With Ramadan and Gudi Padwa or Chaitra Navratri just around the corner, the sweet shops in the market are flooded with festive desserts like kheer, burfi, halwa, kachoris, jalebi, gulab jamun, malpua, rabri, mysore pak, shrikhand and sandesh. Chaitra Navratri has special significance in various states and people of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka celebrate this day as Ugadi whereas in Maharashtra and Goa, the same day is known as Gudi Padwa.

Gudi means Hindu deity Brahma's flag and Padwa stands for the first day of the new phase of the moon. During the celebrations, families come together to spend time together and have delicious food. To add some festive cheer in our kitchen this Gudi Padwa, we decided to whip up the traditional festive dessert ‘shrikhand’ at home with a caramel twist as it takes only 15 minutes to make.

Ingredients:

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2 tablespoons caramel flavoured syrup

1 cup hung curd

1 tablespoon crushed black pepper

1/2 tablespoon cardamoms

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Equipment needed:

1 mixing bowl

Method:

Mix powdered sugar, cardamom powder, black pepper, caramel flavoured syrup and hung curd in a bowl. Make sure the mixture has a thick consistency. Serve it cold or at room temperature.

(Recipe: Chef Ranveer Brar)

While the people observing Gudi Padwa in Maharastra, commemorate it by eating Shrikhand Puri, those celebrating it as  Ugadi make a dish called Ugadi Pacchadi that is generally made using raw mangoes, neem flowers, tamarind, jaggery and salt. Not just that, they even decorate their houses, rangolis are made and neem leaves are also eaten.