Holi 2020: Celebrate the festival with these mouth-watering sweet treats

As Holi is just around the corner, it's time to get drenched in the colours and relish mouth-watering delicacies. Holi is incomplete without thandai, jalebi, gujia and other sweets. These are some of the important dishes which are made in every household to celebrate the festival. But, why not serve these dishes with a twist? We bring to you some unique recipes from the chefs of The Ashok, New Delhi. Here you go:

PAAN THANDAI

Ingredients:
Betel Leaves – 4 nos
Pistachio - 15 Gm
Green cardamom powder – A pinch
Milk – 400 Ml
Almond – 15 Gm (without Skin)
Dry Rose Petal – 10 Gm
Poppy seeds – 5 Gm
Pepper Corn - 2 Gm ( Crushed )
Fennel – 15 Gm
Mixed melon seeds – 10 Gm
Saffron – Few Stands
Sugar – 60 Gm

Method:
Soak pistachio, almond, poppy seeds, fennel & mixed melon seeds for 5 Hrs.
Prepare a fine paste, cook it in the milk with sugar & saffron for 10 min on slow fire.
Add cardamom, peeper corn & powdered rose petal and mix in the reduced milk.
To give it a paan flavour, make a paste of betel leaves and strain it to get the juice.
Finally, add the betel juice to the prepared thandai.
Serve chilled.

SEB KI JALEBI 

Ingredients:
Apple - 02 nos
Maida - 150 gm
Sugar - 300 gm
Ghee - 1.5 kg
Saffron - a pinch
Pistachio - 02 gm

Method:
Mix maida with water to form a thick batter. Keep aside for at least 12 hours for fermenting the batter.
Clean and core the apples and cut into roundels.
Dip each round of apple in maida batter and fry in ghee.
Take out and put it into hot sugar syrup.
Soak for some time and serve hot garnished with Saffron and pistachios.

GUNDI PAAN GUJIA 

Ingredients:
Refine flour– 1 kg
Ghee – 250 gm
Water - 300ml
Sugar syrup – 500 ml
Desi ghee – 01 kg
Khoya – 100 gm
Mix dry fruit (almond flakes, raisins, pista)-20 gm
Fresh thyme – 01 tbs
Gundi paan (chopped) – 15 no.

Method:
Make a dough using refine flour, Ghee and water, need together adding water gradually to make a stiff dough.
Refrigerate for ½ an hour.
For filling mix khoya, dry fruit and chopped pan together.
Make small balls from the dough and roll it into 3 inch diameter circles.
Fill the centre of the circle with little of filling one by one and pocket fold, sealing the ends with water.
Give the shape of gujia using hand or gujia moulds.
Heats ghee to fry on slow flame. See that Ghee should not be very hot, just enough for slow cooking.
Cook all gujia together in a kadhai on slow fame, gradually turning sides and attaining slight golden colour.
Drain and place immediately in hot sugar syrup.
Let it soak for 10 min, drain again.
Garnish and serve after half an hour.