Add a dash of sweetness to your Raksha Bandhan celebrations

Ordering sweets, buying chocolates for your siblings are old rituals, try something unusual and out of the box this time. How about surprising them with your cooking skills? Prepare recipes like chocolate pops, panna cota and more under the guidance of culinary experts. Follow these steps and make this day memorable. Here are some recipes to try:

Barfi Chocolate Pops

Ingredients:

2 cup khoya

½ cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

1 &1/2 cup dark chocolate pellets

1/2 cup white chocolate pellets

Method:

Take a heavy bottom pan and add khoya to it.

Roast the khoya on a slow flame with sugar till sugar melts and the raw flavor of khoya disappears.

Switch of the flame and sprinkle in cardamom powder.

Transfer the contents to a mixing bowl and allow it to cool.

Then take a small portion of the khoya dough and roll between your palms to make a round ball. 

Freeze for 15-20 minutes.

Transfer the dark and white chocolate pellets into glass bowls separately and microwave individually for 30-40 seconds stirring in between till you achieve smooth melted consistency.

Take the khoya dough balls out of the freezer and dip them in the melted dark chocolate, coating from all sides.

Drizzle in melted dark or white chocolate on top of each pop.

Garnish with melted dark or white chocolate.

Kusha Mathur, sous chef, Welcomhotel Sheraton, New Delhi

Moong Dal Barfi

Ingredients:

1 cup Moong Dal – Grinded into fine powder

1 cup Ghee / Clarified Butter

1 cup Sugar

1 tsp. Cardamom Powder

1 cup Khoya

½ cup Pistachios – blanched

Method:

Take some moong dal to grind them into a fine powder, then strain it so that you’ll get the fine powder out of it

Now in a pan pour some ghee and stir fry the moong dal powder and let it cook.

It is important to stir fry it in low flame. So that it loses its raw flavour. While cooking it gives out a great aroma. Continuously stir fry the mixture. And then switch off the gas.

Now add one cup of sugar and add one tsp of cardamon powder for fragrance and flavour. Let the sugar melt and mix well in the mixture.

Then add one cup of khoya (Quick tip). Add khoya once the moong dal has turned golden brown and cooled down Or else the khoya might get burnt. Even though the gas is off, there’s enough heat for the khoya to melt and cook in.

Now the halwa is ready and cooked.

Now Grease a tray with ghee and pour the mixture in the tray and press it evenly with a spoon.

Let it cool down

Then garnish it with some blanched and chopped pistachios

Now refrigerate it until the barfi is completely cool and set.

Then remove the barfi from its sides onto a plate and cut it into square pieces and then serve. Enjoy!

Recipe by chef Ajay Chopra

Cardamom Panna Cotta

Ingredients:

Full fat milk 300ml

Whipping cream 300ml

Cardamom seeds 10gm

Castor sugar 70gms

Gelatine leaves (3 leaves)

Method:

Put the milk, cream, cardamom seeds and sugar in a heavy-based pan and bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and set aside for 30 mins to infuse.

Meanwhile, cover the gelatine in cold water and leave to soak for about 5 minutes, until soft and pliable.

Return the pan to the heat and warm the milk and cream mixture until almost boiling.

Remove the gelatine from the water, squeeze out the excess and add the gelatine to the milk mixture.

Stir until dissolved, and then strain through a fine sieve into a bowl.

Place the bowl over a bowl of ice to cool rapidly, and then pour it into 8 silicone or plastic moulds.

Place in the fridge for 3 hours, until set.

To Serve:

Turn out the panna cotta, place them in the centre of 4 plates and spoon the rose coulis around them.

Sprinkle with the ground pistachios and arrange the berries and strawberry chips on the coulis.

Decorate the panna cotta with a basil leaf and a scoop of rose kulfi.

Recipe by Kush Koli, head Chef, SAGA Gurugram

Mawa Cake

Ingredients:

Butter 500gms

Sugar 600gms

Egg Yolk 215gms

Cardamom powder 5gms

Flour 450gms

Almond powder 250gms

Salt1gms

Vanilla essence10ml

Mawa 250gms

Heavy Cream 215gms

Yoghurt 215gms

Baking Soda 5gms

Baking powder 5gms

Gulkand 100gms

Rabri 50gms

Dry rose petals 20gms

Method:

Mix flour, baking powder, soda, soft butter, castor sugar on slow speed.

Gradually add cream and curd, mix for 2-3 minutes on slow speed.

Add yolks and mix gently

Finally, add Mawa

Fill in baking moulds and bake at 170C for 25-30minutes.

Finishing:

Cover with Rabri.

Garnish with seasonal fruits and serve warm.

Rahul Chahar, executive pastry chef, Vivanta New Delhi, Dwarka