Traditional Holi recipes with a colourful twist!

Holi hai… Once again it is time to celebrate, leave behind the worries and start afresh with the festival of colours! Get ready to soak in the sun and then be splashed with colours and water. Of course, it goes without saying, no Indian festival is complete without some amazing food. Falling on the full moon day in the Hindu month of Phalgun or the month of March as per the Gregorian calendar, Holi marks the coming of spring. It is the time to bid winter good-bye and welcome bright sunny days. Fresh leaves and flowers start blooming during this period, denoting it is time to rejuvenate. Truly Holi is a celebration of life, love, happiness and good spirits. Just like any other Indian festival, Holi is also celebrated with pomp and show all across India. Each state has its unique way of celebrating. There are various legends attached to this festival, so every state has a different story to tell. However all of them have their roots in the ancient Indian culture. Some believe Holi is to celebrate Radha- Krishna’s love, some believe in goddess Rati's legend and some in Lord Vishnu's Narasimha avatar story from which the word Holi is said to be derived. On this day, people gather together and light a bonfire to symbolize the burning of Holika and to celebrate victory of "good" over "evil". This day is called as ‘Holika Dahan' or Chhoti Holi. All the gathered friends and relatives go around the bonfire and celebrate by singing various songs and rhymes to bring in positive vibes. It is the best time to let go of all the things that bother you and embrace or restart life with a fresh perspective. On the following day, called as Rangwali Holi, Dhuleti, Dhulandi, or Dhulivandan, people play with colours. People take this opportunity to end their differences, come together and celebrate. They throw abeer or gulal (coloured powder) into the air and smear each other with it while splashing coloured water through pichkaris. Especially kids are the ones who enjoy it the most, as they throw water-filled balloons at each other. Then finally after this it is time to feast on sweets and savouries. Since there are quite a few delicacies associated with Holi, a delicious spread awaits everyone. So here we have brought to you a list of traditional Holi recipes with a colourful twist to make your celebrations merrier. Thandai- Thandai is a must for Holi. Out of all the common Holi recipes, this is on the top of the list. It is a non-alcoholic, cold flavourful drink made of almonds, fennel seeds, melon seeds, rose petals, pepper, cardamom, saffron, milk and sugar. The balance of flavours is absolutely refreshing. The other famous alcoholic alternative of Thandai is the Bhaang. But for today, here is a recipe of, mouth-watering Thandai that is easy to make as well as tasty. https://www.foodfood.com/recipedetails/thandai Thandai Mousse with Kala Jamun - If you are bored of having the usual Thandai every year, here is a Thandai with a twist. This fancy looking dessert shouts ‘why drink Thandai when you can eat it!’ It is a unique recipe made with beautiful creamy mixture of Thandai and chocolate along with Kala Jamun! Are you drooling already? Wait no more, dig into it with this simple recipe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9huYJLZlV0 Puran poli- Holi re holi, purana chi poli… Holi and Puran poli are almost inseparable in the state of Maharashtra. Soft sweet flatbreads stuffed with puran made of Chana Dal, is a delight. It is best served with a generous dollop of ghee and katachi amti on the side. There is a technique of how to make a puran poli, so simply refer to our amazing step-by-step recipe and we are certain that these sweet delights won’t fail to surprise you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBVkqNAa-04 Gujiya Gujiyas or Maharashtrian Karanjis are divine traditional delicacy filled with sweetness and deep fried to perfection. Honestly, holi is incomplete without mawa gujia. It is a temptation hard to resist. We have brought to you gujiya with a surprise ingredient, chocolate. Chocolate filled Gujiya recipe is crispy on the outside and absolutely delicious on the inside. Soft chocolate melts in the mouth making the experience even better. Don’t worry about how to make mawa gujiyas at home, as here we have brought in step by step gujiya recipe for holi. Try it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQkK81fCI0A Soya matar gujiya If you want a twist to the regular sweet gujiyas, then try this gujiyas with a twist in a savoury version. Soya matar gujiya has a crispy cover made of Semolina (suji or rawa gujiya cover), and the filling is made using healthy and mildly spiced soya and peas. Check out this unique guijya recipe today. https://www.foodfood.com/recipedetails/soya-matar-gujiya Dahi bhalle Other savoury dishes that can be eaten on holi are items like samosa or chaat. Dahi bhalle or dahi vada is a popular street food from Delhi which has the capacity to win a million hearts in a jiffy. Bhalle or crispy deep fried fritters dunk into creamy dahi or yogurt topped with sweet and sour chutney is out-of this world recipe. It is a perfect colourful recipe for Holi. Learn how to make these tangy, chatpate street style dahi bhalle at home. https://www.foodfood.com/recipedetails/dahi-vada Upside down dahi bhalle As the name suggests, this is the recipe of dahi bhalle with a twist. Here, instead of topping the fritters with yogurt, you can fill the yogurt into the fritters. This makes it look and taste fabulous and fancy. Sounds interesting? Check out the recipe to know how to make this unique dahi bhalla recipe at home. https://www.foodfood.com/index.php/recipedetails/upside-down-dahi-bhalle Hope you all enjoy the variety of recipes and spend a day with your loved ones. FoodFood wishes each and every one of you, Happy Holi! For more such amazing recipes check out the FoodFood channel.