Recipe: Swap regular snacks this Diwali with chocolate kheer, oat coconut cookie

Modernise the popular rice pudding, or kheer, with chocolate and move over regular snacks this Diwali by trying out these easy recipes of chocolate kheer and oat coconut cookies given inside

The South Asian rice pudding, popularly known as kheer, is traditionally a celebration dessert made with plain milk and cardamom but why have the regular kheer or other snacks and desserts this Diwali when you can treat your tastebuds to chocolate kheer or oat coconut cookie?

Diwali or Deepavali, which translates as ‘a row of lights’, is one of the most significant of all Hindu festivals and is celebrated over a period of 5 days and marks the onset of winter and the beginning of all things new. Desserts are a main part of its puja and celebrations and while we continue to work from home amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, modernise the popular rice pudding, or kheer, with chocolate and move over regular snacks this Diwali by trying out these easy recipes of chocolate kheer and oat coconut cookies given below.

Chocolate Kheer

Chocolate Kheer (Tata Sky Cooking expert Chef Nita Mehta)

Ingredients for Kheer:

500 ml full cream milk

1 cup boiled rice

2 tbsp sugar, or to taste

2 elaichi – crushed

½ tbsp kewra jal

Ingredients for chocolate sauce:

200 gm cream (1 cup)

100 gm chocolate – chopped (1 cup)

Method:

Boil rice and milk in a heavy bottom kadhai. Add sugar and cook till thick and kheer consistency, mashing with the back of a kadchi. Cool.

Add kewra jal and crushed elaichi. For chocolate sauce, heat cream on low heat. Add chocolate and stir on low heat till a sauce is ready.

In a tall shot glass, pour some chocolate sauce. Allow to set for 5 minutes. Put a thick layer of cold kheer on it.

Finally put a thin layer of chocolate sauce on it. Serve cold.

Oat coconut cookies

Oat coconut cookies (Tata Sky Cooking expert Chef Nita Mehta)

Ingredients (makes 10):

1 cup oats

¾ cup desiccated coconut

½ cup flour (maida)

¼ tsp baking soda

½ tsp cinnamon powder

½ cup (80 gm) softened butter

¼ cup caster sugar

2 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp milk

1 tsp Vanilla essence

2 tbsp black raisins

Ingredients for topping:

Coloured balls/sprinklers

Method:

Whisk butter and both the sugars together. Add milk and essence. Mix well. Mix oats, coconut, maida, soda and cinnamon powder

Fold in the maida mixture. Add raisins. Mix lightly to form dough. Form balls. Flatten slightly and place on a greased baking tray.

Sprinkle coloured balls and press lightly. Bake at 180°C for 15 min. Cool on a wire rack.

(Recipe: Tata Sky Cooking expert Chef Nita Mehta)

Benefits:

Apart from lifting up your mood in a jiffy or being a mood enhancer, chocolates’ reputation is rising for having antioxidant effects and reducing risk factors for heart disease courtesy its cocoa content. It has several other health benefits like being aphrodisiac and helping protect your skin against the sun by acting as a sunscreen.

Oats don't contain any gluten instead, have more protein and fiber than regular flour. Apart from being rich in antioxidants and being incredibly nutritious, oats can improve blood sugar control, can lower cholesterol levels and protects LDL Cholesterol from damage.

Its soluble fiber beta-glucan aids in digestion, keeps the stomach satiated, keeps hunger pangs at bay while keeping one full. Hence, they are suitable for weight loss.

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