Celebrate Holi With These 5 Amazing And Delicious Holi Recipes With A Twist

It is that time of the year when streets are draped in a plethora of vibrant colors and both children and adults don't need an excuse to drench their near and dear ones with generous sprays from the water gun. And, as in all Indian festivals, food plays an important part in the festivities.

Think Holi, and you immediately think of gujiyas, pakoras, thandai and kachoris. While we all love these treats, let's try something unique this Holi festival. We give you some exclusive recipes that pay tribute to traditional preparations, but with a modern take. Try these amazing recipes with a twist and your loved ones will be asking for more.

1. No-Bake Thandai Cheesecake Shots

This Holi serve a thandai-inspired dessert in style, and the kids will love it.

Ingredients:

• 10-12 digestive biscuits
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup chilled fresh cream
• 1 tsp saffron, mixed with 2 tbsp warm milk
• 2 tbsp thandai powder (available in stores)
• Few pistachio and almond slivers for garnishing

Method:

1. Crush the digestive biscuits well either with a rolling pin or in a mixer, mix it with 1 tbsp melted butter, and tightly layer this mix at the bottom of shot glasses
2. Whip the cream cheese and sugar together with an electric beater
3. Add saffron mixture to this and set aside
4. In another bowl, whip up the fresh cream till it is very light and forms soft peaks.
5. Now, blend in the whipped cream in batches with the cream cheese mixture using the cut and fold method, so that the lightness of the cream remains
6. Now put this mixture in a piping bag and pipe in shot glasses and decorate with pistachio and almond slivers
7. Let it chill for at least 3-4 hours before you serve

2. Chaat Canaps

It is a tradition to serve chaat during Holi. We give you a super-tasty, modern version.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp semolina
• cup carrot puree
• tsp baking soda
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp red chili powder
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 cup green peas parboiled
• cup boiled black chana (chickpeas)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
• 1 green chili, finely chopped
• 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
• Saunth chutney (Dates and Tamarind chutney) to taste
• Green chutney to taste
• 1 cup Sev
• Juice of two lemons
• Fresh coriander leaves chopped

Method: 

• Mix together the flour, semolina, baking soda, 1 tsp red chili powder, and salt to taste. To this, add 2 tbsp ghee and rub between your palms, so that the flour gets a breadcrumbs-like texture.
• Now, add carrot puree and mix well, then start adding some water to knead the dough. Prepare a soft and smooth dough and let it rest for one hour in the fridge.
• Roll the dough into a sheet of 1/4th inch thickness and cut out some roundels large enough to fit in mini tart shell molds. Put these in the tart molds and remove the excess from the sides. Prick the dough all over and prepare all the canaps in the same way.
• Bake these mini tarts in a preheated oven at 160 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until they turn crisp and brown from all sides.
• Take them out and let cool
• Now, prepare the filling. In a large bowl, mix together green peas, chana, onion, tomato, chutneys, cumin powder, salt, and red chili powder to taste. Finally, drizzle lemon juice and mix everything well
• Fill the mixture in prepared canaps just before serving and garnish with sev and chopped coriander leaves

3. Minty Strawberry Mojito

After a day of fun and frolic in the sun, this cooling drink will be a perfect end to Holi celebrations

Ingredients:

• 10-12 strawberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 12-14 fresh mint leaves
• Juice of two lemons
• Few lemon slices for garnish
• A glass of soda

Method:

• Puree strawberries with sugar in a blender jar, then add mint leaves and lemon juice and blend again; reserve some mint leaves for garnish
• Fill half the glass with this mixture; then pour soda and add ice cubes as desired
• Garnish with a lemon slice and mint leaves

4. Cheesy Spinach Bombs

Holi is incomplete without pakoras, but we have a cheesy version that will pack a punch.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup spinach puree
• 1 cup gram flour (besan)
• 1/2 cup semolina
• Salt to taste
• Red chili powder, to taste
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tbsp curd
• Few cubes of mozzarella cheese

Method: 

• Mix together gram flour, semolina, salt, chili powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder. Add spinach puree and curd to this and mix well
• Keep the mixture aside for 10 minutes, after that if the mixture seems too thick then add some water and mix well, it should be like a pancake batter
• Heat the paniyaram pan and add few drops of oil to each cavity
• Then pour a tsp of spinach mixture in each cavity filling only half of the space in each cavity.
• Then put one cheese cube in each of them and cover it again with the spinach mixture
• Cover the pan and let them cook on medium heat for 2 minutes and then flip over
• Again cover and cook. After two minutes cook them open to get the crispy outer layer
• Serve these with green and sweet chutneys, topped with sev for an awesome chaat experience.

5. Pomegranate Thandai 

This is an amazing version of the regular thandai drink served during Holi

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
• 10-12 almonds blanched and peeled
• 7-8 cashews soaked for 2 hours
• 8-10 pistachios blanched and peeled
• 3 glasses full-fat milk
• 2 tbsp melon seeds soaked
• 2 tbsp poppy seeds soaked
• 1 tsp saffron strands mixed with 2 tbsp warm milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4-5 green cardamoms
• 10-12 dried rose petals
• 4-5 black peppercorns

Method:

1. Take 1 cup of pomegranate juice in a small saucepan and reduce it over medium flame to its original volume and keep aside to cool
2. Grind together almonds, cashews, pistachios, melon seeds, and poppy seeds in a mixer, add little milk if required to make a fine paste
3. In another mixer jar, powder together green cardamom, peppercorns and dried rose petals and keep aside
4. In a pan, boil the milk and cool it. Then, add the remaining one cup of pomegranate juice to the milk. Add the prepared paste and powdered ingredients and mix well
5. Lastly, add the saffron milk and mix again. Then chill it well in the fridge
6. For serving, pour the pomegranate reduction in the bottom of the glass and drizzle some of it on the sides of the glass as well. Then pour the prepared thandai.
7. Garnish with a few saffron strands and pistachio slivers.
   
   Also read: Useful Tips for Parents to Keep their Children Safe this Holi