The festival of colours is a visual treat. But when it comes to festivals in our country, most of the time, the food steals the show! This Holi, when most of you will try to avoid crowds and stay indoors as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus, you can indulge in colourful dishes. While colours spread joy, food takes the merriment a notch higher.  

Beetroot Puri
It is important to keep the kids happy and healthy and what better way than giving them attractive and healthy food?

 “Beetroot Puri is a hit with children. Beetroot is a seasonal vegetable which is available across the country and the fact that it adds a bit of flavour and, more importantly, a rich colour to any food item, children seem to love it,” says Praduman Bisht, executive chef, Marriott Suites Pune. 

Ingredients

• Beetroot...    500 gm
• Wheat flour.    ..1 kg
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying
• Saunf..    .20 gm

Method

• Make the beetroot puree adding saunf.
• Now mix the puree with flour, knead it nicely. Keep it aside for half an hour. 
• Then roll it into small round puris  and deep fry in oil.
• Serve the puris with spicy Aloo Ki Subzi.

(Recipe by Praduman Bisht, executive chef, Marriott Suites Pune)

Orange and Beetroot Tartlets with Almond Fig Crust
Holi celebrates the belief that Lord Krishna wore many colours as he played with his friends all across the village, getting the whole community involved. There are other stories and mythologies behind it but mostly Holi is a festival of fun and revelry. It’s a time when all people, regardless of caste or ethnicity, get together and welcome springtime and the bounty of the new harvest,” says Nicholas Fernandes, executive pastry chef, Ritz-Carlton, Pune.

 He adds, “The Ritz-Carlton, Pune, believes that Holi is a time to eat delicious foods that awaken the senses and make people happy. With the world moving towards a more conscious lifestyle, here’s a recipe — Orange and Beetroot Tartlets with Almond Fig Crust — that will help make your Holi celebrations healthier, fun and delicious. The tartlets can be cut into desired shapes and garnished with colourful garnish as per Holi theme.” 

Ingredients 
For crust

• Almond...    75 gm
• Figs...    160 gm

For cream

• Cashew nut..    .150 gm
• Beetroot, chopped.    ..40 gm
• Coconut sugar    ...25 gm
• Lemon juice    ...1
• Orange, peeled and chopped    ...1

Method
For crust

• Soak the figs in warm water for 30 minutes, until soft (if figs are soft and moist do not soak the figs in water).
• Drain out all the water, dry the figs on a paper towel.
• Pure the figs to make a thick paste, do not add any water to the mixture.
• Roast the almonds and crush it to fine bits in the mixer.
• Add the chopped almonds to the fig paste.
• Use this paste to line the tart ring. Make sure the tart has a removable base.
• Once the tart is lined let it rest in the fridge.

For cream

• Soak the cashew for 30 minutes. Once done, drain and make a paste in a mixer.
• Peel and chop the beetroot, and add it to the cashew paste in the mixer.
• Add the coconut sugar, lemon juice and orange.
• Blend the mixture together to make a fine smooth paste.
• Remove the mixture and fill the lined tart mould.
• Reserve some of the mixture for piping on top as per your liking.
• Garnish the tartlets as creatively as possible to relish the orange and beetroot flavours.

(Recipe by Nicholas Fernandes, executive pastry chef, The Ritz-Carlton, Pune)

Indian Pistachio Fudge

Holi desserts are made with so much love and enthusiasm. It is also a great way to exhibit one’s culinary skills. Particularly with this new wave of preparing fusion dishes, we see a wide variety of dishes being prepared for Holi,” says Joginder Singh, executive pastry chef, Conrad Pune, adding, “My favourite is the Indian Pistachio Fudge Pastry which is a  must try.” 

Ingredients

• For Pistachio Fudge Base
• Pistachio, roasted...    250 gm 
• Icing sugar...    90 gm
• Fresh cream...    125 gm
• White chocolate, 
• melted...    375 gm
• Unsalted butter.    ..75 gm

For Mascarpone Cheese Mousse

• Mascarpone cheese..    .156 gm
• Hung curd..    .35 gm
• Icing sugar...    65 gm
• Fresh cream.    ..62 gm
• Gelatin sheet...    9 gm
• Whipped cream.    ..312 gm
• Lemon juice...    25ml

Method and Assemble

• For the base, roast the pistachio and cool it. 
• Boil fresh cream and icing sugar together then pour over the melted white chocolate and make a ganache. Lastly, fold the roasted pistachio into the ganache and spread the mixture inlined frame for pastry and keep in the freezer for one hour. 
• Meanwhile, prepare the mascarpone mousse. First, soak the gelatin in water and let it bloom. Put the cheese, hung curd and icing sugar into a mixing bowl with paddle attachment and make it smooth (no lumps).
• Warm the fresh cream and add the bloomed gelatin and mix nicely, and pour the fresh cream over the cheese slowly. 
• Add the lemon juice. Lastly, fold the whipped cream into the above mixture and pour the cheese mousse over the fudge base and spread evenly with a palette knife and set for 8 hrs.

(Recipe by Joginder Singh, executive pastry chef, Conrad Pune)

Gujia
Since my childhood days, I have fond memories of this festival,” says Pramod Chougale, chef de cuisine, Sheraton Grand Pune Bund Garden Hotel. “The festivities at home and in the neighbourhood started almost a week in advance. While we, as kids, used to get busy collecting dry branches, twigs and leaves for the holy bonfire, mummy used to start preparing sweets and snacks at home. Over the years, while we no more collect stuff for the bonfire, the story in the kitchen, thankfully, remains unchanged,” he adds.  

Ingredients
All-purpose flour..    .4 cups

For Filling

• Khoya..    .200 gm
• Green cardamom, powdered..    .1 tbsp 
• Semolina..    .¼ cup
• Sugar..    .1 cup
• Almonds, finely chopped..    .1 tsp

For Dough

• Ghee..    .1 ½ cup
• Water..    .¼ cup

Method

• Take a bowl, add flour and water to make a soft dough. To accentuate the taste of this traditional recipe, add some ghee to the dough.
• To make the dough soft, knead well by sprinkling some water. Once the dough attains a perfect consistency, keep it aside for 60 minutes. In the meantime, take a deep-fry pan then saute khoya and semolina till it turns golden and keep it aside to cool.
• Add sugar, green cardamom and soaked almonds to the cooled khoya and mix well. To make this stuffing even more delicious, add some dry roasted nuts and raisins, this will add a nice crunch to the Gujiya recipe. 
• Moving on to the next step, take two drops of ghee or refined oil and spread it well on your palms.
• Then make small balls from the dough and make a cup-like-space in the balls to fill the sumptuous stuffing. After adding the filling seal corners in such a way that it secures the stuffing while frying the Gujiya. Roll the sides as per your choice of pattern.
• Heat ghee in a pan over medium flame. Fry the Gujiyas till golden brown from all the sides and serve it with some thandai and spicy pakoras. Garnish it with some saffron strands and crushed pistachios. You can also serve it with some rabri.

(Recipe by Pramod Chougale, chef de cuisine, Sheraton Grand Pune Bund Garden Hotel)