Category Archives: Holi Special

Badushah (Balushahi)

As we all know, Indian sweets are one of the most important delicacies to celebrate any occasion. Badushai a.k.a Balushahi is one of the traditional Indian sweets that is famous across India, specifically in Southern India. This sweet is made on festivals such as Diwali and Holi. It is made from stiff dough, all purpose flour, yogurt(curd), and butter which is deep fried in oil and then soaked in sugar syrup. It is more or less similar to doughnuts however more crispy, puffy and flaky in texture. Though this sweet dish takes time to prepare, it’s worth the taste and satisfaction. It comes out best when prepared at low heat so that it cooks well.  

Methi Papdi

Papdi is a crunchy salty Indian cracker which goes well as a tea time snack. It is also used to prepare mouthwatering papdi chaat. It is served to guests during festivals like Diwali or Holi and once prepared can be stored for 2 weeks in air tight containers. The main ingredients for this recipe are all purpose flour, wheat flour, and methi (fenugreek).You can either deep fry the papdi or bake it, I have tried both and both come out very crispy. You can either use roasted methi or fresh fine chopped one. Enjoy this snack with your family and friends. 


Dates & Nuts Gujiya

Gujiya is a one of very popular festive season sweet snacks in Northern part of India. It’s generally made during festivals like Diwali or Holi, however it is readily available in sweet shops but homemade always better. There are many kinds of Gujiyas based on the filling in it, like milk mava, rava, coconut with nuts and so on. This Gujiya recipe is made from filling of dates and nuts and flavored with cardamom powder. The outer layer is crispy and flaky. In sweet shops you can also find  Gujiya which are dipped in sugar syrup. Enjoy this very tasty Gujiya though keep in mind the calories. 

Papdi Chaat Basket

Chaat, just hearing the word makes your mouth water. This tangy street food is very famous all over India and loved by everyone. There are many types of chaats like samosa chaat, dahi poori chaat, chana kachori chaat, aloo tikki chaat and so on. I have already shared papdi & papdi chaat recipes earlier. This is a variation to the actual papdi chaat as I have added mini papdi baskets instead of plain papdi. Mini papdi basket is made using all purpose flour, rava and some carom seeds. I have used vegetable shortening however you can use butter or ghee instead. In order to make crispy crunchy papdi baskets, the dough should be tight and after adding shorting it should be mixed very well. To give it a basket shape, I have used mini tin tart molds. The basket can also be baked instead of deep fried. This recipe is a perfect finger food for your gatherings or parties. The papdi basket can be prepared ahead of time and stored in air tight containers to keep it crispy.

Mix Veg Pakora

Pakoras are mouthwatering snacks and everyone loves it. Pakora recipe is very simple recipe. Mix of veggies coated with besan (gram flour) & spices batter and deep fried. Specially on a rainy day it goes very well with a cup of masala tea. There are varieties of pakora recipe like Poi Leaves Pakora, Spinach Pakora, bread pakora, onion pakora, paneer pakora, chili pakora and so on.  The process of making all of them are similar however with little tweak depending on main ingredient. This recipe uses mix of vegetables like Lauki (bottle gourd), Baingan (brinjal), Zucchini, Potato, Bhindi (okra) for pakora. You can add any of your favorite vegetables. Pakora can be prepared on any occasion or just as a tea time snack. Adding rice flour makes pakora more crispy. The spicy pakora when served with tamarind & mint-coriander chutney tastes awesome.

Chane Ki Kachori

Khasta Chane ki kachori is a mouthwatering snacks item famous in northern part of India. There are variety of Kachories like  Moong daal Kachori, Matter ki  Kachori, Sattu ki Kachori and so on an it all depends on the stuffing. Chane ki Kachori is made with spicy kala chana fillings in Kachori which is very Khasta & tasty. Kachori’s are nice tea time snacks and are made to the occasions as well. Kachori’s are served with coriander & mint chutney or date & tamarind chutney. One can make Chana kachori chaat by adding sweet yogurt and khatti meethi chutney. To make it easier at last minute, you can prepared the kachori balls in advance and roll and fry when you plan to serve.

Poi Leaves (Malabar Spinach) Pakora

Poi leaves are also called as Malabar Spinach or Basella Spinach and generally available in Indian grocery stores or Asian market. Poi leaves are glossy, broad, deep green and thick. The pakora/bhajji made from Poi leaves tastes awesome and goes very well as snack item with tea.  It can be prepared in both way either shallow fry or deep fry. In fact you can bake as well if you are worried about oil. However the best taste is in deep fried as always.

Sweet mathri & Shakkar Para( Khurma)

Sweet Mathri & Khurma is a delicious sweet snacks item and made on festive occasions. It is very famous northern part of India. Sweet mathri also known as Khurma is made with all purpose flour, butter/ghee, deep fried and coated with sugar syrup. It’s very crunchy, and tastes yummy. Kids love it as a sweet, obviously not very healthy but occasionally it’s fine to indulge into.