The sound “Holi hai bhai Holi hai!” rings across the streets of India while friends run behind each other with different colours in each fist. May it be red, pink, or yellow gulaal or a permanent purple colour, Holi is the one day when you are permitted to apply colour on people around you.
On this day, we all symbolise a blank canvas that is ready to be painted on with multiple colours. This festival, a celebration of good over evil, is usually followed by a unique spread of traditional dishes and delicacies on the table. While the first half of the day goes in getting dirty and taking hours to clean up, the second half involves family gatherings and an unforgettable meal.
This year, celebrate your Holi festival with Hafele’s Vortex Hobs and these incredible traditional recipes:
Thandai-
Can you imagine celebrating Holi without the rich and flavourful Thandai?
Ingredients-
- 1½ litres full cream milk
- 25-30 almonds, blanched and peeled
- 4 tablespoons pistachios, blanched and peeled
- 3 tablespoons poppy seeds (khus khus), soaked for 3-4 hours and drained
- 3 tablespoons melon seeds (magaz), soaked for 3-4 hours and drained
- 20 cashew nuts, soaked and drained
- 4-5 green cardamoms
- 8-10 black peppercorns
- 20-25 dried rose petals, crushed
- 1 inch cinnamon
- A few saffron strands
- 1½ cups sugar
- Pistachio-almond slivers for garnishing
Method-
- Using the auto ignition feature,turn on your Vortex Gas Hob. Boil milk in a deep non-stick pan.
- Blend together almonds, pistachios, poppy seeds, melon seeds and cashew nuts along with 2-3 tablespoons of warm milk into a smooth paste. Transfer in a bowl.
- Grind together green cardamoms, black peppercorns, dried rose petals and cinnamon into fine powder. Transfer in another bowl.
- Add saffron strands to boiling milk and mix. Add sugar and mix till it melts.
- Add ground almond mixture paste, mix and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add some ground powder, mix and cook for 1-2 minutes. Pour in a jar and refrigerate it.
- Serve chilled garnished with pistachio and almond slivers.
Puran Poli-
Hailing from Maharashtra, this is a sweet stuffed flatbread prepared with unique ingredients and a whole lot of love for and excitement about the festive season.
Ingredients-
- 1 cup split Bengal gram (chana dal), soaked for 1 hour and drained
- 1½ cups refined flour (maida) + for dusting
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon saffron water
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 cup chopped jaggery
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder
- ½ teaspoon green cardamom powder
- Ghee for basting
Method-
- Boil sufficient water in a deep non-stick pan on your Vortex Gas Hob. Modulate the inner and outer flame to achieve the desired temperature.
- Add split Bengal gram, cover and cook till done. Drain ¾ of the water and place the pan back on heat.
- Put flour in a bowl. Add salt, saffron water and oil and mix. Add some water and knead into a soft dough. Cover with damp muslin cloth and set aside for 15 minutes.
- Add jaggery to cooked split Bengal gram, mix till it melts and cook for 8-10 minutes. Add nutmeg powder and cardamom powder and mix well.
- Place a puran crusher in another bowl, put the dal mixture and crush well.
- Dust the worktop with some flour and knead the dough again.
- Divide the dough into equal portions. Make a cavity in the center of each portion, put a portion of puran, seal, shape into balls and slightly flatten.
- Dust the worktop with some flour and roll out each portion into semi-thick discs.
- Heat a non-stick pan. Place each puran poli and roast from both sides till golden brown, basting with some ghee.
- Serve puran poli warm or at room temperature with milk and ghee.
Onion Pakoda-
The perfect tea time snack after a long day of extreme fun.
Ingredients-
- 4-5 medium onions (kanda), sliced
- ¾ cup gram flour
- Salt to taste
- Oil for deep-frying
- 1½ teaspoons red chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon carom seeds
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves
- 3 tablespoons rice flour
- 2-3 green chillies
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
Method-
- Take onions in a bowl. Add salt, mix well and set aside for 10-15 minutes.
- Add sufficient oil in a kadai. Place the dish on your Vortex Gas Hob and turn on the flame which comes with a drape effect that allows it to raise and drape itself around the vessel.
- Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, carom seeds and chopped coriander and mix well.Add gram flour and rice flour, mix well.
- Drop small portions of the onion mixture in the hot oil and deep-fry till golden and crisp. Drain on absorbent paper.
- Slit green chillies and deep-fry in the same oil. Drain on absorbent paper.
- Sprinkle chaat masala on bhajiyas and mix well.
- Sprinkle salt on fried chillies.
- Serve hot bhajias with fried chillies.
- Serve hot onion pakodas with fried chillies or a cup of tea.
With Hafele’s Vortex hobs and its unmatched features, enjoy preparing these celebratory dishes with ease, convenience, and comfort.
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