Bengaluru

Of feasts and festivities

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Covid-19 may has played quite the dampener for many festivals this year. While pandal hopping or dandiya nights may not be possible this year, the same doesn't have to be the case for the customary special dishes the two festivals are known for. If you're missing your favourite malpua and rabdi or sabudana khichdi, fret not. We asked city chefs for some simple dishes you can make at home.

1) Malpua with rabdi

Ingredients:
Milk: 750 ml
Full cream milk: 350 ml
Flour: 0.7 gm
Sugar: 0.5 gm
Chopped almond: 0.05 gm
Chopped pista: 0.05 gm
Green cardamom: 0.05 gm
Oil for frying: 0.1 ml
Chiroji: 0.1 gm
Saffron: 0.001 gm
Fennel: 0.1 gm
Sweet mawa: 0.5 gm

Method

For the Rabri:

-Boil milk, scrape the sides and keep mixing the malai. Put the flame to low, then add sugar.
-Let it boil until it reduces to almost half. Keep scraping the sides and mixing. Mix the bottom to avoid burning,You'll can see the color change from white to cream.
-Now add saffron strands and cook for few more minutes until its thick and creamy. The rabri will thicken when it cools down, so switch off accordingly. Add pistachios (Keep some for garnish)
-See how thick it is after cooling down. Serve warm or chilled.

For the sugar syrup:
- Take sugar in a pan, add water to it and turn the heat on.
- Cook until it forms a sticky syrup.

For the Malpua:

-Take flour in a mixing bowl
- Now add khoya, grind fennel seeds using a mortar and pestle.
- Now add fennel seeds mixture and caradmom powder to the mixing bowl
Add required salt, crumble khoya, mix well. Add water little by little.
-Whisk it well and keep adding little by little to form a thickish batter.
-Take a deep curved ladle full of batter and add it to a pan containing oil. Shallow fry. - -Splash oil over the malpuas with the spatula for even cooking.
- Flip over and cook until golden brown.
- Now add the malpuas to the sugar syrup.Flip over and transfer to a plate
- Top with rabdi and chopped nuts

Recipe courtesy: Shailendra Singh Rana, chef, The Indian Canteen

2) Hariyali Sabudana Kichdi

Ingredients:

Sabudana or sago: 150 gm
Potato small dice: 50 gm
Curry leaves: 8
Mint chop: 100 gm
Coriander leaves chop: 100 gm
Green chili: 2
Chop ginger: 50 gm
Oil: 2 tsp
Raw peanuts: 2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 2 tsp
Salt: for taste

Method:

1. In a large bowl, add sabudana and wash it properly. Pour one cup water, let it soak for a few hours.
2. Once soft, drain off excess water, keep aside.
3. Blend the coriander leaves, mint, green chilies, and ginger into a paste, add a
drop of water to mix it properly.
4. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let
them crackle.
5. Follow it up by adding curry leaves, diced potatoes and saute for 3-4 minutes.
6. Add little salt and raw peanuts, cook for another 3-4 minutes, ensuring nothing
burns by mixing often.
7. Add the drained sabudana to the pan along with three tablespoons of the
haryali mix and salt to taste. Mix gently until combined.
8. Cook for 2-3 minutes until most of the sabudana pearls become translucent,
stirring minimally.
9. Remove pan from heat. Enjoy hot, plain, or with chilled dahi or lassi.


Recipe courtesy: Yam Bahadur Thapa, Asian Sous Chef, Brigade Hospitality Services Limited


3) Upvas ki chaat

Ingredients:

Thick curd: 1 cup
Sugar: 3 tbsp
Black salt: A pinch
Soaked sago (sabudana):  1/4 cup
 Potato: 1, boiled and grated
Green chillies: 2
Ginger: 1/2 inch
Rock salt: as per taste
Roasted cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Fresh chopped coriander leaves: 1 tbsp  
Roasted and chopped peanuts: 2 tbsp
Roasted cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Tamarind chutney
Mint chutney

Method:

-Whisk in the sugar, curd, black salt well and keep aside.

- Add soaked sabudana (soak for 3 hours minimum) in a large mixing bowl, add the potato, mix in the remaining ingredients of the sabudana vada and mix well.

-Shape the cutlet mix into round balls and then flatten them.

- Fry the vadas in well-heated oil until they are crisp.

- On the serving plate, add a bed of the sweetened curd, followed by a line of tamarind chutney and further with a line of mint chutney.

-With the help of a fork, pull stripes from the centre of the curd bed forming line patterns.

- Place sabudana vadas in between, pour in a spoon of the sweetened curd, tamarind chutney and the mint chutney from top.

- Top with a dash of roasted cumin powder, pomegranate seeds and fresh coriander.


Recipe courtesy: Sagar A Kataria, chef and entrepreneur, Agni Sagar

4) Fish Paturi

Ingredients:

Bhetki/Sea bass fillet: 500 gm
Sunrise Mustard powder: 50gm
Turmeric powder: 5 gm
Green chili: 10 gm
Mustard Oil: 100 ml
Full plantain leaves: 2
Salt: to taste

Method:

- Cut each fillet of sea bass into 65-70 gm steaks.
- Soak mustard powder in lukewarm water for 15 minutes.
- Grate the coconut and blend it into a smooth paste.
- Blanch green chilies and make a paste.
- Mix coconut paste, turmeric powder, green chilli paste, salt, and mustard oil.
- Marinate the fish in this mixture for 20 minutes.
- Steam the plantain leaves to make it malleable and easy to fold.
- Wrap the fillets in the steamed plantain leaves.
- Set the steamer, and place the parcels inside.
- Steam for 15-20 minutes.
- Serve with steamed rice.

Recipe courtesy: Subrata Haldar, chef, Jiyo Bangali

5) Gud ka halwa

Ingredients:

Ghee: 100 gm
Semolina: 180 gm
Whole wheat flour: 2 tbsp
Jaggery: 180 gm
Sliced almonds: 2 tbsp
Raisins: 2 tbsp
Water: 800 ml

Method:

- Add water and jaggery in a pan and warm it on a medium flame to make jaggery water, add raisins in the warm jaggery water to soak.
- Heat ghee in a kadai, add semolina, cook on medium flame till it turns golden brown, now add in the whole wheat flour and cook further for couple of minutes till the mix turns to dark brown in color.
- Add in the warm jaggery water along with raisins to the semolina mix and cook, stirring continuously till the halwa consistency is achieved.
- Cover with a lid and take it off the flame and rest for 20 minutes so the semolina blooms to the fullest.
- Garnish with sliced almonds and enjoy hot.

Recipe courtesy: Vikas Seth, chef and culinary director, Embassy Leisure

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