CELEBRITY MASTER CHEF DR KAVIRAJ KHIALANI
The Food and Hospitality Industry has always stepped up on a very positive note when it comes to making moments and occasions like these special for our valued guests and food lovers! A lot of hotels and restaurants plan up special menus have also been spotted as a part of presenting the menu for the day in a very appealing and impressive manner to welcome a whole list of festivities starting from Ganesh Chaturthi.
Buffets, special a la carte offers, table promotions, tent card delights, live counters, chefs’ special offerings, mocktail bar specials are some of the attractions which see a houseful of food lovers visiting the food outlets to celebrate the day with family and friends during festivity and celebrations.
- The origin of sweets in the Indian subcontinent has been traced to at least 500 BCEwhen, records suggest, both raw sugar (Gur, vellum, jaggery) and refined sugar (Sarkara) were being produced.
Food is also one of the important elements associated with the tricolour and as we represent various meanings and values via colors it not only pleases the senses and whets the appetite but also creates wonderful concoctions and makes our culinary diaspora more rich & varied from Indian cooking to international it gives a sense of brotherhood and togetherness creating a melange of flavours, tastes and balance.
Traditionally Indian sweets are called ‘Mithai’. It is an old tradition of considering sweets to be pure and an offering to the gods. Sweets are a small gesture of greeting people, family, and friends with the joy of celebrating the festival. The origin of sweets in the Indian subcontinent has been traced to at least 500 BCE when, records suggest, both raw sugar (Gur, vellum, jaggery) and refined sugar (Sarkara) were being produced. By 300 BCE, kingdom officials in India were acknowledging five variants of sugar which could be used in making sweets and mithai.
As we are aware that mithai, a Hindi word for sweets made with a combination of flour, sugar, nuts, legumes, and milk or khoya (a semi-solid dairy product made by slowly boiling milk until it thickens), and then often enhanced with cardamom, rose water, or saffron. While most of us have our own favorites when it comes to selecting one or more option in sweets from the kaju katli, mava pedha, ghevar, gujiyas, lavang latika, rossogulla, Sandesh, Mohanthal, karanji, modak. The list of sweet temptations goes on!
Indians refer to their sweet dishes as mithai, and each one has its own unique flavor profile. Indian desserts are commonly made with humble ingredients like sugar, flour, nuts, milk, and legumes. One of the sweetest and popular sweets include Gulab Jamun from west to east and north to south Gulab Jamuns are one of the most favourite Indian sweet dishes due to its silky texture, its dripping sugar syrup and its soft crust.
“Festivity and Mithai to me are two culinary synonyms which compliment well each other to the extent making it imperative to have a bite at-least of indulgence in the sweet treats to make the occasion and moments special & memorable with family & friends Let us all pray to Lord Ganesha & chant Bappa Morya”- Chef Kaviraj Khialani- Celebrity Master Chef.
Here are a few festive Indian Sweets and Mithai to try out in your Home Kitchens:
LADOO KI MITHAAS
Ingredients
Besan/ gram flour- 2 cups
Ghee-1/2 cup
Powdered sugar-1 cup
Green Cardamom powder-1/2 tsp
Cashews-2-3 tsp fine chopped
Raisins-2-3 tsp fine chopped
Method
- Assemble all the ingredients for the besan ke ladoo recipe.
- Using a thick bottomed pan, dry roast the besan for a few mins around 8-10 mins.
- Now add in the ghee and continue stirring on a low flame and continue roasting the besan for another 3-4 mins.
- Once the ghee starts being visible and oozes out from the sides during the slow roasting of the gram flour, turn off the flame.
- Remove the roasted besan mixture onto a steel plate/cooling surface and immediately add in the sugar, green cardamom powder and mix well, add in the nuts as well.
- Form up the mixture into a medium soft texture mass and divide them into lemon sized balls and shape them into neat rounds. Allow them to cool down, serve them in fancy paper cups etc/ store in airtight containers.
DIL SE DIL TAK MITHAI
Ingredients
Besan- 300 gms
Ghee- 3 tsp
Milk-2-3 tbsp.
Salted butter/ ghee- 300gm
Milk powder-90gms
Green cardamom powder- ¾ tsp
Saffron- 5-8 strands
Pinch of edible orange food color- optional
Almonds- 2-3 tsp finely sliced
Pista/ cashews- 2-3 tsp, finely sliced
For the sugar syrup
Grain sugar- 400 gms
Water- 275 ml
Method
- Prepare all the ingredients for the Mohanthal recipe.
- Place the chickpea flour in a large bowl. Add the melted ghee and milk. Stir well and then begin to rub the mixture together using your fingertips to form a sandy-texture. This similar to how you would rub butter with flour to create a crumble. Set this aside for 30 minutes. This mixture will give the Mohanthal its’ distinct grainy texture
- Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based pan. Add the mix and stir well to incorporate. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture turns from a creamy beige colour to pinkish and caramel-like in colour. This should take 8-10 minutes depending on the flame. Soon as the mixture becomes a light pinkish colour, switch the heat off. Continue to stir for a further five minutes to temper the residual heat. The mixture will be extremely hot and it will continue to cook even after you switch the heat off.
- To prepare up the sugar syrup, place the sugar in a large pan. Add the water and stir to combine. Once the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved completely, turn off the flame. To the cooled chickpea flour and milk powder mixture, add ground cardamom, saffron, mace and optional orange food colour. Stir well to incorporate. It should now be cool or just room temperature.
- Very carefully, pour the hot sugar syrup into the chickpea flour mixture. Slowly begin the stir the mixture using a wooden spoon. After 2-3 minutes of stirring, it will become shiny to look at. Set it in a greased thali and cut out shapes from the set Mohanthal and serve.
