Holi Special: From Gujiya to Dahi Bhalla Chaat, here are five festive recipes

Want to celebrate Holi the way you used to in childhood and indulge in delicacies like Gujiya and Dahi-Bhalla chat? Or want to tweak the basics like Besan Ladoo and Gulab-Jamun?
INDULGE reached out to the top chefs in Mumbai to help our readers make the most of this Holi.
INDULGE reached out to the top chefs in Mumbai to help our readers make the most of this Holi.

Want to celebrate Holi the way you used to in childhood and indulge in delicacies like Gujiya and Dahi-Bhalla chat? Or want to tweak the basics like Besan Ladoo and Gulab-Jamun? Don't worry, we got you covered! 

INDULGE reached out to the top chefs in Mumbai to help our readers make the most of this Holi. While Chef Ranveer Brar shared his recipe of Gujiya (can there be a Holi without Gujiya?) , Renaissance' Chef Gautam Mehrishi shared his recipe for Besan Ladoo Tart. Chef Paul Kinny, Director of Culinary at The St. Regis Mumbai handed us over his recipe for Tandoori Shakarkand Chaat, Executive Chef Merajuddin Ansari, Four Points by Sheraton Navi Mumbai helped us with Gulab Jamun Parfait recipe and Executive Chef Anshuman Bali, JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar took us back to puraani Dilli with his recipe of Dahi Bhalla Chaat. 

We list them all below: 

1. Gujiya 

By Chef Ranveer Brar

Ingredients :

For Filling: 1 cup Mawa, 2 tbsp Ghee, ¾ cup  Semolina, ½ cup Cashew Nuts, chopped, ½ cup Almonds, chopped, 1 cup powdered Sugar, ½ tbsp Cardamom powder, Oil for deep fry

For Dough: 2-cup All-purpose flour, 3 tbsp Ghee, ½ tsp Salt, 1 tbsp Rose Water, Water as required

Method: 

• To prepare filling, add mawa in a kadai and roast on medium flame till it turns light brown in colour. In the same kadai, add ghee, semolina and roast well. Now, add chopped almonds, cashew nuts and mix well. Transfer the roasted mawa into the kadai and toss well. 
• Transfer the mixture into the bowl and keep it to cool. When it cools down add powdered sugar, cardamom powder and mix well and keep aside. 
• For dough: In a mixing bowl, add flour, ghee, salt, rose water and water as required knead it into a stiff dough. Cover it with a damp cloth and leave it to rest for half an hour. 
• Now make a ball of this dough and roll it out into a thick round shape or cut it with a round cutter. 
• Wet the edges with water and place a spoon full of filling over one half. Fold the other half over and press the edges together to seal. Make a design by pinching and twisting all along the sealed edges.
• Make all the gujiyas this way.
• Heat oil in a kadai on medium flame. Add as many gujiyas as fit in comfortably. Turn them over and fry till golden brown from all sides. Lift out on absorbent paper.

Also read | Holi special: Three thandai-based dessert recipes

2. Tandoori Shakarkand Chaat

Chef Paul Kinny, Director of Culinary, The St. Regis Mumbai

Ingredients: Sweet Potato - 2, Tamarind - 20gm, Jaggery -100gm, Onion Seeds - 1gm, Kashmiri Red Chilli - 10gm, Hung Curd - 50gm, Mint Leaves - 20gm, Coriander Leaves - 20gm, Black Salt - 1-2gm, Jeera - 1-2gm, Jeera Powder - 1-2gm, Green Chilly - 2-3, Amchur - 1gm, Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp, Sugar - 10gm, Black Pepper Powder - 1gm, Refined Oil - 1 ml, Pomegranate Seed - 6-7 

Method: 

• Take two sweet potatoes and boil them in a saucepan for 10 minutes. Remove it from the pan and peel it. Afterwards, mash the potato gently and keep it aside.
• For tamarind chutney, soak the tamarind in water, overnight or just 4 to 5 hours. With your hands, squeeze the pulp from the tamarind in the same bowl. Strain the pulp and keep it aside.
• For mint chutney, wash the coriander and mint leaves together. Take a grinder jar, add the coriander, mint leaves, green chillies in that and make a semi-thick paste. Remove the paste in a bowl and add lemon juice and black salt to it. The taste of this chutney should be a little sour and spicy 
• Now heat oil in a small pan. Fry the cumin seeds first followed by the onion seeds. Keep the heat to a low. Then add the jeera powder and mix well
• To that add the strained tamarind pulp. Cook for 2 to 3 mins.
• Add the jaggery and salt. Mix well, simmer for 4 to 5 minutes or more time until the consistency thickens.

For assembling: 
• Take a rectangular mold, adjust mashed sweet potato in that. Freeze for 10 minutes to adjust the shape of the sweet potato.
• Remove it from the mould and roast it on a burning hot plate for 4 to 5 seconds. Put it on a plate, place mint chutney and tamarind chutney at the side. Place a scoop of hung curd on the plate to garnish. 
• Sprinkle black pepper powder on a scoop of hung curd. Add two small mint leaves on it. Place pomegranate seed on the side of sweet potato for garnish.

