7 Must-Try Traditional Christmas Delicacies Around India

As December strikes, all one can think about is Christmas carols, Gifts, family meetups, and a long wait for Santa…

However, what excites many of us is the grand feast coming on Christmas Eve.

Like any other festival, Christmas is celebrated with lots of enthusiasm in India, and interestingly, you will find several traditional Christmas delicacies from different parts of the country.

We at Hafele decided to combine some of these classic Christmas recipes this festive season compiled in this single article.

Let's explore! 

Plum Cake

The first recipe we'll be starting with is, of course, Plum Cake. Made with dried fruits and often soaked in rum, a plum cake is a must delicacy during Christmas. However, we'll try it without rum or any other alcohol.

Instructions

• ¼ cup walnuts
• 2 tablespoons golden raisins
• 2 tablespoons black currants
• ¼ cup cashew nuts
• ½ cup dates
• 2 tablespoons almonds
• 2 tablespoons pistachios
• 8 to 10 grams of glazed cherries
• ¼ cup finely chopped candied orange peels
• 1 cup Apple Juice
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
• ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon green cardamom powder
• ? teaspoon clove powder
• ½ cup raw sugar
• Water as needed
• ? cup olive oil
• 5 tablespoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar 

Method

• Rinse all the dry fruits and nuts in a bowl once or twice. Drain and keep aside.
• Chop them finely and add apple juice. Mix well.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate them for a day in your ARG650NF Free Standing Refrigeratorr from Hafele to let them soak
• Now, as we are ready with the soaked dry fruits, let's prepare the caramel
• Take sugar and water in a pan and place it on your Hafele's Vortex 460 gas hob

With its drape effect, the flame rises vertically and drapes itself around the pan giving a direct and focused heat to the pan and preventing food from burning.

These gas hobs come with 4 brass burners, and as this recipe takes time, your vortex series hob will ensure the sugar solution doesn’t burn and you also save significantly on energy consumption.

• Keep on low flame and let it simmer until it's bubbling.
• Keep stirring until the sugar gets crystallized and changes color to brown.
• Remove immediately from the heat and add a cup of water. The solution will harden. Keep again on the flame and let the hardened caramel dissolve. Let it cool
• Once cooled, add oil or melted butter. Mix well
• Add lemon juice or vinegar. Mix well
• Preheat your Hafele's Iris 70 oven to over 180 °C for 15 min.
• In another bowl, take flour, baking soda & powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and cardamom powder.
• Add the soaked mixture of dry fruits and mix slightly.
• Add caramel solution and mix well again to make a smooth batter.
• Grease the cake mold with butter and pour the cake batter evenly
• Place the mold into the oven and bake the cake for 1 hour at 180 °C
• After an hour, try sticking a toothpick into the cake. If it comes out all dry, your cake is done.

Decorate the cake with some dry fruits, and your Plum cake is ready to be served! 

Ginger-Butter Cookies

One of the classic Christmas dishes, our following recipe is a kid's favorite Ginger and butter cookies. These crunchy cookies are both tasty and nutritious.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• Salt as needed
• 1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 1/3 cup sugar 

Method

• Take both sugars and butter in your Hafele's Viola Pro Kitchen Machine and blend into a smooth paste. Let it blend into a light and fluffy mixture.

Our goal is to prepare a thick semi-liquid batter that is smooth in consistency and without any lumps, which is easily possible with a kitchen machine.

Using Hafele's kitchen machine for this batter will save lots of effort and time, as this batter requires to be mixed super smoothly 

• Add vanilla and blend once again.
• Once done, add other ingredients like flour, ginger, and salt. Mix well.
• Lastly, add the crystallized ginger and give a smooth mix
• Take cookie sheets, do not grease them, and place small dough balls on the sheet at equal distances.
• Flatten the balls with a glass bottom dipped in sugar powder to form cookies
• Place the cookie sheet into your Diamond Neo 28 Microwave Oven with Grill and bake the cookies at 176 °C for 10 min.

The CONVECTION GRILL function of Diamond Neo 28 allows for intense grilling through fan and grill elements that provide an excellent environment for cooking foods moist inside and crisp on the outside. 

• Once the edges are golden brown, remove them from the oven and let them cool down.

Your crunchy cookies are ready to hop on! 

