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Diwali Eats: A very sweet affair

These sugary treats are all you need to take your Diwali celebrations to a whole new high

Photos: Juidin Bernarrd and Neeraj Murali
Ritu Chaturvedi, freelance chef, www.fussfreecookingblog.wordpress.com
LADDU LAJAWAB
Ingredients
1 tbsp clarified butter
3 cups grated bottle gourd
2 tsp rose water
1 cup mawa or khoya
2 tbsp almond powder
1 cup sugar
Chopped nuts, to garnish
Silver leaf, optional 
For stuffing:
4 tbsp rose petal jam
1 tsp cardamom powder
 
Method
Heat clarified butter in a heavy bottom pan and sauté grated bottle gourd for 2-3 mins. Add rose water and cover with a lid.
Cook for 2-3 mins on low heat. Remove the cover and add mawa; cook for 5 minutes. Stir continuously.
Add sugar and cook for 7-8 minutes till it becomes semi-solid.
Add almond powder and mix well. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Mix cardamom powder with rose petal jam and make small lime-sized balls.
Grease both the palms and fill each ball with the cooked mixture; seal each of them gently and roll into round shapes.
Garnish with chopped nuts and silver leaf. Serve.
THANDAI MOUSSE
Ingredients
2 cups full-fat milk
1 cup whipped cream
2 tbsp condensed milk
. ½ cup saffron Thandai syrup
1 tbsp agar agar powder
. ½ tsp saffron strands, soaked in milk
Method
Heat full-fat milk and cream in a pan.
Once the milk starts to boil, add condensed milk and Thandai syrup and stir continuously.
Add agar agar powder and then remove from the heat.
Pour into the desired serving cups or glasses.
Cool and pour saffron milk into each cup and chill in the fridge till set. Serve cold.
ORANGE JALEBI WITH ORANGE RABREE
Ingredients
For the jalebis:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp semolina
2 tbsp sour curd
½ cup warm water
Clarified butter, to fry
Few drops of orange colour
1 tsp orange essence
For the sugar syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3-4 cardamoms
2 drops of orange colour
For the rabree:
4 cups double cream milk
2 tbsp milk powder
2 tbsp condensed milk
6 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cardamom powder
½ cup fresh orange segments
 
Method
Mix flour, semolina and curd with warm water; cover with a lid and set aside in a warm place to ferment.
Heat the milk for the rabree in a heavy bottom pan and boil till halved. Add milk powder and condensed milk and stir. Add sugar and cook for 7-8 minutes more. Remove from heat and add cardamom powder. Cool.
Heat all the ingredients for the syrup till the sugar melts. Boil for 4-5 minutes. Discard the cardamom and set aside.
Add orange colour and essence to the now-fermented jalebi batter and mix well.
Pour the jalebi mixture into an icing bag and heat clarified butter in a frying pan.
Drop the jalebis into the hot butter in circular shapes and fry both sides till golden brown.
Dip the fried jalebis in the prepared sugar syrup for 7-8 minutes. Remove and serve.
Add orange segments to ?the cool rabree and serve ?with jalebis.
 
CARDAMOM CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH ALMOND BALLS
Ingredients
1 ¼ cup cream
4-5 cardamoms
2 tbsp condensed milk
200 gm semi-sweet chocolate . ¼ cup double cream, whipped
Edible gold and copper shimmer dust, optional
 
For the almond balls:
1 cup almonds, blanched and peeled
. ¼ cup milk
1 tbsp rose water
1 tbsp ghee
. ½ cup icing sugar
1 tsp saffron strands, soaked in warm water
Goji berries, to garnish
 
Method
Heat cream with cardamom pods and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Remove the cardamoms and add condensed milk.
Melt chocolate in a microwave or on a double boiler and add the cream mixture. Mix well.
Remove from the heat and fold in the whipped cream.
Pour into serving cups and chill in the fridge. Dust with edible gold and copper shimmer dust, once set.
For the almond balls, grind the almonds with milk and rose water until they become a fine paste.
Heat the ghee and almond paste in a heavy bottom pan. Cook and stir continuously for 4-5 minutes.
Add icing sugar and mix well until it becomes slightly thick. Remove and cool.
Grease your palms and make small balls of the mix. Brush with saffron water and press one goji berry into the centre. Serve.
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MATAR KA HALWA
Ingredients
2 cups fresh peas
1 cup water
1 cup sugar, or to taste
4 tbsp clarified butter
2 tbsp chopped almonds
2 tbsp pistachios
1 cup milk
. ½ cup mawa
2 tsp cardamom powder
 
Method
Boil the peas with water and 1 tsp sugar till soft. Drain the water and cool. Mash the peas in a chopper.
Heat 2 tbsp clarified butter and roast the nuts. Remove from the pan and add peas mixture. Stir continuously on low heat till light brown.
Add milk and cook till it becomes semi-solid.
Add mawa and the rest of the sugar; stir well. Add the nuts and cardamom powder. Mix well, and serve hot or cold.
NARYAL SQUARES
Ingredients
2 ½ cups freshly grated coconut
1 cup cream
1 cup sugar
2 tsp rose water
1 tbsp clarified butter
Silver leaf, to garnish
 
Method
Heat a heavy bottom pan on medium heat, then add coconut, cream and sugar. Boil on low heat and stir continuously.
Add rose water and cook till the mixture begins to leave the sides.
Grease a tin with clarified butter and spread the coconut mixture into it evenly.
Cuts into squares once cool. Garnish with silver leaf and serve.
FIG TART
Ingredients
1 cup cream
1 tbsp custard powder ( vanilla flavour), mixed with 2 tbsp cold milk
. ¼ cup sugar
. ¼ cup ricotta cheese
. ½ cup fresh, ripe figs, extra for garnishing
Berries to garnish, optional
12 ready-made mini tart shells 
Method
Heat the cream, then add the milk and custard powder mixture.
Add sugar and cook till thick. Fold in the ricotta cheese and cool.
Wash and roughly chop up the figs and mix them in with the prepared custard.
Fill each tart shell with custard and garnish with figs and berries. Serve immediately.