Nasuha Blog

Thandai is a drink often associated with Mahashivratri and Holi. It is made using dry fruits, spices and saffron. It is also called Sardai in some parts of the country and was traditionally made with a dose of Bhang in it. Even today, some people add the weed in it to make it intoxicating. This drink is very refreshing and a perfect summer cooler. My mom used to make Thandai every Holi and her recipe was appreciated every time. I am sharing her recipe of making thandai today. Here it is.


All you need is

Almonds \ badam - 10
Cashew nuts \ kaju - 10
Black peppercorns \ Kalimirch - 25-30
Raisins \ Kishmish - 10
Cardamom \ Choti ilaichi - 10
Poppy seeds \ Khuskhus - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds \ saunf - 1 tsp
Melon seeds \ Kharbooje ke beej - 1 tsp
Milk - 3 cups
Sugar - 1\4 cup
Saffron - a pinch soaked in a tbsp of warm milk
Rose water - 1 tsp
Rose petals and slivered dry fruits for garnishing


Method of preparation

Soak almonds, cashew nuts, peppercorns, raisins, cardamom, poppy seeds, fennel seeds and melon seeds in 1\2 cup water for 5-6 hours.
Grind in a blender to make a smooth paste.
Add little milk if required.
Add the remaining milk.
Pass the mixture through a soup strainer.
Add sugar, saffron soaked in milk and rose water and mix till sugar is dissolved.
Pour the thandai in serving glasses.
Garnish with rose petals and dry fruit slivers.
Serve chilled.

Hello readers. As promised, I am here with yet another Holi special recipe. Dahi vade is a must make for the festival of Holi. There was a time when I used to struggle with this dish and always had a hard center in my vadas. It was then that this recipe came to my rescue and although now I can make vada's with a soft and pillowy center, I wanted to share this recipe with all my readers. I use bread slice to make the center of the vadas and then coat them with the regular vada batter to get a more authentic taste. Trust me, no body till date have made out that vadas are made up of bread and you get a soft center every time. Sometimes I do not use the batter at all and just make vadas with bread. In that way their is no need of frying and the vadas are healthy yet delicious. Try the recipe this Holi. You will definitely love it. Here it is.


All you need is

For the vada

Bread slices - 20
Dhuli urad dal \ Split skinned black gram - 1 cup
Dhuli moong dal \ Split skinned green gram - 1\4 cup
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Green chili - 1\Salt - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1\2 tsp
Water - 1\2 cup
Salt - 1 tsp
Heeng \ asafoetida - 1\4 tsp
Oil for frying

For the stuffing of vada

Grated dry coconut - 2 tbsp
Broekn cashew nuts - 2 tbsp
Raisins - 2 tbsp
Pistachios - 1 tbsp ( chopped )

For soaking the vada

Water - 5 cups
Curd - 1 cup
Sugar - 2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Heeng \ Asafoetida - 1\4 tsp

For the topping

Fresh curd - 2 cups ( chilled )
Black salt - 1\2 tsp
Sugar - 2 tsp
Tamarind chutney - 1\2 cup ( recipe is here )
Roasted cumin powder - 1\2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1\2 tsp
Fresh coriander - 2 tsp ( chopped )
Pomegranate seeds - 2 tsp



Method of preparation

Wash and soak urad dal and moong dal in enough water for 6-8 hours.
Drain nicely.
Add soaked dal, ginger, green chili, baking soda, water, salt and heeng in the jar of a blender and blend together to make a coarse paste.
Take out the paste in a bowl and whisk it with a spoon or your hand till it is light and fluffy.
It will take 5-6 minutes.
Cut the corners of the bread slices.
Mix the ingredients of the filling in a bowl.
Keep a bread slice on your palm and slightly wet it with water from both the sides.
Keep a small amount of filling in the center and bring back the ends and make a round.
Slightly press the round.
Repeat the process with all the bread slices.
Heat oil in a pan.
Dip the bread vadas in the dal batter.
Slightly wet your palms and take out the vada on your palm.
Shape it with your fingers and drop it in hot oil.
Simmer the heat.
Fry all the vadas till golden brown on medium heat.
Remove the vadas on a plate lined with kitchen towel.

For soaking the vada

Mix all the ingredients for soaking the vadas in a big bowl.
Once all the vadas are fried and you are ready to serve, just soak them in this mixture for 5 minutes.
Do not over soak as the bread inside will become soggy.

For serving the vada

Take out the vada from the soaking mixture.
Gently press it between your palms.
Arrange them on a serving plate.
Whisk curd with black salt and sugar.
Pour the curd over the vadas.
Pour the tamarind chutney on top.
Sprinkle roasted cumin powder and red chili powder.
Garnish with fresh coriander and pomegranate seeds.
Serve chilled.