KESARI MITHAI KI BAARI
Ingredients
Yellow/white pumpkin- 350-400 gms, peeled and grated
Milk- 200 ml
Grain sugar- 5-7 tbsp.
Condensed milk- ¼ cup
Mava- ½ cup grated
Green cardamom powder-1/4 tsp
Ghee- 2-3 tsp.
Raisins- 2-3 tsp chopped
Cashews- 2-3 tsp
Method
- Prepare all the ingredients for the pumpkin burfi recipe.
- Heat ghee in a kadai add grated pumpkin and stir it well for few minutes till the raw smell goes away.
- Then add milk mix well, simmer and cover and cook on slow flame until it thickens, keep stirring in between to prevent sticking at the sides or at the base.
- Now add in the green cardamom powder, grain sugar, condensed milk, grated mava and mix well, continue cooking the burfi mixture for another 2-3 mins, transfer this mixture into a greased tray, garnish with nuts, cool it and cut them into your desired shape and serve warm/chilled.
PHALDARI PHIRNI
Ingredients
For the basic phirni mixture
Milk- 750 ml
Rice paste- 2-3 tbsp.
Sugar- as per taste
Green cardamom powder- ¼ tsp
Cashew powder- 2 tsp
Mava- 2-3 tsp grated
Rose water- 2-3 tsp
For the Phaldaari mix
Fresh pomegranate seeds- ½ cup
Glazed cherries- 6- 8 no sliced
Raisins- 2-3 tbsp.
Pineapple cubes-1/2 cup
Method
- Prepare all the ingredients for the phirni recipe and keep it ready.
- Start by boiling the milk and simmer it for 10-12 mins, add green cardamom powder, sugar to taste.
- Add in the rice paste, mava and cook it on a low flame, stirring occasionally until the rice paste which has been ground coarsely with water.
- The phirni starts thickening up as the rice paste cooks hence it is important to maintain the flame on a lower side and stir it to preventing sticking at the base.
- Once it is coating the back side of the spoon and resembles a custard texture, turn off the flame, cool down the phirni completely and then add in the rose water, fruits in layers in dessert cups, glasses or using a pudding bowl.
- Garnish with assorted
THANDAI WALI PHIRNI
Ingredients
For the basic phirni mixture
Milk- 750 ml
Rice paste- 2-3 tbsp.
Sugar- as per taste
Green cardamom powder- ¼ tsp
Saffron- 4-5 strands
Cashew powder- 2 tsp
Mava- 2-3 tsp grated
Rose water- 2-3 tsp
For the thandai mix flavor
Thandai syrup- 3-4 tbsp.
Cashews-2-3 tsp chopped
Raisins-2-3 tsp chopped
Almonds- 2-3 tsp chopped
Berries- 2-3 tsp sliced
Apricots/ dates- 2-3 tsp chopped
Method
- Prepare all the ingredients for the phirni and start with the milk.
- Simmer the milk for 10-12 mins and then add in the green cardamom, rice paste and sugar to taste and a little mava.
- Keep stirring constantly and allow the rice paste to cook up and thicken the milk gradually, keep stirring the mixture.
- Once the phirni is ready, cool it down completely and then add little rose water/ kewra essence as desired. Also add in the thandai syrup and mix well.
- Chill the phirni for a couple of hours, then add in the nuts, layer if desired in glass bowls, clay pots, garnish with assorted nuts of use chocolate chips/ sauce etc.
- The phirni can also be made by using fresh fruit puree/ cut pieces of kiwi/ blue berries etc serve it cold/chilled.
CHAWAL AUR BADAM WALI PHIRNI
Ingredients
For the basic phirni mixture
Milk- 750 ml
Rice paste- 2-3 tbsp.
Sugar- as per taste
Green cardamom powder- ¼ tsp
Saffron- 4-5 strands
Cashew powder- 2 tsp
Mava- 2-3 tsp grated
Rose water- 2-3 tsp
For the additional ingredients
Almond flakes- 2-3 tbsp.
Almond powder-2 tsp
Apples- 1 small diced
Assorted berries- 3-4 tbsp.
Assorted seasonal fruits- ½ cup
Indian sweets/mithai/ burfi/ jalebi/ pedha – can also be used.
Method
- Start up with the basic phirni mixture which includes the cooking of the rice paste in the milk along with cardamom and sugar to give it that perfect taste, flavor and texture.
- The milk and rice mixture cooks for around 25- 30 mins on a low flame with constant stirring and it gets thickened up gradually and resembles custard, add in the almond powder and mix well.
- Cool down the rice and milk mixture completely and then start with the layering of the sweet in clay pots/ individual serving bowls/ pudding bowl etc.
- Start the first layer with the phirni then continue with the fresh fruits, chocolate sauce etc, dry fruits/ any choice of mithai can also be used here and top it up with assorted garnishes like crumbled up motichoor ladoo or a sev burfi.
- Allow to chill for couple of hours and then serve the delectable sweet and enjoy the festive season.
Celebrity Master Chef Dr Kaviraj Khialani is a Mumbai-based hotel-restaurant and food consultant. He is specialised in over 33 international cuisines and has quality experience with hotels and airlines as a part of his long journey of over two decades in his chosen field. Chef Kaviraj is a renowned author, academician, food designer, writer and has also been awarded several national awards and global recognitions for his talent & outstanding achievements. Besides having been featured on several food shows on ColorsTV and Star Plus he is a mentor, coach and guide to aspiring to be future chefs and hoteliers of tomorrow.
He can be contacted at twitter: @kaviraj_chef, Mobile: 91 9820939336. Mail: chefkaviraj249@gmail.com
Also Read:
Also Read:
Summer Break: The Dubai Diaries – a perfect melange of food, culture, tourism & hospitality!
