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Vishwakarma Puja is celebrated with much fervour in the Indian states of Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Tripura while our neighbour, Nepal, also celebrates the day with much gusto. We might all have booked our tickets to go home or decided what to wear for the celebrations but what's cooking for the bhog this year?
The Hindu festival will be celebrated on September 17 this year which means it is just around the corner. If you are also tired of eating the traditional mithai every year and looking to cook something unique for Vishwakarma Bhog, here are some extraordinary yet delicious recipes to whip up:
1. Choco Elaichi Peda
Ingredients:
150 ml chocolate flavored syrup
300 gm marie biscuit
150 ml condensed milk
1 tsp cardamom powder
50 gm desiccated coconut
10 gm sliced pistachios
clarified butter, for moulding
Equipment needed:
Food Processor
1 silicon spatula
1 mixing bowl
Method:
In a food processor add Marie biscuits and crush finely. Take the crushed biscuit in a mixing bowl and add chocolate flavoured syrup, condensed milk and cardamom powder. Mix the ingredients thoroughly to form a dough.
Apply butter or ghee on your palms and divide the mixture into equal portions. Form smooth round balls and flatten them to resemble Peda. Tuck in the desiccated coconut and pistachios in the center of the Peda. Refrigerate and use.
2. Choco sev barfi
Ingredients:
120 grams feeka mava
40 ml chocolate flavored syrup
20 ml water
80 + 40 grams feeka sev
vanilla essence
Dry fruits slivers for garnish (almonds, pistachio)
Equipment needed:
Saucepan
1 mixing bowl
1 cake pan
Method:
In a pan, add feeka mava, chocolate flavoured syrup with water and heat. Add 80 gm of sev, vanilla essence and mix well to form a thick mixture. Turn the heat off and remove it in a bowl, add the leftover sev, set in a square 6-inch ring mold. Garnish with dry fruits slivers.
3. Choco-nut Kalakand
Ingredients:
1 cup condensed milk
1 cup paneer, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
¼ cup mixed nuts, chopped (Pistachios or Almonds)
1/4 cup chocolate flavored syrup
Equipment needed:
A heavy bottom pan
A baking tray
Rubber spatula
Method:
Heat a heavy bottom pan on medium flame. Add condensed milk and cook till it is warm. Now add in crumbled paneer, cardamom powder, chocolate flavoured syrup and mix well. Stir constantly to prevent from burning.
After few minutes, it will turn to thick mass and will begin to leave the sides of the pan. This is the time to turn the flame off. Take a greased tray and transfer the kalakand mixture to the greased tray, spread it to ¾ inch thickness.
Smooth the top evenly with the help of rubber spatula and top up with chopped nuts, pat lightly. Refrigerate the kalakand for 2-3 hours. After chilling cut into desired shapes and serve.
4. Jowar Laddu with Strawberry Flavour
Ingredients:
3 cups roasted puffed jowar
¼ cup slivered almonds
½ tbsp cardamom powder
½ tsp dry ginger powder
2 tbsp roasted chironji
1 tsp ghee
1 cup jaggery / gud
Strawberry flavoured syrup – ½ cup
Equipment needed:
1 Non-stick Saucepan
1 Non-stick Spoon
1 Ladle
2 Glasses
Method:
In a large kadai, heat ghee and add jaggery. Keeping the flame low, stir continuously until the jaggery melts. Add strawberry flavoured syrup and stir on low flame, till it turns frothy.
Check the consistency by dropping syrup into a bowl of water. It should form a soft ball. Turn off the flame and add dry roasted murmura and mix gently. Add roasted puffed jowar, slivered almonds, cardamom powder, dry ginger powder and roasted chironji.
Mix until mixture is well combined and jaggery syrup is coated well. Grease your hand with ghee or wet your hand with water. Prepare ladoo when the mixture is still warm.
(Recipes: Chef Ranveer Brar)
