Chef Sanjeev Kapoor rediscover's childhood joy with traditional Holi dishes

The festival of Holi is not just about colours and food, it is of memories built over the years. For people born in 70s, 80s, and 90s, the festival has changed over the years, where intimate gatherings have turned into larger parties, and traditional foods have been replaced with artisanal treats, baked goodies, and air-fried indulgences. Amidst all this transtiton, celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor takes you to the old school Holi celebrations, where Holika Dahan used to lit up the sky with bonfires and the aroma of deep-fried gujiya, bhalla, and kachori ruled the colony lanes, bringing people together. The celebrity chef recalls those days and shares classsic and traditional Holi dishes, which are a must-try.​

Ingredients: 2/3 cup khoya, 1 cup refined flour, 3 teaspoons ghee, oil for frying, 1/2 cup dried figs, 1/2 cup seedless dates, 10 cashewnuts, 10 almonds, and10 walnuts

Method: For the pastry, sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the ghee with your fingertips till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add one-fourth cup and one tablespoon of cold water and knead into a stiff dough. Cover with piece of damp muslin and set aside for fifteen minutes. For the filling, heat a non-stick pan; add the khoya and sauté for three minutes or till the fat separates. Set aside to cool. Add the figs, dates, cashew nuts, almonds and walnuts, and mix well. Divide into twelve equal portions. Divide the dough into twelve equal portions and shape into balls. Roll out each ball into a puri. Place one portion of the stuffing on one half of the puri, lightly moisten the edges, fold the other half over the stuffing and press the edges to seal. Pinch the edges to make a design. Heat sufficient oil in a non-stick kadai; gently slide in a few gujiya at a time, and deep-fry for five to six minutes or till golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper and store in an airtight container when completely cold.

Ingredients: 1 cup split skinless black gram, 1 cup sweetened yogurt (dahi), ¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing), 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, salt to taste, oil for frying, date-tamarind chutney for drizzling, 1 tbsp roasted cumin powder, 1 tbsp black salt, 1 tsp red chilli powder, and 2 tbsp coriander leaves

Method: Blend split black gram along with some water into a smooth and thick batter. Transfer in a bowl. Add asafoetida, cumin seeds and salt and mix well. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai. Put in portions of batter and deep-fry till golden brown and crisp. Drain in a bowl of water and soak for 5 minutes. Squeeze out excess water from the soaked vadas and place in individual serving bowls. Pour some sweetened yogurt, drizzle some date-tamarind chutney and sprinkle some cumin powder, black salt and chilli powder. Serve garnished with coriander leaves.

Ingredients: 1 litre milkm 300 grams sugar, 1 gram saffron (kesar), 30 grams refined flour, and 500 gms ghee

Method: Boil milk in a heavy-bottomed pan till it is reduced and reaches a coating consistency. Reserve thirty grams of sugar and make one-string sugar syrup with the rest of the sugar. Dissolve saffron in a teaspoon of hot milk. Add it to the sugar syrup. Cool the reduced milk and add refined flour and the reserved sugar. Mix well and make a batter of pouring consistency using a little milk if required. Keep aside for three hours. Heat ghee in a wide mouthed flat-bottomed kadai. Pour a little batter to form a pancake. Pour hot ghee over it and turn over. When both sides are properly done, drain and immerse in the sugar syrup. Serve warm.

Ingredients: 2 cups refined flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp soda bicarbonate, 2 cups urad dal, 1 tbsp ginger, 2 green chillies, 2 tbsp cashews, 2 tbsp raisins, 2 tbsp ghee, 1 tsp hing, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp chilli powder, 1/2 tsp fennel powder, salt to taste, sugar to taste, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and oil for frying
Method: Sift the flour, salt and soda bicarbonate together. Add oil and mix well. Knead into a soft dough using sufficient water. Cover with a moist cloth and set aside. Soak the urad dal in two cups of water for an hour. Drain and coarsely grind using a little water. Peel, wash and finely chop ginger. Remove stem, wash and chop green chilli. Roughly chop cashewnuts. Wash raisins and pat them dry. Heat ghee in a kadai and add the ground dal, ginger, green chilli, asafoetida, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, fennel powder, cashewnuts and raisins. Cook till all the moisture has dried up. Add sugar, salt and lemon juice. Mix well and remove off the heat, let the mixture cool. Divide into sixteen portions. Divide the flour dough into sixteen equal balls. Roll out into small puris so that they are thinner around the edges and thicker in the centre. Place a portion of stuffing in the centre and bring the edges together to form a ball. Flatten slightly. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai and deep fry kachoris on low heat for three to five minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Serve with tamarind chutney.

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