6 recipes to indulge your Diwali sweet tooth

These delicious dishes will have everyone coming back for more

Kheer Kadam
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Serves: 10

Ingredients
1 L milk
1 tbsp lime juice
¾ cup icing sugar
1 tsp cardamom powder
2 tbsp desiccated coconut, fine
Pinch of saffron, soaked in 1 ½ tbsp warm milk
10 small ready-made gulab jamuns
1 tbsp pistachios, finely chopped
Rose petals, for garnish (optional)

Method
Boil milk in a pan, then add lime juice and turn off heat. When it starts to curdle, remove and sieve in a muslin cloth-lined sieve. Squeeze and dip into cold water 2-3 times. Tie the cloth and hang for 30 minutes to get cottage cheese.
Blend the cheese with icing sugar and cardamom powder in a chopper till fine. Heat a pan and add the cheese mixture to it; cook for 1 minute. Add desiccated coconut and soaked saffron. Grease the palm and take some cheese mixture (the size of a small lime); flatten it and fill with a gulab jamun. Roll up gently and repeat for all.
Chill for 30 minutes and garnish with chopped pistachios and rose petals.
Beet Halwa

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients
2 ½ tbsp ghee
2 tbsp almond, sliced
2 tbsp pistachios, finely chopped
2 ½ cups beetroots, finely grated
¾ cup full cream milk
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp cardamom powder
½ cup almond powder
¾ cup milk powder

Method
Heat ghee in a frying pan and add almond and pista slices; fry till light golden and remove from the fire. Keep aside.
Add grated beetroots to the same pan and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add milk and cook for 15 minutes on medium-low heat. Add sugar, and stir continuously.
Add cardamom powder, almond powder and milk powder. Stir and cook till it begins to leave the sides of the pan.
Add chopped fried nuts and remove from the heat. Serve hot or cold.
Fig Firnee

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients
¼ cup semolina
1 L full cream milk
5-6 fresh figs, plus two extra for garnish
2 dry figs, soaked overnight in rose water
½ cup sugar
2 tbsp condensed milk
1 tsp cardamom powder
7-8 strands of saffron soaked in warm milk
2 tbsp pistachios, coarsely powdered

Method
Heat a pan and dry roast semolina till pinkish brown.
Boil milk in a heavy bottom pan and add roasted semolina; stir continuously and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
In a separate pan, add chopped fresh figs, soaked figs and sugar. Cook till slightly mushy; set aside to cool.
Add condensed milk, cardamom powder and saffron to the firnee mixture; stir, add cooked figs and remove from fire. Cool.
Pour into serving bowls and garnish with pistachios.
Chill for 2-3 hours, then serve with a slice of fig.
Pista Squares

Prep: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Serves: 6

Ingredients
1 ½ cup pistachio powder
½ cup pistachios, coarsely grounded
2 tbsp ghee
¾ cup water
1 cup sugar
4-5 green cardamoms
1 drop of green colour
3 sheets of silver leaf

Method
Heat a pan and add water, sugar and cardamoms; boil till it reduces. Discard cardamoms and add ghee.
Check the thread consistency of the sugar syrup by using a finger and thumb. (It should have the consistency of two threads.)
Add pistachio powder and coarsely grounded pistachios. Stir continuously till it begins to leave the sides of the pan.
Remove from the pan onto a greased flat surface and spread evenly. Cover gently with silver leaf and cool.
Cut into squares and serve.
Malai Barfi

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
1 tbsp ghee
2 cups readymade khoya, grated
1 cup sugar, powdered
1 drop cardamom essence
1 tbsp rose water
½ cup milk powder
3 silver leaves
Few pistachios, sliced, to garnish

Method
Heat a heavy bottom pan and add ghee and grated khoya. Stir continuously till it starts melting.
Add sugar, cardamom essence and rose water; cook till it begins to leave the sides.
Add milk powder and cook for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and spread in a silicon square pan. Cool and cover with silver leaves.
Cut into the desired shapes and garnish with pistachio slices. Serve.
Swastik Laddu

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Serves: 8-10

Ingredients
¾ cup ghee
½ cup polenta
½ cup semolina
¾ cup chickpea flour
¾ cup almond flour
1 tbsp cardamom powder
1 cup brown icing sugar
2 tbsp icing sugar
Silver leaf, to garnish

Method
Heat a heavy bottom pan and add ghee and polenta. Sauté on medium low heat for 4 minutes.
Add semolina and sauté for 4 minutes, before adding the chickpea flour. Stir and cook till it begins to release its aroma and changes in colour.
Add almond flour and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add cardamom powder and remove from heat. Stir till it cools slightly.
Add brown icing sugar and icing sugar. Take a lime-sized ball of mixture and use both hands to form laddus. Garnish with silver leaf. Serve.

• Food and Dining