Holi Special Recipes

In my Lucknow home Holi was celebrated with great fervour and we would make goodies from days before. Food is a major part of our Holi, and here I am  sharing my family’s favourite  Holi  dishes.

Dum Aloo

Ingredients :

• 12 medium potatoes
• Mustard oil for frying
• Heeng- 1/2 tsp- soaked in 2 tbsp water
• Kashmiri mirch powder- 2 tbsp
• Saunf powder – 1 tbsp
• Sonth (Dry ginger) powder- 1 tsp and a tiny bit more
• Curd- 5 tbsp
• Ver (Kashmiri masala) – optional, A small marble sized bit
• Whole Spices – 1 flower of javitri, 1 tsp shah zeera, 2 Big cardamom, 4 green cardamom, 2
  bay leaves, 1 stick cinnamon

Method:

1. Peel, wash, pat dry and fork the potatoes. fork well, for the masala to be able to seep into
   them. Deep fry in Mustard oil to a deep golden and keep aside.
2. In the same oil in which the potatoes were fried, add all the whole spices.
3. Add the saunf, sonth and Kashmiri mirch powder in the curd and whisk well to make a nice
   smooth paste. On the lowest flame, add this paste into the oil along with the soaked heeng.
   Oil has to be in a very decent quantity, as seen in the picture.
4. Cook till can see oil separate in this mix. Add salt. Add the potatoes and coat the masala well. Give it a little time on slow flame for flavours to seep in.
5. Add very little water to loosen the masala from the oil. Cover and give it 5-7 mins on lowest. Add ver now, if using and mix. It shouldn’t be runny at all, should be a well cooked thick masala and lots of oil.

Bedmi Puri

Ingredients :

• 1 katori overnight soaked dhuli urad daal
• 2 inch piece of ginger
• 2 green chillies
• 1 tsp heeng
• 1 tbs dhaniya powder
• 1 tbs saunf powder
• 1/2 tbs red chilli powder
• Finely chopped green coriander
• 1 katori Whole wheat aata
• 1/2 katori sooji 
• 4 tbs desi ghee
• 1 tbs kasoori methi

Method:

1. Grind the daal with ginger, green chilli to a coarse paste.
2. Then knead into a firm dough with aata, add all other ingredients mentioned and knead everything with ghee.
3. Roll out the puri with oil, do not put parthan(dry flour) and deep fry into gorgeously golden puffs of sinful joy.
4. Best enjoyed with Dum aaloo or tamatar aaloo jhol.

Khatta Meetha Kaddu

Ingredients :

• 700 gms pumpkin – chopped with skin
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1/2 tsp methi dana
• 1/2 tsp heeng
• 1 tsp Jeera
• 2-3 dry red chillies
• 1 tbs red chilli powder
• 1 tbs dhaniya powder
• 1/2 tbs haldi powder
• 1 tbs amchur
• A large chunk of gur or 2 tbs sugar
• 2-3 green chillies
• Salt, as per taste
• Mustard oil – 3 tbsp

Method:

1. Heat mustard oil in a kadhai
2. Add methi dana, dry chillies, jeera and heeng.
3. Add chopped onions, make them brown.
4. Add the pumpkin and fry well with the onions.
5. Add salt, haldi, laal mirch powder and dhaniya powder. Mix well, sprinkle water and cover and cook on low flame till 90% done.
6. Add amchur, gur/sugar and mix well.
7. Add chopped green chillies and mash it up a bit.

Paneer Butter Masala

Ingredients :

• 300 grams fresh paneer, cubed
• 1 stick Cinnamon
• 2 Big elaichi
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp Jeera
• 1 large dry red chilli
• 2 medium onions, minced
• 2tbs ginger garlic paste
• 2 large tomatoes, blanched and skin removed, then pureed
• 2 tbs kashmiri mirch powder
• 2 tsp degi mirch
• 2 tsp Jeera powder
• 1 tbs Dhaniya powder
• 1 tbs Kitchen King/Garam masala
• 2 tsp roasted besan
• 1 tbs kasoori Methi microwaved for 20 secs and crushed to a fine powder
• 1 tbs fresh cream
• 1 cube of Amul butter (make that a chubby cube)

 For Garnish  

• 2 tsp garam masala powder
• Ginger juliennes
• Green coriander chopped

Method:

1. In a kadhai throw in all the khada masalas( whole garam masalas)
2. When it starts to emit aroma, add 1 tbs of ghee and fry them up.
3. Add the onions and caramelize well. Like a nice pretty brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and cook till the raw smell fades.
4. Now add all the powdered masalas including the besan, except kasoori. She goes in later.
5. Fry & sauté well. Use water to fry.
6. Add the tomato puree and salt. Cook till it’s nicely sautéed and the aroma is yummy
7. Add a little warm water for gravy but not too much. Cover on the slowest flame for 5 mins.
8. Uncover and throw in the butter and cream. Add the kasoori Methi and some ginger juliennes and paneer. Mix it all up gently. Check for seasoning and cover again for 5 mins.
9. By now the gravy will have become smooth and butter masala like.
10. Garnish with garam masala, juliennes and coriander 

Holi Special Chole

Ingredients :

• 1 cup Chole – Soak them overnight
• Spices for boiling chole –2 Big cardamom , 3-4 cloves , 1 piece of cinnamon, 4-5 black
  pepper, 2 regular tea bags and a tsp of Ajwain (tie ajwain in a muslin potli, rest can be put as
  is)
• 1 large onion ground to a paste
• 3 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 large tomatoes pureed
• 1 tomato cut into big chunks (optional)
• 1 tsp haldi powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• Heeng – 2 pinches
• Jeera 1 tsp
• 1 bay leaf,
• 1 moti elaichi-2 cloves crushed to a coarse powder in a mortar
• 2 slit green chillies 
• chopped hara dhaiya and ginger juliennes for garnish

