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Guests showing up at your door unexpectedly is a common occurrence during the festive season. Families and friends come together to celebrate, spend time with loved ones and create memories that will last a lifetime. On such occasions, food is a constant that ties everyone, pulls a family to the table and sometimes even becomes the common ground where conflicts are resolved and family feuds buried!
But when families and friends show up without announcement, putting together a meal in a rush can seem like a challenging task. While subzis and rotis can be increased in number with quick haste, making dessert can prove to be more complex. Yet, having a sweet on a plate is essential during the festive season. Gorging on delicious desserts is as much about their delectable taste as about a cultural practice which involves serving something sweet to mark a special occasion or celebration.
So, if you are worried about what to make when guests arrive and settle themselves for a meal, fret not! We have got you covered. There are many Indian sweet treats and desi sugary delights that can be quickly made in the kitchen to serve to a roomful of foodies. Many of these dishes require simple ingredients readily available at home and can be made without turning on your stove too! This means, you can quickly cook a sweet treat and still participate in dinner conversations. Read on below for 3 such Indian sweets that you can make in a matter of minutes to serve during this festive season:
Kaju Katli
Kaju katli is a crowd favourite and it will earn you extra points if you make this simple recipe at home! The cashew sweet can be served in a dish and placed in the centre of your dinner table so that the diamond-shaped barfi can be picked up and gobbled during dinner. Here is a quick and simple recipe to make this dessert:
Ingredients:
1 cup cashews
½ cup sugar
2 tbsp ghee
7-8 saffron strands
½ tsp cardamom powder
Water for sugar syrup
Method:
1. Grind cashews in the mixer until they acquire a powdery consistency.
2. In a pan, add water and sugar and heat on a low flame. Once the sugar dissolves, mix in cashew powder and ghee.
3. Keep stirring and once this mixture comes together, add saffron and cardamom.
4. Grease a tray as the mixture thickens.
5. Once the sugar and cashew powder are blended together, take them off the heat and knead into a dough that can be flattened out on the greased tray.
6. As it cools, cut into diamond shapes. Layer it with vark and serve.
Coconut Ladoo
Easy to make and extremely delicious, coconut ladoo is perfect for monsoon festivities. Coconuts are available in abundance during the rainy season. In fact, the pournima or full moon in Sawan is celebrated in many regions as Narali Pournima to offer prayers to the bountiful coconut tree. Making coconut desserts during this season is all about revelling in the festive theme. Here is a simple recipe for quickly making a batch of coconut ladoos:
Ingredients:
1½ cup desiccated coconut
1 cup sugar
½ cup condensed milk
1 tsp cardamom powder
Method:
1. In a pan, add sugar and water and bring the mix together on a low flame until sugar dissolves.
2. Take a bowl, add the desiccated coconut and sugar and water mix. Start bringing the blend together and add in condensed milk until it acquires a consistency that can be rolled into a ladoo. Add cardamom powder for a delicious aroma.
3. Roll into small balls once the mixture cools a little. Coconut ladoos are now ready to be enjoyed!
Dates And Nuts Roll
You must have observed this little disc-like dessert at your local sweet shop but did you know that it is also easy to make this sweet treat at home? Here is a quick recipe to make a dates and nuts roll that can be served as a sugar-free sweet treat at any dinner party:
Ingredients:
1½ cup chopped, deseeded dates
¼ cup cashews
¼ cup pistachios
¼ cup walnuts
¼ cup almonds
1-2 tsp toasted sesame
2-3 tsp ghee
Method:
1. Chop the nuts and in a pan, dry roast the mix for a few minutes. Take off the flame and keep aside.
2. Add ghee to the pan and chopped dates and sauté them until the mix starts to come together.
3. Once the dates are combined in a mixture, take the pan off the flame and spread the dates out on a rolling board.
4. As the mix cools, add in the roasted nuts and knead into a cylindrical shape.
5. Spread sesame seeds on the board and coat this date roll completely in the sesame. Cut into fine slices and serve as a sweet treat during dinner.
