Make your Mithais at Home This Festive Season

You can already smell the nip in the air. The weather is changing bit by bit, announcing the advent of our favorite time of the year- Festival time! Karvachauth, Dusshera, Eid, Diwali, Bhai Dooj, and so many more. Of course, the festivities are going to be subdued this year, all thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, but that doesn’t mean you cannot have your celebration at home, with your favorite mithais. Many of us may not want to buy sweets from outside just yet. Besides, isn’t it best to make your sweets for the festive season at home, using pure ingredients and ensuring they are preservative-free? We’re sharing some easy mithai recipes with you, which you can make from within the comfort of your home, at your own convenience and leisure.

1. Coconut Ladoos

Coconut ladoos are a popular Indian mithai. They are easy to make, which is also another reason for their popularity. All you need is a few easily available ingredients, and these will be ready in a jiffy. Ingredients: •1 tsp Ghee or Coconut Oil •1.5 cups tightly packed grated fresh coconut •¾ cup Sweetened Condensed Milk •¼ tsp Cardomom Powder Method: 1.Heat the ghee or coconut oil and add the coconut to it. 2.Stir and roast the coconut on low flame for 3-4 minutes to dry the coconut. You don’t need to brown it. 3.Add the condensed milk and the cardamom powder. Stir it well and let the mixture cook on a low flame. 4.As the mixture starts to thicken, keep stirring it regularly. 5.Once the mixture starts leaving the sides, and you see the fat on the sides switch off the flame. 6.Transfer the mixture to another bowl and let it cool. 7.Once cooled, rub a little ghee on your hands and roll the mixture into small balls and roll in fresh or desiccated coconut to lightly coat the ladoo. Tips: •In case the mixture is too loose, and you cannot form ladoos of it, put it back in the pan and cook for a little more time. •You can also use desiccated coconut instead of fresh coconut if you prefer. In that case, you will not need to roast the coconut. Just mix it with the condensed milk and cook. •If you prefer, you can also add nuts such as almonds or cashew nuts to the mixture when adding condensed milk. This imparts a wonderful crunch and flavor to the ladoos.

2. Besan Ladoos

I am yet to come across somebody who doesn’t love besan ladoos. This simple, sweet, rustic mithai is a favorite during all Indian festivals. In fact, why wait for the festive season to make these. Besan ladoos are a relatively healthy mithai, especially for children, since it contains besan and ghee. Ingredients: •2 cups Besan (gram flour) •½ cup Ghee (Clarified Butter), little more, if required •1 heaped cup Powdered Sugar or bura cheeni •1 tsp Cardamom Powder •Chopped almonds, cashews, raisins (optional) Method: 1.Dry roast the besan on low or medium-low flame for 10-12 minutes. 2.Keep stirring so that the besan cooks evenly. 3.The besan will have changed color slightly. After 12 minutes of roasting, add the ghee. 4.Continue roasting for another 12-15 minutes, while stirring continuously. 5.The mixture will start releasing ghee and will start to smell fragrant. It will leave the sides of the pan and will come together. This is a sign that the besan has been cooked well. 6.Once this is done, you can remove the pan from the stovetop and add the powdered sugar to it. 7.This step requires some hard work, but consider it exercises for those biceps. Mix the sugar vigorously so that it melts into the roasted ghee, and no lumps are formed. 8.Once this is done, you can add the cardamom and dry fruits and mix well. 9.Keep it aside for cooling. Once cooled, shape the mixture into ladoos and garnish with slivers of almonds or cashew nuts. Tip •The quantity of ghee may vary depending on the consistency and quality of the ghee. You may need to add a little more to shape the gram flour into the shape of a ladoo.

3. Kalakand

This sweet, soft mithai full of milky goodness tastes like drops of heaven. It comes across as a complicated mithai to make, which probably requires a lot of khoya and other ingredients. I’m going to share an easy-peasy recipe, which will not require any complicated or fancy ingredients. Ingredients: •4 tbsp Milk Powder •1/3 cup crumbled Paneer •½ cup Cream •1 tbsp Sugar •1 tbsp Ghee •1 tsp ground Cardamom •Chopped Pistachio and almond slivers Method: 1.Heat a non-stick pan on a stove with the ghee. 2.Mix all the ingredients together, except the dry fruit, in the pan on a low flame. 3.Cook while stirring, till the mixture thickens. 4.Once thickened, remove from the stove. 5.Grease a steel plate or tray and spread the mixture evenly. 6.Garnish with the chopped dry fruit and let it set. Cut into pieces when done.

4. Kaju Katli/ Kaju Barfi

Every festive season, we get loads of dry fruit. I love dry fruit such as cashews, pista, almonds etc., but after a point, there is a limit to the amount you can eat, distribute and store. This easy kaju katli recipe will come to your rescue and will get you loads of compliments as well. Ingredients •½ tsp Saffron (optional) •1 cup Cashews •½ cup Sugar •¼ cup Water •1 small pinch of Cardamom Powder •1 tsp Ghee (clarified butter) Method: 1.Grind the cashews to a smooth powder and sieve. 2.In a non-stick pan, take the sugar and the water. Add the saffron to this. Keep stirring on low flame till it forms a syrup of 1 string consistency. (Check by taking a drop between your thumb and forefinger. As you pull both apart slightly, the syrup should form 1 string between your fingers. Be careful, because the sugar syrup will be hot.) 3.Add the cashew powder to this and give it a good mix, on low flame. 4.Add the cardamom and continue to stir till the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan. 5.Add the ghee once it starts to form a dough. Mix well and switch off the stove. 6.Grease your hands with ghee and knead the dough for approximately 30 seconds. 7.Spread the dough on a greased tray or steel thali. Cover with butter paper and flatten slightly with a rolling pin, adjusting the thickness as per your liking. 8.Once it comes down to room temperature, then cut in diamond shapes. These are just some easy mithais you can make at home, with easily available ingredients, and without any preservatives. Many people prefer to make this at home for the festive season because you can try and use the best quality ingredients. So get cracking and have a ‘sweet’ festive season!  

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