Snacks of the festive season

Bengalureans share recipes of their go-to Deepavali treats

The festival of lights, Deepavali brings along with it a wide variety of traditional sweet and savoury treats. Metrolife brings you easy recipes for three traditional Deepavali snacks from the homes of fellow Bengalureans.

Karjikai/Karanji

This sweet treat filled with a mixture of nuts and dry fruits is also popularly known as gujiya across different parts of India. At dance and choreographer Neha Jain’s house, this sweet snack is a must-have every festive season. “Deepavali is incomplete without it. It is my granddad’s absolute favourite festive dish,” she tells Metrolife. Her family has been following the same recipe for generations.

Ingredients

21/2 cups all-purpose flour

4 tbsp ghee

½ cup poppy seeds

1 cup grated coconut

½ cup semolina

1 cup sugar

½ tsp cardamom powder

Ghee for frying

Method

Make a dough using maida and ghee. Add little water if necessary to knead the dough. Next, make the filling by dry-roasting poppy seeds and semolina on medium flame. To this, add grated coconut, sugar and cardamom powder. Mix it well together until everything is well-cooperated.

Roll out the dough into small circular shapes and add 1 tsp filling in the centre. Fold it in half to make a half-moon shape and crimp the edges.

Deep fry in ghee until golden brown.

Mysore pak

Mysore pak is one of the most popular sweets in Karnataka.

“Be it Deepavali, a wedding, baby shower or any other festival, this sweet will always be present. It’s my personal favourite,” says Kushal, a BCom student from the city.

This melt-in-the-mouth dessert can easily be made at home using simple ingredients.

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

½ cup water

1 cup gram flour

1 cup hot ghee

1 cup oil

Method

Firstly, in a large heavy-bottomed or nonstick frying pan, bring water and sugar to a boil. Keep stirring until sugar attains one-string consistency.

Keeping the flame low, add sieved gram flour little by little. Continue stirring to ensure no lumps are formed.

Next, take a ladleful of hot ghee and pour over the gram flour mixture. Stir it well until well incorporated.

Now, add another ladleful of hot ghee. The mixture should sizzle and start to froth at the top. Keep continuously stirring till all the oil is absorbed.

Repeat this process four more times, till the mixture starts to separate from the pan.

Once it reaches this stage, transfer the mixture to a greased tray of enough depth. This helps to continue cooking and get the authentic golden brown colour.

Once the mixture is lukewarm, cut into the desired shape and let it rest. Separate the pieces only after it is completely cool.

Khaja

This Marwari snack is a perfect companion for tea and mid-day munchies, says Priyal Surana, a portfolio manager. “We make these only once every year and all the ladies on the house get together to make them. The snack and the entire process of making it makes me very happy,” she says. The snack can be made either sweet or savoury with a few alterations.

Ingredients

1/2 kg maida

1 tbsp ajwain

1 cup ghee

1 tsp turmeric

2 cups warm water

Salt to taste

Method

In a bowl, mix together maida, ajwain, turmeric, salt and ghee.

To this add water little by little and form a dough. Do not add all the water. Add enough to make a semi-hard dough.

Once the dough is formed, let it rest for 20 minutes.

Next, roll small equal-sized circles and lay them on a cloth. Let them air dry for 30 minutes.

In a frying pan, heat oil and deep fry the round snacks until golden brown.

Let them cool completely before serving.