Leena Munjal

 The festival of Diwali gives us the permit for fun and revelry. Diwali is the time for enjoying the delicious items of sweets and deserts prepared specially for this occasion. Well Diwali is known to be a festival of sweets. Thus the majority of the Diwali recipes revolve around sweets and the best part about them are that these are easy to make and fast to cook. Women in India prepare these dishes and serve their guests on the festive day and make their Diwali celebrations more zestful.

 Here is a delectable collection of traditional Diwali sweets from Sydney’s Indian Women to delight their dear ones in a very special way….

 Kesar Kaju Burfi (from Dimpy)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp Kesar (saffron)
• 1000 gms Kaju (cashewnuts)
• 1/2 tsp orange color
• 600 gms sugar
• 2 chandi (silver) warak

Method:

• Put cashewnuts in water for 3 hours. Drain the water and ground the cashewnuts finely.
• Mix sugar & cashewnuts in a pan on a low flame, stiring constantly.
• Mix orange and saffron color in it, roast till done.
• Place a butter paper on the rolling board and put the mixture on it.
• Now place another butter paper, sandwiching the mixture between the two papers. Roll it with rolling pin.
• Take out the butter paper from top and place silver warak.
• Cut the burfi pieces.

Jalebi  (from Shruti)

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 4 cup flour (maida)
• 3 tbsp. fine grained semolina or rice flour
• 1/2th tsp. baking powder
• 2 tbsp curd (plain yogurt)
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 tsp. saffron threads, slowly dry-roasted and powdered
• 5 cups sugar
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp green cardamom seeds powder
• 3 tbsp. kewra water or rose water
• Ghee or vegetable oil for frying

Method:

• In a bowl, take 3/4th cup of the water and mix well with flour, semolina or rice flour, baking powder, curd. You can also use a whisk for mixing.
• Add remaining water and 1/8th tsp. of saffron powder well with the mixture until smooth.
• Keep the mixture for about 2 hours to ferment and whisk again before use.
• Make one string syrup by mixing sugar into water & add saffron and cardamom powder in it.
• Heat oil in a kadhai at a low flame. Pour the batter in a steady stream into the kadhai to form coils. Make a few at a time.
• Fry them deeply until they turn in light brown color.
• Take out the mixture from the kadhai and drain on kitchen paper and immerse in the syrup.
• Keep them atleast for 4-5 minutes until they soak the syrup.
• Take them out of syrup and serve hot.

 

 

 

 

Shahi Tukdi (from Sunita)

 Ingredients:

 1/4 cup fresh cream
4 tblsp sugar
1 tsp green cardamom (chhoti elaichi) powder
100 gms khoya
1 tblsp sunflower seeds (chironji)
2 cup milk
2 strands saffron
pure ghee for frying
few drops of kewra and rose (gulab) essence
1 handful cashewnut (kaju) chopped
6 slices bread
for garnish:
3 silver foil
few rose (gulab) petals

Method:

• Cut each bread slice into two.
• Fry the bread pieces in ghee till golden brown.
• Assemble the fried breads on a plate.
• Heat up milk, add the sugar and saffron and a few drops of essence.
• Pour over the bread slices.
• Allow the bread to soak up the milk, then assemble the bread pieces on a decorative plate.
• Heat up two teaspoon of ghee and lightly fry the crushed mawa, cardamom powder and two teaspoons of sugar.
• Spread the mawa layer over the soaked bread pieces.
• Mix in essence to the cream.
• Cover the mawa with a cream layer and decorate with silver foil, cut cashewnut, chironji and rose petals.
• Serve warm or cold as you like.