As you bid farewell to the festive season, the time to take out warm clothes comes by. Along with filling your wardrobes with sweaters and jackets, filling your kitchen stock with warm ingredients will surely become a part of your day. But the craving for something sweet once you are all tucked in your blanket is something else.
This winter season, why don’t you move ahead of the hot chocolate cups and make some traditional desserts that can keep you cosy? If you are looking for ideas, here are some Punjabi desserts that are not only popular in North India but also across borders. Made with just simple kitchen ingredients, you can whip these Punjabi desserts in 15-20 minutes.
Gajrela
Gajrela, or gajar ka halwa, is one of the most popular lip-smacking winter desserts from Punjab that you can never get enough of. The Bollywood movies, advertisements, and festivities are filled with bowls of gajrela and savouring the flavours. To make gajrela in your kitchen, you’ll need to grate some carrots, add them to a wok with milk and let it simmer on low flame. After the halwa is mostly cooked, add some ghee and mix it well. Finally, add sugar and some cardamom powder to add to the aroma and flavour. Garnish with chopped dry fruits and relish it hot.
Pinni
Pinni is a traditional winter sweet made with wheat flour, ghee, sugar, dry fruits and nuts, and jaggery powder. Just add sugar, dry fruits, nuts, and jaggery into an electronic mixer and grind it to make a powder. Next, take a pot, add some ghee and the mixture you made, and cook until it turns golden. Simultaneously, add wheat flour and ghee and cook until you get a uniform mixture. Then, add the contents together, mix well, shape the mixture into balls, and dig in.
Panjiri
Panjiri is another dessert that can make you feel warm and cosy during a typical winter night. To make the traditional dessert, you’ll need basic kitchen ingredients like whole wheat flour, ghee, sugar, dry fruits, and makhana. All you need to make the North Indian treat is to roast the dry ingredients till the sugar melts. Once you get a consistent mixture, add chopped dry fruits like almonds, cashew nuts, raisins, and makhana. Let the mixture come to room temperature and your panjiri is ready to serve.
Dodha Barfi
Dodha burfi is a Punjabi sweet that has a fudge-like consistency. It is made with khoya, sugar, and lots of dry fruits. You can cook the khoya in a pan till it turns golden brown, and then add sugar and a little milk till you get the desired consistency. After the mixture cools down, you can cut it into squares, garnish it with a generous amount of cashew nuts and enjoy.
Meetha Puda
Punjabi meetha puda is somewhat similar to Maharashtrian puran poli. In the winter season, you can enjoy it as a quick breakfast, snack, or even after a light meal. The best part about making meetha puda is that it is super easy and quick to whip up. All you need to do is make a consistent batter with wheat flour, sugar, milk, and cardamom. Cook in batches with generous ghee till it’s golden brown, and serve with gud or jaggery.