Four easy Holi dishes to try this year

TOP SHOT – A woman daubed with ‘Galal’ or colored powder during the Hindu spring festival ‘Holi’ celebrations in Hyderabad on March 7, 2023. (Photo by Noah Salem/AFP) | Photo credit: Noah Salem

Holi may be a festival of colors but like every other festival, the hero of the occasion is the festive food. When you take a break from soaking, dancing and celebrating, try these fabulous Holi staples.

Katachi Amti

Ingredients

• Gram dal 100 g Boiling water – 3 cups
• Soft gram dal – 2 tbsp
• Tomato – 1 small
• Mustard seeds – half teaspoon
• Cumin 1- ½ tsp
• Curry leaves – 1 sprig or 5-8 leaves
• Chilli powder – ½ teaspoon
• Gouda masala or garam masala – ½ tsp
• Hang – a pinch
• Chopped Coriander – 2-3 sprigs
• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Salt – as per taste

preparation

1. Wash gram dal and soak it in water for two hours.
2. Cook gram dal in pressure cooker for three to five whistles. Allow it to cool and strain the lentils. Keep aside the water soaked with only two spoons of dal to use for the amtel.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and let it crackle, then add cumin and fry.
4. Add curry leaves, turmeric powder, chili powder and a pinch of asafoetida.
5. Stir and add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are soft.
6. Add chickpeas and stock.
7. Season with salt, chopped coriander leaves and add gouda masala (a traditional Maharashtrian spice mix) or garam masala.
8. Stir well and let it boil. Simmer for five minutes, taste for seasoning and serve. Katachi Amti with steamed rice.

Recipe by Chef Ashutosh Niralkar, Executive Chef, The Park, Chennai

Sukha black gram

Ingredients

• Black gram – 250 grams
• Hung – 15 grams
• Leafless – 3
• Ghee – 50 grams
• Ginger paste – 20 grams
• Chopped green chillies – 20 gms
• Coriander powder – 40 grams
• Red chilli powder – 25 gms
• Cumin powder – 30 grams
• Turmeric powder – 20 grams
• Black pepper powder – 30 grams
• Black salt – 10 grams
• Dry Mango Powder – 30 gms
• Kasuri fenugreek – 30 grams
• Salt to taste
• Garam Masala – 25 gms
• Coriander finely chopped – 10 gms

preparation

1. Soak black gram in water overnight.
2. Boil the soaked gram until soft and reserve the water.
3. Lightly heat a pan, add ghee.
4. After the ghee melts, add cumin, asafoetida, ginger paste and all other powders except garam masala.
5. Add two tablespoons of water and cook on low heat.
6. Add three to four tablespoons of reserved boiled black gram water.
7. After leaving masala ghee, add boiled black gram, salt to taste and mix well.
8. Add garam masala, mostly chopped coriander and mix well.
9. Switch off the flame and garnish with the remaining chopped coriander.

The poor

Ingredients

• Wheat flour – 2 cups
• Sugar – ½ teaspoon
• Salt – half teaspoon
• Semolina (fine) – 1 tbsp
• Water for kneading
• Oil – 3-4 cups (depending on the size of the pan and the number of pooris fried at once)

preparation

1. Take the flour in a large bowl.
2. Add one tablespoon of semolina, sugar, salt and two teaspoons of oil.
3. Making sure the dough is moist.
4. Add water as required to the flour mixture and knead a stiff dough.
5. Divide the dough into pieces and roll into small balls.
6. Roll each ball into a thin circle.
7. Heat oil in a pan.
8. Put the puri in the hot oil.
9. Press gently until puffed up and sprinkle with oil to puff up completely.
10. Flip it and fry till golden brown all over.
11. Serve hot with dry black gram.

Gujia

Ingredients

• Semolina – 1/2 cup
• Refined flour – 2 cups
• Coconut – 4 tbsp
• Raisins, chopped – 2 tbsp
• Ghee – half a cup
• Sugar – 1 cup
• Cashews, chopped – 2 tbsp
• Pistachios, chopped – 2 tbsp
• Cardamom, ground – 6 pods
• Gujia template

preparation

1. Add ghee to the flour and add water at intervals and knead it into a smooth dough.
2. Cover the dough and let it set for 20 minutes.
3. Take half a cup of semolina and add one tablespoon of ghee to it.
4. Heat a pan and fry the semolina on low-medium heat until it turns golden brown.
5. Prepare sugar syrup by adding half a cup of sugar to half a cup of water in another vessel and stir until the sugar dissolves completely.
6. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, add the roasted semolina to the syrup and cook the mixture on medium heat till it becomes dry.
7. Add grated coconut, chopped cashews, pistachios, raisins and ground cardamom to the mixture and mix well to form a gojiya filling.
8. Keep this filling aside and let it cool.
9. Knead the dough and divide it into small portions.
10. Take a piece of dough and roll it into a sheet with a diameter of two to two and a half inches.
11. Place the rolled sheet on the gojia mold and press it gently.
12. Spoon in the filling, close the mold and press the edges to seal the gojiya. Open the gujia carefully to avoid breakage.
13. Heat oil in a wok, add the gajis and deep fry them on a low flame, flipping them until they turn golden brown on both sides.
14. Transfer the fried gujiyas directly to the sugar syrup and let them soak for 5-6 minutes.

Recipes by Chef Mayank Kalshrishtha, Area Executive Chef ITC Hotel South, Executive Chef ITC Grand Chola

Rainbow Salad with Mango Dressing

Ingredients

• Various vegetables – 150 grams
• Iceberg lettuce
• cucumber
• tomato
• The carrot
• chili pepper
• Green chilli
• Yellow pepper
• Aubergine
• Various fruits – 150 gms
• watermelon
• strawberry
• Green grapes
• Black grapes
• Kiwi
• Cashews – 2-3
• Walnuts – 2-3
• Raisins – 4-5
• Dates – 2-3
• Cottage cheese – 20 grams
• Salt to taste

For the dressing

• Mango – 1/2 fruit
• Honey – 30 ml
• Lemon juice – 10 ml
• Olive oil – 30 ml
• Salt – as per taste
• Ground black pepper – 3-4

preparation

1. Make the mango puree in the mixture.
2. In a bowl, add salt, ground black pepper and honey, add olive oil and lemon juice drop by drop until all the ingredients are combined. Sit on one side.
3. Wash vegetables and fruits under running water.
4. Soak the lettuce in ice water for 10 minutes, rinse well and tear off the leaves.
5. Cut vegetables, cheese and fruits into small pieces except watermelon.
6. Cut the watermelon into rectangular slices and place on a plate.
7. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl. Add the mango dressing and toss well.
8. Chill in the fridge and serve over a slice of watermelon with a slice of mango.

Directed by Chef Deepa Arora, Chef’s Table Studio, The Kitchen by Chef Deepa