GANESH CHATURTHI / DIWALI SPECIAL!!
Just writing that has made me so happy and hyper that I can't wait for festival season to start so we can invite all our friends for feasting on the faraal (festival snacks).
For Ganesh Chaturthi, these sweetmeats are always made fresh, ON the day of the festival. It's an absolute joy, to wake up early morning on Ganesh Chaturthi day, take a bath, wear new clothes and get working in the kitchen with all the prayers playing in the background from pendals in different directions.
During Diwali, one doesn't have so much time in the morning to make these fresh, as there are a few pujas happening that day, and everyone is eagerly waiting to burst a lot of fire crackers. So, the week before diwali is a major cooking spree time! All the families make their special mix of festival snacks and are shared with the other family members and friends.
This is one of the festival specials; a nice crunchy, crispy shell, with a coconut and dry fruits stuffing.
It has an amazing combination of flavours as the outside is slightly salty, where as the stuffing is a beautifully caramelised cardamom and saffron flavoured coconut with a rich taste from crushed dry fruits.
As kids, we have always enjoyed making all these special snacks! My sister and I would be the cheapest and the most efficient labour, with the best of incentives - feasting on the freshly cooked sweetmeats. My mom, elder sister and me, worked as a human conveyer belt for all these cooking sessions. My sister would get the more responsible job of rolling out the shell and passing it to me for a much mediocre next level since I was still a kid AND would love to taste and re-taste a spoonful of the stuffing every time without being caught! Then next, I would place the stuffing in the centre, close and seal the shell and pass it to my mom, for its final stage of frying, and voilà! The final result would be as delicious as ever and the best time of the festival!
Hope you enjoy making it as much as we did!
Just writing that has made me so happy and hyper that I can't wait for festival season to start so we can invite all our friends for feasting on the faraal (festival snacks).
For Ganesh Chaturthi, these sweetmeats are always made fresh, ON the day of the festival. It's an absolute joy, to wake up early morning on Ganesh Chaturthi day, take a bath, wear new clothes and get working in the kitchen with all the prayers playing in the background from pendals in different directions.
During Diwali, one doesn't have so much time in the morning to make these fresh, as there are a few pujas happening that day, and everyone is eagerly waiting to burst a lot of fire crackers. So, the week before diwali is a major cooking spree time! All the families make their special mix of festival snacks and are shared with the other family members and friends.
This is one of the festival specials; a nice crunchy, crispy shell, with a coconut and dry fruits stuffing.
It has an amazing combination of flavours as the outside is slightly salty, where as the stuffing is a beautifully caramelised cardamom and saffron flavoured coconut with a rich taste from crushed dry fruits.
As kids, we have always enjoyed making all these special snacks! My sister and I would be the cheapest and the most efficient labour, with the best of incentives - feasting on the freshly cooked sweetmeats. My mom, elder sister and me, worked as a human conveyer belt for all these cooking sessions. My sister would get the more responsible job of rolling out the shell and passing it to me for a much mediocre next level since I was still a kid AND would love to taste and re-taste a spoonful of the stuffing every time without being caught! Then next, I would place the stuffing in the centre, close and seal the shell and pass it to my mom, for its final stage of frying, and voilà! The final result would be as delicious as ever and the best time of the festival!
Hope you enjoy making it as much as we did!
PREP TIME TOTAL TIME SERVES | 10 - 15 Minutes 25 - 30 Minutes 10 Karanjis |
INGREDIENTS Refined Flour Semolina Ghee Fresh Coconut Cardamom Powder Saffron Cashew nuts Sugar Milk Oil | QUANTITY 100 gms 30 gms 30 ml 100 gms, fresh, grated 1/2 tsp few strands 2 tbsp, chopped 60 - 70 gms 75 - 100 ml for frying |
RECIPE
Mix maida, ghee, rava and make a 'paratha' consistency dough using milk.
Mix together the grated coconut, sugar, saffron, cardamom powder and cashewnuts.
Cook this mixture on a low flame stirring frequently. Make sure it is cooked well, and has become almost dry.
Roll out little circular parathas of the dough, place the stuffing in the middle.
Rub very little milk on the edge of the paratha, fold the flap and press enough, to make sure the stuffing is well sealed.
Deep Fry.