Personal touch

Food is the mainstay of any festivity and how can Diwali not follow suit? Here are some sweets and snacks that can be made at home. Add a touch of sweetness along with health and flavours from different regions of India as chefs share their secrets...

By Chef Sanjeev Kapoor

Ingredients 

1½ cups of finger millet (ragi) flour (roasted)

2 tablespoons roasted white sesame seeds

1tablespoon Nutralite

¾ cup powdered jaggery  

10-12 roasted and crushed almonds

10-12 roasted and crushed pistachios

½ teaspoons cardamom powder

Method

Heat Nutralite in a non-stick pan, add finger millet (ragi) flour and sauté till fragrant.

Heat two tablespoons water and jaggery in another non-stick pan and let the jaggery melt.

Add the melted jaggery into the finger millet flour along with almonds, pistachios, cardamom powder, white sesame seeds and mix well. Remove from heat and set aside till just warm.

Divide the mixture into equal portions and shape them into laddoos. 

Serve. 

PALAK NAMAKPARA

Spinach adds both colour and nutrients to these green namakparas.

Ingredients

¼ cup spinach (palak) puree

10-12 spinach leaves (palak), shredded 

1 cup refined flour (maida) for dusting

½ teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons melted Nutralite for greasing

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon crushed carom seeds

Method

• Mix together refined flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add Nutralite and rub in with fingertips till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  
• Add salt, crushed carom seeds, spinach puree and shredded spinach leaves and mix well. Add one-fourth cup chilled water and knead intoa stiff dough. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180?. Grease a baking tray with a little Nutraliteand dust with some flour.
• Sprinkle some flour on the worktop and roll out the dough into a half-centimeter thick disc.
• Cut the rolled out dough into diamond shaped pieces. Place them on the baking tray, place the tray in the preheated oven and bake for ten to fifteen minutes. Remove from oven and cool. 
• Serve or store in an airtight container.

Haryali kofta curry

By Chef Nita Mehta

Ingredients 

• 1 large bunch (800 gm) spinach (discard stalks and roughly chop the leaves)
• 1 green chilli (chopped)
• 3 tbsp ghee or oil
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
• ¾ tsp garam masala
•  ½ tsp red chilli powder
• 1¼ tsp salt or to taste
• 2 tomatoes (puree)
• Seeds of 1 green cardamom (powdered)
• 1 cup milk, ½ cup cream, (optional)

FOR KOFTAS

• 3 potatoes (boiled, peeled and grated finely)
• 2 slices bread (churned in a mixer to get fresh crumbs)
• ½ small onion (very finely chopped)
• ¾ cup boiled peas (mashed roughly)
• 1 tsp chopped green chilli
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander
• ¼ tsp garam masala
• 5-6 almonds (chopped)
• ¼ tsp dry mango powder (amchoor)
• 1¼ tsp salt, oil for frying

Method 

• Clean and wash spinach. Cook for 5-6 minutes in a kadhai with ¼ cup water on low heat till spinach turns soft. Do not open in between. Remove from fire and let it cool while keeping it covered for 5 minutes. After it cools down, drain the water to remove the bitterness. Add ¾ cup fresh water and grind spinach to a smooth paste in a mixer with one green chilli.
• Heat 3 tbsp ghee or oil in a pan, add chopped onion and ginger. Saute for a few minutes till golden. Add garlic. Stir for a few seconds. Add garam masala powder, chilli powder and salt. Add pureed tomatoes and cardamom powder. Cook till oil separates for about 5-6 minutes. 
• Add ground spinach, cook uncovered for 5-7 minutes on medium flame.
• Add milk.  Mix well and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from fire. Add cream.
• For koftas, mix all the ingredients. Add 1-2 tbsp water if the koftas do not bind together. Divide mixture into equal portions and shape into balls. Deep fry    1-2 koftas at a time in hot oil till golden brown in colour. 
• To serve place the gravy in a serving bowl. Arrange koftas over it. Microwave to heat through.

Khoye wale shahi gatte

DOUGH

1¼  cups gram flour (besan)

a pinch of baking soda (mitha soda)

¾ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

¼ tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp salt

2 tsp chopped ginger

1 tbsp ghee, 2½ tbsp yogurt

FILLING

50 gm paneer

50 gm milk solids (khoya)

Salt to taste

2 green chillies - finely chopped

CURRY

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• A pinch asafoetida (hing)
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 1 cup yogurt - whisked well till smooth
• 4 tsp coriander powder
• 2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp garam masala powder

Method 

• n Mix gram flour with all ingredients of the dough. Add some warm water to make a hard, but pliable dough. Knead well and keep aside covered.
• n For the filling, grate khoya and paneer. Mix grated khoya, paneer, chopped green chillies and a pinch of salt.
• n Divide dough into 3 portions. Roll out a portion to a 5” long oval shape and then place khoya paneer lengthwise in it. Carefully cover the stuffing with the dough on the sides and roll nicely to seal. Give it a cylindrical shape. Repeat this with the left over dough and filling.
• n Boil enough water in a medium deep pan so that the gatte can dip in water properly. Add ½ tsp salt. Add these stuffed gatte in boiling salted water. Boil for about 10 minutes. Remove from water when done. Keep water aside. Let them cool. Cut boiled gatte into 1” pieces. Deep fry and keep aside.
• n For curry, heat oil, add cumin seeds, when they turn golden, add tomato puree, red chilli powder, asafoetida and turmeric powder, cook until oil starts separating.
• Mix yogurt with coriander powder. Lower the heat and add yogurt, stirring continuously. Add 1 cup water of the gatte. Boil. Adjust salt, add garam masala powder. Add gatte and cook for 2-3 minutes until gravy thickens.  
• Serve hot.

Puran Poli

By Chef Vineet Chopra

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 powdered green cardamom
• 1 pinch salt
• 4 tablespoon milk
• 1 1/2 cup chana dal
• 1/2 cup ghee
• 1/4 cup water
• Refined oil as required
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg powdeMethod

1. In a bowl mix flour and water, knead well to make a dough. Cover with muslin cloth for an hour. 
2. Cook chana daal, drain water and strain. Allow it to cool. 
3. Take a pan, add half teaspoon of ghee, add sugar and daal, mix well.
4. n Grind this mixture to fine paste, add milk if it’s too dry, add nutmeg and cardamom powder.
5. n Take two dough balls, roll it smoothly. Put mixture on one rolled roti, cover with another, seal the edges.
6. n Pour ghee on pan/tava, put poli on it and cook well on both sides. Serve hot with tea/coffee.

 — As told to Mona