Celebrate the season with these mouth-watering treats
MYSORE PAK
Ingredients
1 cup gram flour (besan)
1 cup sugar
1 cup ghee
½ tsp cardamom powder
Method
Heat 1 tsp ghee and add gram flour. On a medium flame, fry till it gives out a fragrant aroma and it turns slightly brownish. Take care not to burn. Keep aside.
Mix sugar with ½ cup water and bring it to vigorous boil, while stirring. Add the fried four to the syrup.
Now add 1 tbsp ghee at a time, till all the ghee is used, stirring continuously.
Add cardamom and stir well.
When the mixture starts leaving edges and looks a bit dry, pour it into a greased plate and cut into diamonds.
Serve at room temperature.
MISHTI DOI
Ingredients
2¼ litres full fat milk
500 gm sugar
5 gm yogurt
Earthen pot (handi)
Small container/Deep bowl (1.5 kg capacity)
Method
Add 300gms of sugar to the milk and boil on low heat for at least 45 minutes. Stir constantly while boiling. It should thicken and reduce by half and be pale brown in colour.
Place the remaining sugar in heavy-bottomed vessel with 50ml of water and melt on low heat till it turns dark in colour. Add this to the milk. Take off heat and beat continuously till lukewarm.
Transfer to handi and add yoghurt. Cover and allow to set for 12 hours. Uncover and refrigerate.
Serve chilled.
RASGULLA
Ingredients
½ litre milk
2 tsp flour (maida)
¼ tsp lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
4-5 drops rosewater essence
Method
Heat milk in a pan and bring it to boil. Remove from heat.
Add lemon juice. Stir slowly and gently until white curd (chenna) forms on the surface and separates from whey.
Strain thoroughly and knead to a smooth dough.
Add flour and knead again. Make small balls of equal size (6-7) of the dough and keep aside.
Next make sugar syrup by boiling sugar and water. Add chenna balls and cook covered for 15 minutes. The balls will puff up.
Cool and add rose water.
ALMOND BURFI
Ingredients
1 cup almonds
1 cup sugar
¼ cup good quality whole milk powder
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp ghee
1 tsp cardamom powder
Method
Soak almonds in water for 2-3 hours. Peel and then blend to a fine paste, using as little milk as possible.
Heat a heavy-bottomed pan and throw in the sugar and almond paste. Cook on medium flame, stirring continuously until it thickens in consistency. Then reduce heat and add milk powder and cardamom powder. Continue to stir, adding ghee gradually. Don’t overdo the ghee, or the taste of it will take over. Soon it will all come together in the middle in a soft lump, leaving the sides of the pan.
Spread mixture on a greased surface. Roll lightly with a rolling pin, to a desired thickness. Cut into diamond or square shape using a knife, when it is still lukewarm. Apply the silver leaf for decoration.
Cool completely, and then refrigerate briefly. Store in an air-tight container.