Baked Chicken Roast

 Roasted chicken is a popular Christmas dish in India and is often served with various sauces and sides.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 pounds of chicken, whole or cut into pieces
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of oregano
• Salt and pepper as per taste

Method

• Preheat your Hafele's J34MWO Plus Microwave Oven to 190 °C.
• In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, dried herbs, salt, and pepper to make a marinade
• Place the chicken pieces in a baking dish and brush the marinade evenly over the chicken, making sure to coat all side
• Place the baking dish in the oven and bake the chicken for 45-60 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 73 °C.
• Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
• Serve with veggies and a salad.

Enjoy your delicious baked chicken roast!

Kul Kul

Traditional Goan recipe Kul Kul is a must to complete a typical Goan Christmas Kuswar! This deep-fried Goan pastry is popularly made during Christmas in India and is an integral part of Kuswar!

Ingredients

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of ghee
• 2 tablespoons of milk
• Oil for deep frying

Method

• In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and sugar.
• Add the ghee to the flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together and forms a smooth ball. If the dough is too dry, you can add a little milk to help bind it together.
• Divide the dough into small balls about the size of a cherry.
• Heat the oil in your Hafele's SAUVE 01 Built-In deep fryer. Carefully drop the dough balls into the hot oil and fry them for 2-3 minutes, until they are golden brown and crispy.
• Allow them to sizzle, which is also one of the signs of them being cooked properly.

Hafele's deep fryers are highly efficient and cook Kul Kul with equal consistency.

• Remove the Kul Kul from the oil using a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels to remove excess oil.

Let the Kul Kul cool to room temperature before serving!

Mulled Wine

A warm, spiced wine, Mulled wine is often served during the Christmas feast. It is made with red wine, sugar, and spices such as cinnamon and cloves

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of red wine
• 1/2 cup of honey
• 1/2 cup of brandy
• 1 orange, sliced
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3-4 whole cloves
• 3-4 whole allspice berries
• 2-3 star anise pods
• 2-3 cardamom pods

Method

• In a large pan, combine the red wine, honey, brandy, orange slices, lemon slices, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, star anise, and cardamom pods.
• Heat the wine mixture over medium-low heat, occasionally stirring, until it begins to simmer.
• Reduce the heat to low and let the wine simmer for 15-20 minutes until it is hot and fragrant.
• Strain the wine through a fine mesh sieve to remove the solids.
• Serve the mulled wine hot in mugs or heat-resistant glasses.

Garnish the mulled wine with a slice of orange or lemon, if desired.

Eggnog

A traditional holiday drink, Eggnog is yet another traditional Christmas special drink!

Ingredients

• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• 1/2 cup of rum or brandy
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

Method

• In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together until the mixture is pale and thick.
• In a separate pan, heat the milk and cream on your Hafele's Altius FS 378 Built-In Fully Sealed Gas Hob on medium heat until it is steaming but not boiling.
• Slowly pour the hot milk and cream into the egg yolk mixture, constantly whisking to prevent the eggs from cooking.
• Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook over low heat, constantly stirring, until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon.
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum or brandy, vanilla extract, and nutmeg.
• Let the Eggnog cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate in your Hafele's NR300NF built-in refrigerator until chilled.

Serve the eggnog cold, in glasses or mugs, garnished with a sprinkle of nutmeg, if desired. 

Meat Potato Curry

Let's end our article with something spicy! This simple recipe for a meat and potato curry is perfect for the Christmas feast; you should definitely try it!

Ingredients

• 500 grams of lamb (cut into bite-sized pieces)
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 diced onion
• 1 tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon of curry powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1 cup of lamb stock
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

• In a large pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
• Add the lamb pieces and cook until they are browned on all sides.
• Add the onion, ginger-garlic paste, curry powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, and cayenne pepper, and stir to coat the meat evenly.
• Pour in the lamb stock and bring the mixture to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and let the curry simmer for 1-1/2 hours or until the meat is tender.
• Add the potatoes and peas to the curry, and let it simmer for an additional 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.

Your meat-potato curry is ready to be served with rice. Garnish with coriander! 

Take away

A festive eve becomes meaningful with family and friends coming together and feasting together on special delicacies and having fun. Christmas is not an exception to this, and you will find some super yummy dishes that make this event even more exciting.

Try these unique recipes with Hafele appliances this Christmas and get some spare time with your loved ones!