Traditional sweets to light up Diwali
GULKAND BARFI
Ingredients
Soft khoya or mawa - 1/2 kg Powdered Sugar - 2 cups Ghee - 3 tbsp Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp Gulkand - 5 tbsp Dry fruits - Mixed and chopped to garnish
Method:
Set a pan on low flame and put gulkand into it. Stir gently for a while till the moisture evaporates. As it reaches the consistency of a ball, remove from the flame and leave aside to cool. Now, grease palms with some ghee. In a separate bowl, mash the khoya with your hands till it becomes soft and smooth. Add powdered sugar and mix.
Lay the mixture in a large non-stick pan. Add 2 tbsp. ghee and heat it on high flame for 2-3 minutes. Now, lower the flame as you stir continuously.
Once it starts changing colour and the ghee starts separating, remove the mix from flame.
To the above, add cardamom powder and mix well again. Add the prepared gulkand to it and stir. This will result in a red-coloured mawa mixture. Cool it. Lay the red gulkand mixture in a thali or sweet mould and spread it evenly. Garnish with chopped dry fruits. Once the mixture sets a little, make small diamond or squares shapes using a blunt knife, then set it into the refrigerator for about 10 mins.
DAHI KA HALWA
Ingredients
Full fat milk - 1 litre Hung curd - 500 grams Semolina- ½ cup Milk powder- 250 grams Khoya - 250 grams Caster Sugar - 250 grams Pure ghee - 100 grams Green cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Finely chopped pistachio - 10 grams
Finely Chopped Almonds - 10 grams
Finely chopped cashew nuts - 10 grams
Silver leaves - 1 or 2
Method:
In a thick bottom vessel, boil the milk and cook till it reduces to half. Add the hung curd and mix it into the reduced milk. Ensure the flame is on low to medium. Stir continuously and cook till the water is completely evaporated. Add the semolina, but ensure no lumps are formed. Mix and cook till the mixture turns light brown.
At this stage, add the milk powder and khoya. Mix and cook till they get absorbed. Now add the caster or powdered sugar and mix it in. Then add all the finely chopped dry fruits and pure ghee. Mix all and cook till the oil gets separated. Garnish using silver leaf and finely chopped dry fruits
and serve.