Also read | Holi special: Three unique and easy-to-make thandai recipes

3. Besan Ladoo Tart 

Chef Gautam Mehrishi of Renaissance, Mumbai 

Ingredients: 

For ladoo: Besan 150 gms, Sugar50 gms, Desi Ghee 40 gms, Green Cardamom (ground)1/4th teaspoon, Roasted Almonds Slivered 10 gms
For the crust: 200 gms almond flour, 50 gms unsweetened cocoa powder, 60 gms melted butter, 20 ml maple syrup
For chocolate filling: 20 ml milk, 150 gms dark chocolate (roughly-chopped), 5 ml vanilla syrup
For beetle extract: Beetle leaves 8-10 numbers, Coconut Milk 50 ml, White chocolate 200 gms, Milk 50 ml

Method: 

• To make ladoos, heat ghee in a pan or Kadhai. Once melted, add the besan. Initially, it will clump, but stir continuously at medium flame for 7-8 minutes and it will turn into a smooth paste. Cool and add the cardamom powder and sugar, mix in and make a smooth dough. Now carve a small-sized Ladoo garnished with nuts and keep separately.
• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Mix in almond flour, cocoa, butter and maple syrup to make a mix, press in a tart mould and bake till firm.
For the filling melt the broken chocolate, adding the milk gradually and mixing on a double boiler till a velvet finish is achieved.
• Pour the chocolate mix in the shell when slightly cool and refrigerate.
• Dip the beetle leaves in ice water for 5 minutes, then blend with some coconut milk. Mix thoroughly and microwave for 10 seconds two times with a gap and mixing in between.
• Melt the white chocolate adding milk on a double boiler till velvet consistency, add the beetle extract to achieve a nice green colour. Pour in a flat tray and let it set. Then cut in round discs of the same size of the tart tops.
• Make ¾ small holes with a nozzle top and keep them aside.
• To finish take the tarts, top with the beetle extract disc, in the round cut-outs lace the besan Ladoo and garnish with chopped nuts and gold leaf.

4. Gulab Jamun Parfait

Executive Chef Merajuddin Ansari, Four Points by Sheraton Navi Mumbai 

Ingredients: 12 Small Gulab Jamun, 2 Cups Plain Yogurt, 1/2 Cup Cream - whipped, 1 Tsp Saffron, 3 Tbsp Milk, 3 Tbsp Water, 1 Tsp Honey, 1/4 Cup Pistachio – chopped

Method:
• Take 6 Gulab Jamun and thinly slice them. Keep them aside. Slice the other 6 Gulab Jamun in the quarter.
• In a large bowl, mix yoghurt and cream together.
• Heat milk in a pan, add water, saffron and bring to a boil. Stir the milk mixture and turn off the heat. Once the mixture is slightly cool, add honey, mix well and keep aside.
• Now, take a glass/serving bowl and add 2 tbsp yogurt mix.
• Place, 3-4 thinly sliced Gulab Jamun (in a circle, covering all sides) and spread 1 tbsp. yoghurt mix over it. Spread 1/2 tsp. saffron mix and add 2 tbsp yoghurt mix.
• Decorate top with 1-2 quarter Gulab Jamun, saffron mix and pistachio. Complete all the serving glasses similarly.
• Once the parfait is made, place all the glasses in fridge (for at least 30 minutes). Serve Chilled.

5. Dahi Bhalla Chaat

Chef Anshuman Bali - Executive Chef, JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar

Ingredients: Urad dal ( white) polished : 250 gms, Moong dal ( yellow) polished : 75 gms, Cumin 1 tsp, Chopped ginger: 1 tsp, Chopper green chilly: 1 tsp, Asafoetida : 1/4 tsp, Chopped coriander: 1 tbsp, Broken cashewnut: 1 tbsp, Raisins: 1 tbsp, Salt : to taste, Oil for frying

For garnish: Roasted cumin powder: 1 tbsp, Black pepper powder: 1/2 tbsp, Chaat masala: 1 tbsp, Mint chutney: 50 ml, Sweet tamarind chutney: 50 ml, Yoghurt: 100 gms, Castor sugar: 10 gms, Pink rock salt: 5 gms, Beetroot juliennes: 1 tbsp, Ginger juliennes: 1/2 tbsp, Fresh coriander leaves: 1 tbsp, Boiled chickpeas: 2 tbsp, Boiled potato dices: 2 tbsp, Pomegranate seeds: 2 tbsp
 
Method: 

• Soak both the lentils for 2-3 hours in water and then drain and grind it into a thick paste.
• Cover the batter and leave it in a warm corner to get fermented for about 1.5-2 hrs or add 1 tsp baking soda and start processing further.
• Add all the other ingredients except garnish items. Mix well and fry in oil ball-shaped dumplings of the batter until they turn golden brown and crisp.
• Hold these for some time and then soak them in water for almost 30 mins before eating/ serving time. Meanwhile, whisk up the yoghurt with rock salt and sugar and keep ready.
• Now give the dumplings a gentle squeeze and break 2-3 of these on a deep dish plate..
• Sprinkle the roast cumin, chaat masala and black pepper on top, add the yoghurt and the chutneys and again top up with your choice of garnish and finish with another dredge of the masalas.

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