The Festival of Colours is less than a week away, and as you get ready to douse yourself in vibrant hues to welcome the summer, there’s also that festive platter that you can look forward to. From savoury masala kachoris to piping hot malpuas and gujiyas and chilled glasses of bhang and thandai, to wash it all down. It’s rang barse time, and chefs have let this festive fervour inspire them to give their own spin to popular dishes consumed to celebrate Holi. Read on to find out what’s on offer.
Bhang in idlis
Yes, you got that right. This edible preparation of cannabis is generally consumed as a chilled beverage. However, Jerson Fernandes, executive chef at Hotel Sea Princess, has used it as a fermenting agent to create a string of mini idlis in different shades. He says, “I used natural food colouring agents obtained from fruits and vegetables to colour the idli batter and added some bhang as a fermenting agent to the idlis, tempering them with curry leaves, chillies and podi powder accompanied with chutneys and sambar.” And this is just the tip of the iceberg, as chefs have clearly gone out of the box with their interpretations of both savoury and sweet Holi delicacies.
Savour gujiyas with cream cheese
While we are used to gujiyas stuffed with khoya and dry fruits, fresh grated coconut is another variant of these popular sweet treats. Manu Chandra, chef partner Monkey Bar, says, “Gujiyas are a traditional Indian sweet made in homes across UP, Bihar, Rajasthan and Maharashtra during Holi. They are crescent shaped, sweet dumplings made with refined flour and filled with khoya and dried fruits, artistically sealed on the edges before being deep fried till crisp. In some parts of India, the filling of these crisp maida dumplings include fresh grated coconut which is added to the khoya, dry fruits and nuts, along with a hint of cardamom. The flaky, sweet dumpling on our ‘Holi High’ menu are inspired from this dish but stuffed here with cream cheese, almond and cashew nuts, topped with dry cranberry and dusted with cardamom sugar. Similarly the Khasta Matar Kachori is normally stuffed with spicy fresh peas and fried till crisp, you can have it here with a green pea and spicy soy stuffing.” While the Monkey Bar has chosen to do cream cheese filled gujiyas, the people at The Bombay Bronx, have gone the savoury way with a jalapeno and cheese stuffing.
Take a swig at Thandai shots
This milk-based drink is a popular beverage during Holi, and is clearly a hit with chefs too, who are dabbling with creating cocktails and desserts that are palate pleasers. As in the case of assistant bar manager Shankar Varli at Woodside Inn, Andheri. He says, “The word thandai comes from the word thanda (cool). It’s a refreshing milk-based drink, accented with bold flavours. Our concoction of thandai has almond milk, cardamom, hint of black pepper, dash of honey, topped with almond and pistachio flakes for a bite, since vodka is a neutral spirit we feel it goes well with the said combination.” If you think thandai shots are a bit out there, think again. There’s Tappa’s Thandai Iced Tea, which brings together two favourites — iced tea and thandai in one tall glass. And it’s not just cocktails, thandai is being used to create a new dessert flavour as a festive special.
A panna cotta with a twist
While we have tried thandai ice cream before, here you can see the desi drink get an Italian twist. Glyston Gracias, city chef at Impresario handmade restaurants, says, “Thandai is a traditional milk-based beverage associated with Holi. Since it arrives during the summers, it is a refreshing and an instant energising drink. We tried to create something unique with it and hence thought of using thandai instead of vanilla to make a panna cotta.” While brand chef Harman Sawhney at Hoppipola, went a step further to create thandai kulfi Panna cotta.
Clearly, innovation is key here.
Taxi thandai
Ingredients
- 60 ml In-house Baileys
- 8-10 Peeled and crushed almonds
- 3-4 Pistachios
- 50 ml Cream
- 2 tbsp Vanilla ice cream
- 10 ml Rose syrup
Method
Blend all ingredients together with a scoop of ice. Garnish on top with rose petals and a few crushed almonds before serving in an earthen cup.
Recipe courtesy: Mixologist Ami Shroff at London Taxi
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