Note.

You can also make bread ke dahi Vade by not using the dal at all.
In that case, just cut the corners of bread and fill the filling in the same manner.
Arrange the filled bread on the serving tray and do the topping in the same way.
No need to soak the vadas.
These dahi vade also taste great and are healthy also as no frying is required.

Holi is one of my favorite festival. Apart from getting drenched with colored water and putting gulal on everyone, I love the food that we get to eat. When we were kids, my mom used to make different types of snacks for the festival.There were a few which she made throughout the year, but a lot of them were this festival specific. Gujiya, gajar ki kanji, aloo ke chips, aloo ke papad and papdi were only made once a year on this festival. After I got married, my mom always send me my share every year, so I never tried my hands on these things and never cared to learn the recipe. But last year, I tried them with my mothers guidance on phone and got them perfect. I always thought, making gujiya is a tedious and difficult process, but after making these, I can bet any novice cook can try them and get a good result. I posted  this recipe on my other blog Whiskaffair last year, but sharing it here too. Go ahead and give this recipe a try. Here it is.



All you need is

For the dough

All purpose flour\ maida- 4 cups
Ghee\ clarified butter- 1 cup ( melted )

For the filling

Khoya- 200 gm
Grated dry coconut- 2 cups
Chironji-1\2 cup
Raisins-1\2 cup ( chopped )
Caster sugar\ bura-200 gm
Cardamom powder-2 tsp

For sealant

All purpose flour\ maida-2 tbsp
Water- 2 tbsp

Ghee for frying



Method of preparation

For the dough

Mix melted ghee with all purpose flour and rub with your palms.
Knead a soft dough using water.
Cover and keep aside.

For the filling

Break the khoya into small pieces and fry till pinkish in color.
Let it cool and then add grated coconut, chironji, raisins, caster sugar and cardamom powder.
Mix well.

For sealant

Mix all purpose flour and water in a bowl.

To make gujhiya

Knead the dough for a minute.
Divide it into 40 pieces.
Roll  each piece into a 4 inch disc.
Keep the rolled disc in a plate covered with damp cloth.
While rolling the dough, keep the remaining dough covered.
Keep the rolled disc in the gujhiya mold and fill it with 1 and 1\2 tsp of filling.
Apply the sealant on the borders and press the mold.
Remove the extra dough from around.
Remove the gujhiya from the mold and store in a plate covered with damp cloth.
Make all the gujhiyas in the same way.
Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan.
Deep fry the gujhiyas on medium flame till lightly browned.
Let the gujhiyas cool before storing them in a airtight container.
Finish within a week.

Mathri is a snack which is mostly found in all Indian homes and is enjoyed with morning or evening tea. There are many variations to make mathris and each house has it's own recipe passed on through generations. In the earlier times when there were so little ready made options available, home made snacks were relished with great pleasure. I remember having a small cabinet in my dining room specially used to store all the home made snacks and pickles. Ladoos, mathris and home made namkeens were always there along with a range of pickles. When the festivals approached, this cabinet used to be packed with variety of stuff which was made specially during that particular festival. Now that holi is around the corner, I thought to make all the special treats that we enjoyed as a kid during this time. The list is long and I will try to make maximum number of things, but to start with here is the easy recipe of crispy and crunchy Methi mathris which can be stored for a few days in an airtight container. You can make it a few days ahead of the festival and save yourself some time. Here is the recipe.



All you need is

Maida \ All purpose flour - 2 cups
Sooji \ Semolina - 1 tsp
Fresh methi leaves - 25 gm ( Finely chopped ). Or you can 2 tsp kasuri methi if fresh methi is not available.
Green chili - 1 ( Finely chopped )
Salt - 1 and 1\2  tsp
Ajwain \ carom seeds - 1\2 tsp
Oil - 1\4 cup and for frying
Warm water for kneading



Method of preparation

Mix maida, sooji, methi leaves, green chili, salt, ajwain and 1\4 cup oil in a pan.
Mix well with your finger tips.
Knead with warm water to make a tight dough.
Cover and keep the dough aside for 10 minutes.
Make small balls from the dough and press them between your palms to flatten them.
Roll the mathris slightly with a rolling pin.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan.
When the oil is hot, add the mathris and simmer the heat.
Do not overload the pan. Fry the mathris in small batches.
Fry the mathris on low heat till golden brown from both the sides.
It will take 15-20 minutes to fry one batch.
Remove the fried mathris on a tissue lined plate.
Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 15 days.