Mouth-watering recipes/dishes for this Raksha Bandhan

Posted On August 3, 2022

Raksha Bandhan is around the corner and though this eve appears every year still is awaited by all. This year Rakhi will be celebrated on 11^th August. The month of August, also known as the ‘Sravana Mahina’ is said to be very auspicious in the Hindu Calendar. With Rakhi being in this month, it makes the month more holy. Rakhi marks the bond between that of a brother and sister. It is said that the thread knotted by the sister holds a sign of commitment.  This unique festival is celebrated with lots of love and prosperity in India. Not only one ties rakhi but in addition, serving tempting dishes and exchanging sweets is also a common gesture. So why not focus on what popular recipes can be prepared during this festive season?

These mouth-watering dishes are easily available in the market but what’s better than cooking it all by yourself at home with pure love for your family and loved ones?

Let’s find out the simplest of all-

1:-Ghevar- 

You can find this sweet dish in almost 90% of the houses during this season. So why not prepare this tempting sweet dish all by yourself and startle your family members-

Ingredients Required-

• 1 and half cup of all-purpose flour
• 2 pieces of Ice-cube
• ¼ cup milk
• ½ cup ghee
• 2 and half cup water
• 1/8 teaspoon edible food color
• 1 cup sugar

For topping-

• ½ teaspoon powdered green cardamom
• 1 strand saffron
• ½ tablespoon chopped almonds
• 6 inches’ silver foil

Preparation-

Step 1. Sugar Syrup- Ghevar is a simple dish to cook and just requires a few easily accessible ingredients. You must first make sugar syrup with the consistency of one string. Then, add solidified ghee to a sizeable, large bowl. Rub the ghee vigorously while using one ice cube at a time. Add more ice cubes as necessary to achieve a really white color for the ghee.

Step 2. Ghevar Batter-  After that, add milk, flour, and a cup of water. Dissolve the food color in the water and add it to the batter. If needed, add extra water. The batter should have a rather thin consistency.

Step 3. Cook the Ghevar- Take an aluminum or a steel cylindrical container. Make sure it has a minimum height of 12′′ and a diameter of 5–6′′. Fill half of the container with ghee. Once the ghee is heated, then take a 50 ml of batter. Slowly pour the batter in the center of the ghee in a continuous thread-like stream and then allow the foam to settle.

Step 4. Dip the Ghevar in the Sugar Syrup- Once the foam settles down, pour 1 more glassful of batter in the hole formed in the center. Once the foam settles down again, try losing the Ghevar with the help of an iron skewer. Lift carefully at an angle and then place it on the wire mesh to drain. To fit in the Ghevar, keep hot syrup in a large, flat-bottomed container. After that, dip the Ghevar into it and take it out to drain the extra syrup. Keep aside on a mesh after that. This will eliminate the surplus syrup.

 Step 5. Cooling of Ghevar and Garnishing- Alternately, evenly distribute some syrup all over, keeping Ghevar in a mesh placed over a container. Put edible silver foil on top after it has had time to cool and settle. Sprinkle some chopped dried fruits, a few drops of saffron milk, and a teaspoon of cardamom powder on top. Serve it alongside with dishes like as Samosas, Kachoris, and Pakoras.

2:- Sweet kesar Rice-

This is again one of the dishes which is generally cooked during this season. People like the texture of sweetness in the rice. It can be eaten all alone or if you want to add something along with it, you can try Kadhi. It tastes stunning.

Ingredients-

• Basmati Rice- 1 and a half cup
• Water- 2 and ¼ cup
• Ghee- 1 and ¼ cup
• Milk- ½ cup
• Sugar- 1 and a Half cup
• 3 to 4 cardamom
• 1 and a half tablespoon raisins
• Food Color- Yellow- 1 tablespoon
• 2 pinches of saffron
• Almonds, Raisins and cashews for garnishing

 Tips before Preparation-

• Additionally, you can add slivered almonds and pistachios to your sweet rice as a garnish.
• Leave out the food color if you want color to remain white.
• To prepare sweet rice that is healthy, you can also use brown sugar or jaggery powder instead of regular sugar.
• The ideal rice to use for this dish is basmati or any other long grain rice.

Preparation-

• Thoroughly clean the rice and let it soak in cold water for 10-15 minutes.
• Roast almonds, cashews and raisins in a pan and set it aside.
• In the next step, put the rice and water in a medium-heated saucepan and let it cook.
• Once the rice starts boiling, reduce the flame and cover the pan with a lid.
• Rice should be cooked till the time water gets evaporated.
• In another saucepan, mix milk, saffron, sugar and cardamom pods or powder and boil them. Once boil, remove them from the heat.
• Add nuts and flavored milk over the rice and gently stir.
• Cook for another 3-4 minutes and then serve.

Paneer Rice Fingers

–Along with sweets, there needs to be some spicy and masaledaar on the table as well. So why not try these yummy Paneer Rice Fingers-

Ingredients-

• Cooked Rice- 1 cup
• Paneer- 200 gms
• Sesame Seeds- 1 tsp
• Besan- 1 tsp
• Ginger-Garlic Paste- 1tsp
• Khus-Khus- 1 tsp
• Sambar Masala- 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder- ¼ tsp
• Buttermilk- 1tsp
• Soda Bicarb-  A pinch
• Chili Paste- ½ Tsp
• Coriander leaves- 2tbsp
• Red Chili Powder- 1tsp
• Oil- For Frying
• Salt

 Preparation-

• Starting with, prepare a thick batter by combining buttermilk, rice, and besan.
• Mix the remaining ingredients except for Paneer and prepare a thick batter.
• Cover the paneer strips with the batter prepared and deep fry them until they are golden brown.