Chole masala – Dry roast all the ingredients below and grind to a very fine powder

• 1 tsp Jeera
• 2 tsp whole coriander
• 10 black pepper
• 1,5 inch Cinnamon
• 2 Big cardamom
• 5 Cloves
• 7-8 dry red chilles,
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 pearls of Fenugreek seeds

Method:

1. In a pressure cooker, add soaked chole, salt, spices for boiling mentioned, ajwain potli and put pressure.
2. Took me about 8 full whistle and 2-3 mins on slow to get the perfectly cooked chole.
3.  Strain chole, reserve the stock, discard the tea-bags , potli and khada masalas.
4. Heat mustard oil in a kadai ( chole are darker if iron kadai used).
5. Throw in the bay leaf , Jeera , heeng and 1 moti elaichi.
6. Dunk in the onion paste and saute it till its a lovely dark brown , add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes away. I keep adding a little stock every now and then.
7. Add salt , ( careful , since the stock already has it) , haldi and the chole masala and saute till
   oil separates.
8. Add the tomato puree and saute till they are cooked and their water dries up and themasala is looking a gorgeous oily pulp !
9. Throw in the cooked chole, add half the quantity of the ginger juliennes and mix well. Cover
   the kadhai for 2 mins on the slowest flame.
10. Add all the stock and give it a nice stir and let it come to a boil.
11. Simmer down the flame, add the garam masala powder and the crushed cloves, the green chillies and the roughly diced tomato (optional- I like semi cooked chunks in my gravy), check for salt and add if needed.
12. Cover and cook for 5-7 mins on slow flame.
13. Garnish with coriander and ginger juliennes and serve.

Note- To thicken the consistency , sometimes I grind some boiled chole in the grinder and add right before putting in the stock. made the gravy nice and granular.

Matar Pulao

Ingredients :

• 300 gms rice, soaked
• 300 gms fresh or frozen green peas
• 1 tbs Jeera
• 1/2 tsp heeng
• Salt as per taste
• Desi ghee
• To temper – a few cloves, 2 black elaichis, a few peppercorns, 2 inch piece of cinnamon
• To garnish – Ginger juliennes and coriander

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a kadhai, temper with the whole spices and heeng. Add sliced onions. Fry to a nice light pink.
2. Add the green peas, salt.
3. Stir for a couple of mins. Add the soaked rice. With a gentle hand, mix. Add water. The water should cover the rice be up about 2 inches above it.
4. Allow the water to evaporate on high flame and then turn down the flame to the lowest and cover for 10 mins on lowest flame.
5. Flame off, open the cover after 5 mins.
6. Garnish with ginger juliennes and coriander.

Papdi Chaat

Store bought papdis work well but we prefer making at home, just to add to the aromas of festivities.

Papdi recipe :

• 1 cup maida
• 1 cup ajwain
• 1 tsp desi ghee
• Salt

Method

1. Knead into a firm dough with the above mentioned ingredients. Smother with oil and rest for half an hour.
2. Roll out into 2-3 big rounds and cut tiny papdis, using a katori or a cookie cutter. -Gather the scraps and repeat the process.
3. Prick each papdi with a fork, so they don’t puff up.
4. Deep fry these on medium heat.
5. Cool and store in an airtight container.

To assemble :

• Matra-Dry white peas  (pressure cooked with salt and baking soda, after soaking overnight)
• Boiled potato, cut into roundels.
• Green chutney
• Sonth chutney
• Chaat masala
• Dahi, passed through a strainer
• Rock salt

1. Arrange the papdis in a platter
2. Put a potato slice on each, top it up with matra, pour the dahi all over them
3. Sprinkle salt, rock salt, chaat masala.
4. Smother with Sonth and green chutney
5. Garnish with coriander and serve.

Baked Dessert Casserole

This is my cheat, super rich, sinfully yummy, loved by all and a practically 10 min Indian dessert casserole.
Layers of bread, rabdi, boondi, topped with baby jamuns, sprinkled with pistachio silvers and saffron and baked to a soft yet firm pudding.

Ingredients :

• 2 slices of white bread
• 250 gms rabdi
• 5 baby jamuns
• 5 boondi laddos
• Kesar strands and pistachio silvers for garnish

Method:

1. Tear up the bread into pieces and line the base a baking dish. Spread a diluted layer of rabdi over it.
2. Crush the ladoos and spread the laddos in an even layer on top of the rabdi.
3. Spread a last layer of rabdi and cover the boondi layer completely.
4. Nestle the baby jamuns -in between.
5. Sprinkle the pistachio and kesar.
6. Bake, till the rabdi caramelizes and looks like it is in the pics. Let it cool for half hour. Serve when it reaches  room temperature.

These recipes are by Anamika Bajpai 

Anamika is a renowned home chef famous for her Awadhi cuisine. She decided to pursue her passion for cooking, as a full time profession, in 2020, after quitting her plush corporate job of 7 years.
Despite hailing from a pure vegetarian family, she is lovingly known as the ‘Mutton Queen’ of Gurgaon and is successfully running her home chef venture ‘Arq’ for the last 3 years and has been awarded and covered by various food and lifestyle platforms for Arq’s Old fashioned cooking.
Her Instagram link – https://www.instagram.com/anamika0701/