Light up your Diwali with these quick and easy recipes

With just a week to go, if you have pushed Diwali sweet preparations for the 11th hour and are racing against the clock, we tell you how you can beat the race with some crackling recipes that can be prepared easily. Popular home chefs share their quick and easy recipes to sweeten your Diwali fare.

A mithai punch to quench your thirst by Ananya Banerjee

This one is a real quick fix if you have sudden guests. Ananya says, “Normally, we have mithais lying at home during the festive season. Instead of serving the same to your guests, if you follow my recipe, people will think these are some fancy desserts from a fancy place. This is actually a clever recycling method and a cheat’s guide to turn the usual into the unusual.”

LAYERED MITHAI PUNCH

Ingredients:
2 Pedas
2 Kalakand
2 Motichoor ladoos
2 tbs Fresh cream
Pistachios and almond flakes for garnish

Method
Take two broad based glass bowls. Crumble the peda and layer it at the bottom of the glass. Mix the kalakand and cream well. This becomes your  ‘cheat rabdi’. Layer the i on the crumbled peda. Crumble the motichoor ladoo and layer on top of the i. Garnish with pista and almond slivers.

‘Gorge on coconut jaggery ladoos’ by Dolly Singh

Dolly has a special relationship with Kolkata. She says, “I love the versatility of coconut and distinct taste. I also enjoy the taste of palm sugar that I always get from visits back home to Kolkata. So, it’s like best of two worlds. The simplicity of the process keeps the real flavours of all the ingredients intact. And I can eat it even to suffice my everyday sweet cravings.”

GURER NARU (COCONUT JAGGERY LADOO)

Ingredients
3 cups Shredded coconut
1 cup Palm jaggery (you can use regular jaggery too)
2 crushed Elaichi
Some raisins (optional)
Ghee

Method:
Heat the jaggery and let it melt. In another pan take a half table spoon of ghee and add the shredded coconut, the crushed elaichi and raisin. Cook this on low flame. They should all come together and you can smell the cooked coconut. At this point, add the melted jaggery and fold everything together. Cook till all the moisture comes out and the whole thing becomes sticky. Don’t overcook or else it will start sticking to the pan. The ratio of coconut to jaggery is 3:1( you can sweeten it according to your preference). The mixture now needs to be moulded into balls when it’s still hot. If it cools down it will harden. Rub some ghee on your palms  and now take the mixture and roll it into round balls and place it on a plate. Once the balls are done you can keep it in the fridge for an hour or more and the ladoos are ready to serve.

‘Pair boondi with kheer for a sweet crunch’ Gitika Saikia

When you’re pressed for time this is a good recipe to try. Gitika shares, “All you need are three to four ingredients to surprise your family and guests. It’s easy-to-make and delicious too.”

BOONDI KHEER

Ingredients
1 litre Milk
2 cups Boondi
200 gms Khoya
Sugar as per taste
Some cashew nuts and almonds for garnishing
2 Cardamom pods

Method
Boil the milk and let it reduce by 25 per cent. Add khoya and stir. Now, add the sugar, allowing it to melt followed by the boondi. Give it a good mix and decorate with cashew nuts and almonds. Pour it in individual bowls or a single bowl. Allow it to cool in the refrigerator. Serve when your guests come. You can also add some chocolate shavings if you want.

‘For a bohri twist,’ Munaf Kapadia tells you what to do

Munaf Kapadia of The Bohri Kitchen shares a festive rice dish recipe. He says, “The pineapple jarda is made with basmati rice and tropical fruits like pineapple. It’s a quick makeshift dish in every bohri  household. Thanks to the addition of ghee, this sweet dish while easy to make is also rich and festive.

PINEAPPLE JARDA

Ingredients
2 cups Long grain basmati rice (soaked for at least two hours)
1 1/2 cups Sugar
Almonds blanched and cut into halves lengthwise
Fresh pineapple cut into small pieces (If it is not seasonal, you can use canned pineapple)
2 tbsp Pure ghee
A few strands of kesar (saffron) or saffron yellow colour
1/2 inch piece of Dalchini (cinnamon)
4-5 Lavang (cloves)
6-7 Elaichi (cardamom)
Juice of five lemons

Method
In a large vessel keep water to boil. After the water starts boiling, add 1/2 the lime juice and the soaked basmati rice. Remove the rice in a strainer after three boils (when semi-cooked). Soak all the garam masala in little water. In another big flat bottomed vessel heat the ghee, then add the soaked garam masala and cover immediately for the aroma to be retained. Then open the cover and add the saffron, pineapple, lemon juice, blanched and cut almonds, sugar, saffron colour, and one cup water. When the sugar melts in the water add the rice and mix well. Switch off the gas and let the rice soak in the sugar syrup with all the aromas of the garam masala, saffron and pineapple. Before serving, heat it on a tawa for at least 20 minutes. Garnish with more almond slivers.