Raksha Bandhan will be celebrated on August 3. Rakhi holds a lot of importance in India and among Hindus across the globe. It is celebrated for brothers and sisters to strengthen their bond of love and care they hold in hearts for each other. On this day, Sisters tie a sacred thread or a colourful special band, rightly called the ‘Rakhi’ on their brothers’ wrist as a mark of affection, sisterly love, and sublime sentiments.
Apart from the religious significance, the day offers a reason for the loved ones to meet and exchange gifts and shower love on each other. Those siblings who don’t have a brother rachis are usually tied on their elder sister’s hand or celebrated with friends and distant relatives especially if it’s a single child.
Indian festivals are incomplete without sweets or mithai. Be it Diwali, Eid or Christmas, sweets are a must. Most of the Indian Sweets are made up of milk and ghee. None of the Indian festivals are complete without its essence. In India, Sweets signify prosperity, happiness, and affection.
This year, the festival of love and affection between siblings will be celebrated differently. Due to the widespread of the deadly coronavirus, people are preferring to prepare sweets at home.
Here are some mouth-watering sweet recipes easy to prepare at home:
Rabri:
Ingredients:
- Milk
- Full cream
- ½ Sugar
- 4-5 green cardamoms
- 12-15 almonds
Method:
- Boil the milk in a wide, heavy-based pan.
- Add the sugar and cardamom and simmer over low heat.
- Do not stir too often, as a layer of cream should form over it.
- After the layer is formed, push it away from the sides towards the center, stir the milk below it gently to avoid scorching.
- Repeat the process until one-third of the volume of milk is left.
- The time taken will depend on the richness of the milk and the vessel.
- The wider the vessel and the richer the milk, the faster it will thicken.
- When done, the colour changes to a beige-cream, and the cream that was pushed aside, collect in layers.
- Remove from heat. When cool, transfer to a serving dish.
- Garnish with vark leaves(silver leaves) and nuts. Chill and serve.
Milk Cake:
Ingredients:
- Milk: 8 cups
- Lemon juice: 1 teaspoon
- Sugar: ½ cup
- Ghee: 1 tablespoon
Method:
- Let the milk to boil in a heavy pot.
- Let it reduce to half.
- Add lemon juice. Milk will start to curdle. Do not use more lemon juice, otherwise milk will get separated into two portions, solid white and water. It should just curdle little. If milk water is more, you may take out little water from it and cook the rest of the thick portion.
- Add sugar and ghee and mix continuously.
- Cook till milk water is completely evaporated. Gently stir thought out the process.
- Turn off the heat.
- Immediately transfer this to a square cake pan. Cover it with foil paper. Let it sit for 2-3 hours.
- Remove the cover and cut it into square or rectangular pieces.
Moong Dal ki Barfi
Ingredients:
- Moong dal – 1 cup (200 grams) (washed)
- Sugar – 1 cup (250 grams)
- Mawa – 1 cup (200 grams)
- Ghee – 3/4 (150 grams)
- Pistachios – 1 tbsp
Method:
- Wash moong dal and soak in water for 3 hours. Strain dal and grind with the help of a mixture grinder.
- Preheat ghee in a pan and add ground dal into it. Stir dal constantly and cook on low-medium flame. Color of dal will change on roasting. Ghee starts separating from dal and it smells delicious. Dal is cooked. It takes 25 minutes for roasting dal. Remove wok from flame.
- Now roast mawa in a nonstick pan and keep the flame low. Now mix moong dal into it. Now prepare sugar syrup for making barfi. Take sugar and 1 cup of water in any utensil and place it on flame. When water starts boiling, cook for 1-2 more minutes. Sugar syrup is now ready. (To add color to barfi you can also add some food color in sugar syrup).
- Peel cardamom and make powder and cut pistachios thinly. Add them in sugar syrup and mix. Now cook halwa in low flame and stir constantly until it thickens inconsistency. Mix cardamom powder into it. Mixture is ready, turn off the flame.
- Grease plate with some ghee and pour mixture over it. Spread evenly. Sprinkle chopped pistachios and press them gently. Within 2 hours barfi will get set. Now cut this mixture in square pieces. Moong dal barfi is ready. Store it in airtight container and place in the refrigerator. Relish eating it up to 8-10 days.
Kalakand:
Ingredients:
- Full Fat Milk
- Cardamom Powder
- Chopped Almonds And Pistachios
- Ghee / Butter
- Ice-Cold Water
- Lemon Juice Or White Vinegar
- Saffron Strands
- Sugar
Method:
- Make chena (cottage cheese).
- Reduce milk by boiling.
- Add chena to the milk.
- Reduce milk by cooking it further.
- Add sugar and cook again.
- Flavor with cardamom and pour this mixture to the greased tray.
- Garnish with some nuts and let it set.
- Slice kalakand into desired pieces and your kalakand is ready.
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