Smita Mishra
Each year on Janmashtami, Krishna’s followers re-establish everything that is special and dear to the God. Milk and milk-based special dishes and novelties are prepared to please the God as he is a great lover of milk. Here are the recipes of some dishes that are a must on this auspicious occasion.
Srikhand
Ingredients
1 1/2 kg curd
8 cardamoms pounded
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp cardamom powder
1/2 tsp. saffron crushed and dissolved in a little milk, pinch of nutmeg
1 1/2 tbsp each of almonds and pistachios slivers.
Procedure
Put curd in a square cloth, gather the ends, tie and hang it on a hook till water drains out. This is the "chakka".
Rub this chakka through a stainless steel siev, placed over a bowl.
Put sugar in the sieve and rub with a round spoon.
The well-blended sugar and the chakka would collect in the bowl. It would have silken-smooth texture.
Add the saffron-milk, cardamoms, nutmeg and mix well.
Spread the almond and pistachio slivers on top.
Then sprinkle bits of silver foil or varg on it.
Chill in the "fridge" and serve cold with puris.
Peda
Ingredients
1/2 kg soft white khoya
2-1/2 cups (approx.300gms) Sugar powdered
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp Cardamom seeds semi crushed
1 tbsp slivered or crushed pistachios
Procedure
Grate khoya with a steel (not iron) grater. Add powdered sugar and mix well.
Put mixture in a large heavy or nonstick pan.
Heat first on high for few minutes.
The on slow till done.
Make sure to stir continuously, while on heat.
When mixture thick and gooey, add cardamom.
Mix well, and take off fire.
Allow to cool, gently turning occasionally.
Use cookie moulds, or shape pedas with palms into patty rounds.
Mix pistachios and cardamom seeds and press a bit on top of each.
If using moulds, first sprinkle some at bottom.
Take some mixture and press into mould.
When set well, invert and carefully, unmould.
Kalakand
Ingredients
2 litres Milk
1/2 to 3/4 cup Sugar
Chopped nuts to decorate (pista, almonds)
Silver foil (optional)
1/2 tsp citric acid dissolved in 1/2 cup water
Procedure
Boil half the milk and add the citric solution as it comes to boil.
Switch off gas. Once the chenna settles, sieve through muslin cloth, press out excess water, take in a plate and press down. Do not knead.
Put the remaining milk in a heavy pan and boil to half.
Add the chenna and boil till the mixture thickens, stirring continuously.
Add the sugar and continue to cook, stirring all the while till softly thickens in a lump.
Set in a tray, apply silver foil and sprinkle the chopped nuts.
Gopalkala
Ingredients
250 grams Beaten Rice
1 Coconut (fresh)
100 gms Cucumber
2 Green chillies
1 tbsp Ghee
1 tsp Jeera
1/2 inch Ginger
50 grams Curd
1/2 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste
Procedure
Soak Beaten Rice for 10 minutes.
Grate the coconut, roughly chop the cucumber & finely chop the green chillies and ginger.
Melt ghee in a small pan for the tempering, add the jeera, green chillies and ginger.
Pour over the beaten rice and add in the remaining ingredients.
Mix well.
Rabari
Ingredients
Milk 4 cups
Sugar 2 tbsps
Rosewater 1 tsp
Cardamoms 1 tsp
Almonds few
Pistachios few
Procedure
Bring the milk to the boil then cook slowly on a low heat for at least 2 hours.
Stir frequently and let the cream thicken at the edge of the pan.
Add the sugar and stir until the milk is less than quarter and the original amount.
Scrape the cream formed on the sides back into the milk.
When ready, stir in the rosewater and pour into a glass dish.
Garnish with chopped almonds, pistachios and ground cardamoms.
Rabri may be served either hot or chilled.
Milk poli
Ingredients:
4 cups milk
4 tsp ghee
2 cups rava
1 pinch salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
Cardamom and saffron to taste
Procedure:
Mix all ingredients to prepare dough.
Knead the dough and roll out thin puris.
Heat ghee in a kadhai and deep-fry the puris.
Store these puris in an airtight container.
Boil 4 cups milk on low flame.
Add sugar and boil slowly. Remove the vessel from the flame.
Add polis one by one and allow it to soak well.
Serve the polis in individual bowls.
Panchamrit
Ingredients:
1 finely chopped banana
1-cup fresh milk
1 tbsp fresh curd
1 tsp ghee
3 tsp sugar
5 tulsi(basil) leaves
Procedure:
Combine together curd, ghee, milk and sugar.
Add finally chopped banana and basil.
Refrigerate the mixture before serving.
Panchamrit is ready. Serve it in tiny bowls.
Singhare ki Puri
Ingredients:
1 cup Singhare Flour
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp Ajwain seeds
1/4 cup coriander leaves
1/4 cup chopped spinach
1/4 cup boiled, mashed potatoes
2 chopped green chillies
1 tbsp red chilli powder
Salt according to taste
Water for kneading
Oil for deep frying
Procedure:
Mix all the dry ingredients thoroughly. Add water little by little and make a small puri in your hand. This is not like normal flour, so do not add too much water. Heat oil in a frying pan & fry puri until dark brown. Repeat this with the rest of the flour mixture.
Serve with Pickle and curd.
Kheer
Ingredients:
5 cups milk
1/2-cup long-grained rice
2 tbsp almond powder
1 tsp cardamom powder
Pinch of saffron
1 tin condensed milk
sugar to taste
Procedure:
Cook rice in a pressure pan with enough water, till soft. Drain and mash. Heat milk to a thick and creamy consistency.
Add condensed milk, mashed rice, sugar, almond powder, cardamom powder and saffron. Cook till creamy.
Serve hot with puris.
