Delicious mithai recipes to try this Diwali

Matcha Mint Rasmalai
Serves: 8
Prep time: 2 hrs
Cook time: 2 hrs
Ingredients
2 L full cream milk
2 tbsp lime juice
½ tsp corn flour
1 ¾ cup sugar
3 cups water
4 green cardamoms
1 stick of lemongrass
10-12 mint leaves, washed
1 tbsp matcha powder
2 tbsp pistachios, sliced
Rose petals, for garnish, optional
Method
Boil half the milk. Once it reaches boiling point, turn off the heat and add lime juice. Stir and let it curdle. Use a muslin cloth to drain it and dip this in cold water to remove the flavour of lime juice. Tie and hang for 25 minutes.
Smooth this cottage cheese in the chopper with ½ tsp corn flour. Make small balls and flatten. Keep aside.
Boil 1 cup sugar with water and two cardamoms for 6-7 minutes. Add prepared cheese balls into the sugar syrup. Cover with a lid and boil for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and take out all the balls. Cool.
Boil remaining milk with clean lemongrass stick and mint leaves. Add cardamoms and boil for 10-12 minutes. Discard the mint leaves, lemongrass stick and cardamoms. Add sugar as per taste or ¾ cup.
Stir and boil for 3-4 minutes more. Remove and cool. Add prepared balls and stir in matcha powder. Chill in the fridge. Top with pistachio slices and rose petals. Serve.

Maize Magic Halwa
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Ingredients
½ cup ghee
2 tbsp pistachios, sliced
½ cup maize flour
2 tbsp chickpea flour, slightly roasted
¼ cup mawa
½ cup evaporated milk
1 cup water
½ cup sugar
1 tsp cardamom powder
Method
Heat ghee in a pan and roast pistachio slightly, then remove.
Add maize flour to the same ghee and stir for 4-5 minutes. Add roasted chickpea flour and cook till it turns golden brown. Add mawa and stir; roast for 2 minutes.
Add evaporated milk with water and cook, stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
Add sugar and cook for 5 minutes more till it starts leaving the sides.
Add cardamom powder and pistachios.
Cool slightly and serve warm.

Almond Hazel Laddu
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Ingredients
7-8 strands of saffron, soaked into 2 tbsp warm milk
2 tbsp chopped almonds and hazelnuts
2 tbsp raisins
1 tsp cardamom powder
2 ½ tbsp ghee
1 cup almond flour
½ cup hazelnut flour
2 tbsp cream
2 tbsp milk powder
1 cup icing sugar or more as
per taste
7-8 sheets of silver leaf
Decorative flowers made with almond paste, optional
Method
Mix 1 tbsp saffron milk with chopped nuts and raisins. Cook this in a microwave for a minute and add cardamom powder; cool.
Heat ghee in a pan and add almond flour and hazelnut flour. Roast slightly and add cream and milk powder.
Cook for 2-3 minutes, then cool and add icing sugar.
Grease both palms and take a little almond mixture; flatten with your hands and fill with pea-sized chopped nuts. Roll up gently, and roll in silver leaf. Keep aside.
Use a lid from any water bottle to dip into saffron milk and make a round mark on each laddu. Decorate with almond paste flowers. Serve.