Festivities are another word for sweets in India, or so we would like to believe. The fanfare that most Indian sweets enjoy at celebratory occasions like Diwali and Holi are proof. Since Diwali is only a few days away, halwais as well as sweet shops are gearing up for the season with heaps of laddoos, barfis, and pedas being stocked up for sale. However, what’s the fun in buying packaged sweets when you can actually make them at home too.
From phirnis to rabdi and tehri, there are plenty of desserts that can be prepared at home. Fret not, because we’ve already fetched the recipes for your Diwali decadence from Vikram Simha Akula, Chef at Art Of Dum, Hyderabad. While one is a classic kesar-flavoured phirni, a close cousin of kheer, the latter is a pista-infused lachcha rabdi. Finally, the best is saved for the last as it is a sweet twist to a savoury dish called tehri.
Made with rice and similar to pulao, tehri is Allahabad’s favourite comfort food. Giving it a sweet spin by adding in litchis, the dessert tehri is prepared. Without further ado, let’s dig into these decadent sweet meats right away.
1. Kesar Da Phirni
Ingredients:
• 2 lts full cream milk
• 150 gm basmati rice
• 150 gm khoya
• 400 gm sugar
• 5 gm elaichi powder
• 30 gm ghee
• 20 gm pistachio silvers
• A few sprigs of saffron
• 10 silver warq
Source: Litchi Ki Tehri/Art of Dum
• Grind rice into coarse grains and keep aside.
• Boil milk in a heavy bottomed pan and reduce to ¾ volume.
• Add grated khoya and continue boiling.
• Add the ground rice and cook for a while. When it thickens, add the sugar.
• Cook for 5 minutes and remove from fire. Cool it down.
• Drain a can of litchis and chop them up lightly. Add to the milk mixture and mix lightly.
• Serve chilled.
Note: If the litchis are available fresh and are in season, peel and deseed around 30. Add 40 gm of sugar and cook them lightly. Then, cool them and add to the milk mixture in place of canned litchis.
