From Pani Puri shots to Thandai, here are festive recipes you can make this Holi

The sight of this human, with its pink hands, green cheeks, red forehead, and yellow nose, might have raised doubts about his belonging to this at all if it weren't for this particular day! However, Holi is one of those occasions. This festival is one of our favourites. Not only do we enjoy being surrounded by a rainbow of colours, but we also enjoy the delectable delicacies that are unique to this occasion.

To immerse yourself and the loved ones around you in the festive of food and colours, take a look at festive recipes shared by Executive Chef Nandan More, Radisson Resort & Spa Lonavala.

Pani puri shots (04 types) 

Ingredients Quantity  

For flavour water  

Mint leaves ½ cup 

Coriander leaves ½ cup 

Green chili 1 no 

Ginger 01 piece  

Lemon 01 no medium size 

Sugar 02 table spoon 

Chaat masala pinch 

Black salt as per taste

Method of preparation:  

For masala  

Ingredients Quantity  

Mashed potato 01 no 

Chili powder 05 gm 

Salt As per taste 

1. Rinse coriander and mint leaves in water and take all the ingredients of pani.(water)

2. Add mint leaves, coriander leaves, green chilli, ginger and lemon juice (lemon juice is added  while grinding to prevent the mint leaves from turning dark) in the small chutney jar of a  grinder.

3. Grind until smooth paste, if required, add 1/4 cup water while grinding

4. Transfer them to a large bowl and add sugar, chaat masala powder, black salt and 4 cups  water. Stir with a large spoon and mix it properly. Taste for the salt and add as required. Pani  is ready; place it in a refrigerator for at least 1-hour before serving or use it at room  temperature.

5. Make three different colours of water after adding cranberry juice, curd, pomegranate juice and mango juice.  

Assembling of pani poori  

1. Take each puri and gently make a large hole on its top-middle side with a spoon or your  index finger or thumb for stuffing.

2. Stuff it with masala

3. And place then on the top of the glass. 

4. Serve them.

Thandai (03 types)  

Ingredients Quantity  

Water 01 cup 

Almond 03 tablespoon 

Pista 02 no 

Poppy seed 02 tablespoon  

Melon seed ¼ cup 

Rose petal 02 table spoon 

Fennel seed 01 tablespoon  

Whole black pepper ½ tea spoon  

Method of preparation:  

1. In a bowl, pour 1 cup of warm water 

2. Then add 3 tablespoons almonds, preferably rinsed 

3. Next add 2 heaped tablespoons pistachios, preferably rinsed. Instead of pistachios,  4. Then add 2 tablespoons white poppy seeds.  

5. Next add ¼ cup melon seeds.  

6. The next ingredient to be added is 2 tablespoons dried rose petals 

7. Add 1 tablespoon fennel seeds. 

Then add ½ teaspoon whole black pepper 

9. Mix very well. Cover and keep aside for minimum one hour or 2 hours. if you use water at room  temperature, then you can also keep overnight or for 4 to 5 hours 

10. In the below photo the Thandai mixture after 90 minutes. 

11. Now pour the whole mixture including the soaking water in a grinder or blender jar. Do make  sure to use a good grinder or blender 

12. Add ½ cup sugar 

13. Then add seeds from 3 to 4 green cardamoms 

14. Next add 1 pinch saffron. Saffron is optional and you can skip it 

15. Grind the mixture to a very smooth and fine paste. Remove in a bowl and keep aside Take 4 tablespoons of the thandai paste in a glass.  

Add 1 cup of cold or chilled milk. You can also use half-half combination of milk and water.  16 Now you can make three different flavours from this basic thandai by adding saffron, extra rose  and extra pista in to it.

Aloo Tikki  

Ingredients Quantity  

For Aloo tikki mix  

Potato, boiled, peeled and mashed 04 no 

Turmeric ¼ tea spoon 

Ginger powder ½ tea spoon 

Cumin powder ½ tea spoon 

Kashmiri red chili powder ½ tea spoon 

Chaat masala ½ teaspoon 

Amchur powder ½ teaspoon  

Chopped coriander ¼ chopped  

Salt as per taste  

Rice flour 4-5 table spoon  

Other ingredients required  

Oil 3-4 table spoon 

Green chutney as per required  

Curd beaten ½ cup 

Tamarind chutney as per required  

Chaat masala as per taste  

Black salt as required  

Method of preparation  

1. Rinse and then take 4 medium potatoes in a 2-litre pressure cooker. Also add ½ teaspoon  salt. Add enough water just about covering the potatoes.

2. Pressure cooks for 4 to 5 whistles on medium flame or till the potatoes are softened and of a  mashable consistency.

3. When the potatoes become warm, peel them and mash well. Let the mashed potatoes cool  completely.

4. Then add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon ginger powder, ½ teaspoon cumin  powder, ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder, ½ teaspoon chaat masala and ½ teaspoon  dry mango powder.

5. Then add ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves and salt as per taste

6. Add 4 to 5 tablespoons rice flour. mix very well, Check the taste and add more chaat masala  or red chilli powder or dry mango powder or salt if required. Make medium sized balls from  the aloo tikki mixture. Shape or flatten them in to tikkis or patties.

7. Frying Aloo Tikki, Heat 1.5 to 2 tablespoons oil on a tawa or frying pan. Keep the flame to  medium and then place the aloo tikkis on the tawa or pan.

8. Begin to fry the aloo tikkis. when one side is golden and crisp, flip each tikki and fry the  second side, Flip the tikkis again when the second side is golden and crisp.

9. Flip once or twice more and fry till all the aloo tikkis are crisp and evenly golden, remove aloo tikki and place them on kitchen paper towels. For frying the next batch again add 1.5 to  2 tablespoons oil and fry in a similar way.

10. Assembling And Making Aloo Tikki Chaat, In a bowl, take ½ cup of fresh curd and whisk till  smooth, Place 2 to 3 aloo tikkis in each serving plate or bowl. The aloo tikkis have to be hot  when you start assembling them.

11. Pour some curd as required, then drizzle some green chutney. Add as required, Now drizzle  some sweet tamarind chutney. Add as required.

12. Sprinkle two to three pinches of chaat masala and 1 to 2 pinches of black salt all over. At this  step you can add some sev, chopped onions and chopped coriander leaves.

13. Serve aloo tikki chaat immediately. 

ALSO READ: 5 Tantalizing Assamese chutney recipes that you must try