New Delhi: Holi week is here and the countdown has started for celebrating the auspicious festival. Tales in mythology recount the origins of this festival which is celebrated with colours, forgetting social differences and enjoying good food.


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With vibrant colours of gulal making the air jazzy, Holi is also a festival when people savour on a gamut of scrumptious sweet dishes.


So, if you are planning to treat your family members with signature sweet delicacies, we have several suggestions.


1. Gujiya: It is a signature Holi dish, which is also known as Karanji. These are deep-fried dumplings prepared with maida, or suji with the stuffing of meva, crushed dried fruits, jaggery, and khoya. This appetizing dish is enough to satisfy your taste buds it is accompanied by a hot cup of masala chai (tea).


2. Puran Poli: An authentic Holi sweet, Puran Poli is a sweet buttery flatbread made with chana dal with the stuffing of jaggery, coconut, cardamom, and butter or ghee. When you return home after playing Holi, the heavenly bite of this piping hot scrumptious dish is enough to satisfy your cravings.


3. Bhaang (hemp) laddoos: This is one of the most loved and famous dishes of Holi. To prepare these at home, heat ghee in a pan and then add sugar along with mawa to it. Keep stirring the mixture until the sugar dissolves completely. Add almonds, cashews, pistachios along with hemp powder (not too much as it is an intoxicant) on top of the mixture and keep it cool. When the mixture cools down completely, prepare it in the shape of laddoo balls. Put them in the fridge for two to three hours and enjoy them later.


4. Thandai: Made from full-fat milk, sugar, almonds, kalimirchi, fennel seeds and little saffron, Thandai is also one of the most famous dishes enjoyed on Holi. This cold milk drink is prepared with a mixture of almonds, fennel seeds, watermelon kernels, rose petals, pepper, poppy seeds, cardamom, saffron, and sugar. You can prepare it in different flavours like coffee, rose, vanilla, or chocolate.


To prepare this dish, first, fry all the spices in a pan. After this, keep them soaked in water for approx two hours. Grind it in a mixer and make a paste. After that add full-cream milk to it. Prepare the liquid by pouring it in a muslin cloth and filtering it. Use rose leaves to garnish and serve chilled.


5. Ras Malai: Known as one of the yummiest sweet dishes to feast on the festival of Holi, Ras Malai is prepared by dipping spongy chenna balls in Rabri milk mixture. To prepare it, pour milk in a thick bottomed pan and heat it over medium flame.


When it comes to the boiling point, reduce the flame to low and add saffron strands. Stir it for around 15 minutes. Mix 1-teaspoon of cornflour with 1 tablespoon water and stir to avoid any lumps.


Add 3-tablespoons sugar, corn flour-water mixture and 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder. Cook it until sugar dissolves. Add the chenna balls and chopped dry fruits and cook for 4-5 minutes over a medium flame, so that the chenna absorbs the milk and gets the flavour.


Turn off the flame and cool it to room temperature. Place it in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours. Serve chilled by garnishing the dish with rose petals or saffron strands.


Now that we have got you all covered, feast and indulge in your favourite delicacies for this Holi and play safe.