Top 3 Holi Dishes

Holi is the festival of color. Holi is a two day festival which starts on the Purnima (Full Moon day). There are different dishes that is made during this eve and top 3 of them are following with recipe.

1. Gujiya

 It is at typical Holi food that is only made for the occasion of Holi. Gujiya are sweet dumplings that is made up of maida or flour and filled with khoya and other dry fruits. 

INSTRUCTIONS

Preparing the gujiya pastry:

1. take the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour and salt in a bowl.
2. heat ghee in a small pan or bowl.
3. pour the ghee on the flours.
4. rub the ghee with the flours, with your fingertips to form a bread crumb like texture.
5. then add water in parts and begin to knead. the amount of water needed will depend on the quality and texture of the flour.
6. knead the dough till firm.
7. cover the dough with a moist cloth and keep aside for 30 minutes.

Preparing the gujiya stuffing:

1. crumble and grate the khoya/mawa
2. chop the dry fruits and keep aside.
3. melt ½ tbsp ghee in a pan on a low flame.
4. add the crumbled or grated khoya.
5. stir the khoya continuously on a low heat.
6. cook the khoya, till it begins to gather around itself. switch off the flame and keep the pan down. let the khoya stuffing cool down completely.
7. then add powdered sugar, chop dry fruits and cardamom powder. better to seive the powdered sugar if there are lumps.
8. mix everything well and keep the stuffing aside. check the taste and add more sugar if you prefer.

assembling & preparing gujiyas:

1. divide the dough into two parts.
2. make a medium log of each part and slice it into equal parts.
3. roll each part in your palms to make balls and place all the balls in the same bowl. cover with a moist kitchen towel.
4. dust the rolling board lightly with some flour. roll each ball with the rolling pin to a small circle having 4 to 5 inches diameter. don't add too much flour while rolling. if you can roll without the flour, then it is better.
5. with your fingertip, apply water all over the circumference edge.
6. place about 1 tbsp or 1.5 tbsp of the khoya filling on one side of the circle, keeping edges empty. don’t add too much of stuffing as then its difficult to shape them and the gujiya may break in the oil.
7. carefully, bring together both the edges and join. gently press the edges.
8. with a small gujiya cutter or pizza cutter, trim the extra edges. when doing this method, its very important that the gujiya is pressed & sealed well. avoid this method if you plan to fry the gujiya. if baking then method is good. as even if the filling comes out, you don't have to worry as there is no mess.
9. however, its best to make pleated design at the edges. this way the stuffing does not come out while frying and the gujiyas look good too. just keep on folding and twisting the edges till the end.
10. prepare gujiyas this way and arrange them on a plate or tray. cover the guijyas with a moist napkin so that the dough does not dry out.

baking method for gujiya:

1. preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius/390 degree fahrenheit. brush oil or melted ghee n the gujiya evenly all over.
2. place them in a baking tray.
3. bake the gujiya for 20 to 30 minutesat 200 degrees celsius/390 degree fahrenheit, till they are golden. oven temperatures vary, so do keep a check while baking the gujiyas. place them on a wire rack for cooling. once cooled, store the baked gujiyas in an air-tight jar or box.

frying method for gujiya:

1. heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan.
2. first test the temperature of oil, before frying. add a small piece of the dough in the oil. if the dough comes up gradually, then the oil is ready. if the dough sits at the bottom, the oil is still cold. if the piece of dough comes up briskly and quickly, the oil is too hot.
3. gently slid the gujiyas in oil. just add a few pieces and don't overcrowd. at a time depending on the size of the pan/kadai, you can fry 2 to 3 gujiyas at a time.
4. turn them over carefully as fry the other side. deep fry till the gujiyas have become golden.
5. drain on kitchen paper tissues. fry gujiyas this way and once they are cooled completely, store them in an air-tight box.
6. serve them to your family and guests when required.

2. Phirni

The holi and phirni is like both made for each other, this is a drink that is totally made for holi occasion.

INSTRUCTION

1.Drain and grind the rice to a coarse paste. Bring milk to a boil. Add rice paste dissolved in    a little water or cold milk.

2.Cook till rice is completely cooked, stirring constantly. Add saffron and mix well.

3.Add sugar and cardamom powder and cook till sugar is completely dissolved. Pour into        earthenware or china bowls and garnish with pistachios.

4. Chill in a refrigerator for an hour before serving.

3. Mathri

It is a type of snack that is serve to the people playing Holi. 

INSTRUCTION 

1. Mix the wheat flour, white flour, cooking soda and salt together.
2. add the ajwain.
3. mix the carom seeds with the rest of the seived flours.
4. add the ghee.
5. add water and start to knead the dough.
6. the dough should not be soft, but a little tight and hard.
7. make the mathris in any shape as shown in the pictorials above.
8. if making round mathris then make it a little thick.
9. fry the mathris in low to medium hot oil till browned and crisp.
10. serve mathri as a snack with indian chai or with punjabi mango pickle.