The festive season is the time to rummage through old recipe books or scour the internet for unique recipes to elevate the spread. While everyone makes puri, paneer sabzi, halwa, and other traditional dishes, you can make your meal stand out by experimenting with the ingredients to create one-of-a-kind recipes.
Neha Deepak Shah and Nehal Karkera, chefs at Stahl, shared some unique creations with Slurrp. For example, instead of serving regular boondi ladoo, you can serve sitaphal rabri. The recipes below will help you make this year’s spread more interesting and irresistible.
Image Credit: Stahl
Tender Coconut Kheer Recipe By Chef Neha Deepak Shah
Ingredients
- 1 tsp ghee
- 1/3 cup sama rice (barnyard millet)
- 2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup condensed milk
- 1/2 tsp elaichi (cardamom) powder
- Coconut malai (cream) from 1 tender coconut
- Nuts and rose petals for garnish
Method
- Heat the ghee over a low flame. Add the samak rice and toast it for about 30 seconds until it’s slightly fragrant.
- Pour in the milk and continuously stir to prevent it from sticking. Gradually add the condensed milk and elaichi powder.
- Cook the mixture for about 15 minutes, or until the samak rice is perfectly cooked and has absorbed the milk, creating a creamy texture.
- Once the kheer has cooled completely, add the tender coconut malai to the mixture. Stir well to combine all the flavours.
- Serve hot as is in the kadhai or if you prefer it chilled, pour the kheer into serving bowls and garnish with chopped nuts and rose petals for a festive touch.
Image Credit: Stahl
Anjeer And Badam Roll Recipe by Chef Nehal Karkera
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup grated jaggery
- 2 tbsp milk powder
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp chopped almonds
- 2 tbsp chopped cashews
- 1 tsp ghee
- For the Outer Fig Layer:
- 1.5 cups dried figs, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ghee
- 2 tablespoons poppy (khus) seeds (optional, for coating)
Method
- In a kadhai, add jaggery and cook on low heat until it melts completely.
- Add the almond flour, milk powder, chopped almonds, cashews, and ghee to the melted jaggery.
- Pour in 2-3 tablespoons of milk and cook the mixture on low heat, stirring continuously, until it forms a soft, slightly sticky dough that comes together.
- Remove from heat and let it cool slightly. Shape it into a log, about 6-8 inches long, and set aside to cool completely.
- In the same kadhai, add the chopped figs and ghee.
- Cook on low heat, stirring frequently, until the figs soften and most of the moisture evaporates, forming a soft, pliable dough. This should take around 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let the fig mixture cool completely.
- Once cooled, place the fig dough between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and roll it out evenly into a rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick.
- Place the almond log at one end of the rolled fig layer.
- Gently roll the fig layer over the almond log, pressing lightly to encase the almond mixture completely. Seal the edges well to ensure the filling stays intact.
- Let the roll set at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes.
- Roll the poppy seeds to coat the outside, adding a lovely texture.
- Slice the roll into 1/2-inch thick rounds and serve.
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Image Credit: Stahl
Sitaphal Rabri Recipe By Chef Neha Deepak Shah
Ingredients
For Rabri
- 1 litre milk
- 1/4 cup jaggery
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- Pulp of 1 sitaphal
For Garnish
- Rose petals
- Pistachio slivers
- Silver vark
- Saffron milk
Method
- For best results, bring the milk to a boil in a kadhai. Once it boils, lower the flame and simmer it till it reduces to half. Keep stirring occasionally.
- Once the milk is reduced to half, add cardamom powder, jaggery and sitaphal pulp.
- Give a mix and once the jaggery melts, remove from flame and cool. Garnish with saffron milk, rose petals, slivered pistachios and silver vark.
- Serve chilled and enjoy!