(This article is sponsored by Milan Restaurant)

Thandai

Ingredients
• Milk-2 glasses
• Almonds-1 tbsp.
• Pistachios-1 tbsp.
• Charoli-1 tbsp.
• Poppy seeds-1 tbsp.
• Cashewnuts-6 nos.
• Glazed cherries
• Honey-
• Powdered mixture of(cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, anise seeds)-1 tsp.

Make a fine paste of all the nuts and the poppy seeds. Mix this paste with the other spices into the milk and stir well. Strain this mixture and then mix the honey and allow it to chill. Top with cherries.

Gujiya

Ingredients :
• Ghee / oil to fry
For the Cover :
• 2 cups Maida (All purpose flour)
• 6tbsp. Oil / Ghee (melted)

For the Filling :
• 2 cups Khoya
• 1/2 tsp. green Cardamom Powder
• 2 tbsp chopped almonds
• 2 tbsp Raisins (Kishmish)
• 2 tbsp dried coconut (shredded)
• 1/1/2 cup sugar (powdered)

• Sieve the flour. Mix oil with the maida. • Using fingers, mix well so that the mixture takes the form of breadcrumbs and binds to a certain extent. • Now add some water and knead lightly. Keep adding water as required and knead into a soft but tight dough. Set aside and cover with a damp cloth. • Now Mash the khoya and fry it in a kadhai / deep pan till light brown in color • Add sugar and cardamom powder into the khoya and mix well. Add almonds, cashews, coconut and raisins. Fry for 2 minutes and remove from the heat. Allow it to cool. • Divide the dough into small balls and roll each ball into a small round of 4 " diameter. • Fill half the round with the khoya mixture, fold it and seal the round, twisting the edges inwards. Take care that the filling does not ooze out. • Prepare all the gujiyas and spread on a cloth. • Heat ghee or oil in a kadhai and deep fry the gujiyas in batches on a medium flame. When golden brown in colour, drain and remove.

• For those who Dare :Bhang ke vade

Ingredients:

5 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
1 tbsp. almonds
skinned dried seeds of watermelon and cantaloupes
1/2 tbsp. khuskhus (poppy seeds)
1/2 tbsp. saunf (aniseed)
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder or 15 whole pods
1/2 tsp. rose water (optional)
1 tsp. peppercorns whole
1/4 cup dried or fresh rose petals

Soak sugar in ½ cup water. Keep aside.Wash all other dry ingredients and Soak in 2 cups of remaining water. Keep aside. Allow all soaked items to stand for at least 2 hours.Grind all soaked ingredients to a very fine paste.(not sugar) Use a stone grinder (manual or electric) if possible.When the paste is very fine, mix remaining water.Place a strong muslin strainer over a large deep vessel or tie a strong muslin cloth over rim of vessel and use to strain. Press through muslin with back of hands, extracting the liquid into vessel.Add remaining water, a little at a time to extract more.Pour back some of the extract and press, repress.Repeat this process till the residue becomes dry and husklike.Add milk, sugar and rosewater to the extracted liquid.If using cardamom powder mix it in with the milk. Mix well.Chill for a hour of two before serving.

Malpuas

Ingredients:

4 cups maida
1 liter milk
200 gms sugar
2 cups water
Yellow color
1/4 kg ghee
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup yoghurt
a pinch of saffron

Heat the milk till it reduces by half. Keep it aside for an hour, till it is cold. Sift the flour and baking powder together. Add yoghurt and make a batter of pouring consistency. Add saffron and cardamom powder. Allow the batter to ferment for half an hour. Pour ghee into a pan. Add spoonfuls of the batter in the hot ghee, in a pancake like shape. Lightly fry these pancakes till they are golden brown. Remove and dip them in the sugar syrup for about two minutes. To prepare sugar syrup: Dissolve sugar in water, and boil it on high flame. Add a few drops of yellow color essence in the syrup. Garnish malpuas with cut pistachios and ground cardamoms.

Meetha Poodas

Ingredients
4 cup wheat flour
2 cup sugar
½ cup yoghurt

1) Mix all the ingredients into a thick batter with a little water. 2) The consistency should be that of cake batter. 3) Leave covered for two hours till the sugar dissolves and makes the batter softer. 4) Make small, oval-shaped balls and fry in medium-hot oil till red. 5) Take out on blotting paper to remove excess oil. Serve it with yoghurt.

Phirni

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups milk
3 tbsp rice
7 tbsp sugar
6-7 cardamoms
8-10 cashew nuts
8-10 raisins
4-5 peeled almonds
A pinch of saffron

Soak saffron in warm milk and keep it separately. Clean and wash the rice and grind it to a fine paste, boil the milk in a heavy bottom vessel, add the rice paste and cook on a slow fire stirring continuously so that no lumps are formed. Cook till the rice is soft and mixture becomes thick. Meanwhile fry the chopped cashew nuts, almonds and raisins in two tablespoons of butter and keep aside. Once the milk mixture reaches the desired consistency, add these nuts and continue stirring for some more time. Finally, mix the powdered sugar and saffron soaked in milk, and allow it to cool. To lend a traditional touch, serve in small earthen dishes decorated with grated pistachio (pista) and powdered cardamom and serve chilled.

|