.
3. Ferment the batter for 12 hours.
Sugar syrup
1. Boil water and add sugar and cardamom pods to it.
2. Stir it until the sugar dissolves, then let it boil for another 5 mins on medium flame.
3. Keep the sugar syrup aside
Rabri
1. Heat a thick-bottomed pot with the milk. Keep the flame on medium-low and continuously stir the milk
2. Once the milk reduces to half, add the sugar, cardamom powder and saffron strands, mix well.
3. Soak walnuts for 2 hours, then chop them finely and add the walnuts to the rabri and mix well.
4. The rabri is done.
Malpua
1. Heat oil in a wide pan.
2. Gently pour the fermented batter. Flip them and fry till it turns crisp and golden colour. Now add the fried malpua to the sugar syrup.
3. Soak in sugar syrup for 2 minutes.
4. Serve the malpua with rabri, chopped walnuts and saffron.
Vegan Walnut and Banana Kheer by Chef Abinas Nayak
Ingredients for Walnut Milk: 1 cup California walnuts | 3 ½ cups filtered water
For Kheer: 2 tsp ghee | 3 cardamom pods, crushed | California walnut milk
California walnut paste | Sugar (optional) |1 banana
Preparation:
1. Soak the walnut for 2-4 hours and blend with water to make walnut milk.
2. In a pan, add ghee, cardamoms and walnut milk and keep stirring.
3. Add the roasted walnut paste to the mixture and keep whisking.
4. Once the milk thickens, chop a banana and add that to the pan.
5. Stir it for a while, take it off the heat and put it in a bowl.
6. Top with chopped California walnuts and serve.
PS: Dear readers, if you try this recipe or you too have interesting recipes, do leave your comments here