Gudi Padwa is a festival which is celebrated with much fanfare in Maharashtra and parts of Goa. It falls on the first day of the Chaitra month of the Hindu calendar, also traditionally celebrated as Hindu New Year.
The Gudi arrangement is a silk cloth or scarf tied at the top of a long bamboo stick and decorated with garlands, neem and mango leaves. The structure is then capped with a kalash (a pitcher or pot) of copper, silver or gold. Gudi historically signifies the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana. It also signifies the Brahmadhvaj, as per the Brahma Purana because it is believed that Lord Brahma created the universe on this day. Gudi is also believed to bring prosperity and good luck into households. This year, Gudi Padwa will be celebrated on March 25.
Like all Indian festivals, Gudi Padwa is also associated with its delicacies. Dishes like Puran Poli, Shrikhand, Sabudana Vada, Kesari Bhatt and more are integral to the festival. Take a look at the recipes and methods of preparation:
Puran Poli
{{/usCountry}}Puran Poli
{{/usCountry}}Ingredients
Split Bengal gram: 1 ¼ cups
Jaggery (gur) grated: 1 ½ cups
Saffron (kesar): a pinch
Green cardamom powder: ¼ teaspoon
Nutmeg powder: a pinch
For dough: Refined flour (maida) 1 ½ cups, salt a pinch, ghee ½ cup
Method
Wash the dal. Boil it and grind it coarsely. Put the dal, jaggery, saffron, cardamom and nutmeg powder in a pan and mix it well. Cook the mixture on medium heat to make it soft. Cool the mixture and divide it into equally sized balls.
To prepare the dough, mix maida and salt and add three tablespoons of ghee to it. Knead into a soft dough and cover it with a piece of cloth. Keep the dough covered for an hour.
Following this, make balls of dough and stuff it with puran and roll it into nice round polis. Put polis on hot tawa and cook it till it shows nice brown colour on both sides. Serve hot with a little ghee.
Shrikhand
Ingredients
Saffron (kesar): large pinch
Yogurt: 1kg
Ground sugar: 1/3 cup
Warm milk: 2 teaspoons
Nutmeg powder: a pinch
Green cardamom powder: ¼ teaspoon
5-6 almonds blanched, peeled and sliced
8-10 pistachios blanched, peeled and sliced
Method
Put fresh dahi in a muslin cloth and hang it overnight so that excess water is drained out. Take the dahi, add sugar to it and mix well.
Put a pinch of saffron in warm milk and add it to the dahi mix. Now, add nutmeg and cardamom powder. Put it in refrigerator for an hour. Garnish with almonds and pistachios before serving.
You can also add essence of Mango or fresh fruit to give the shrikhand a mango flavour and taste.
Kesari bath
Ingredients
Basmati rice: 1 cup
A few strands of saffron
Sugar crystals: 25 grams
Green cardamom powder: ½ teaspoon
Cashewnuts: 1 tablespoon
Raisins: 1 tablespoon
Sugar: ½ cup
Method
Soak the rice for about an hour and side by side fry cashew and raisins in a pan in ghee. Then, add rice to the ghee used in pan and saute.
Soak saffron in warm water and keep aside. Then add water to the rice and also mix saffron water in it and let it cook. Add sugar and keep cooking it on medium flame till all the water is absorbed. Garnish it with fried dry fruits and serve.
Kairi (Green mangoes or aam) Panna
Ingredients
Green mangoes: 1kg
Roasted cumin powder: 4 teaspoons
Black salt: 2 teaspoons
Sugar: 3 cups
Method
Boil the mangoes. Peel and mash when it cools down. Strain the pulp. Then add five cups of water and cook till you get a slightly thick consistency.
Add the cumin powder, black salt, sugar and salt. Keep it in refrigerator and serve chilled.
Sabudana Vada
Ingredients
3 boiled and mashed potatoes
1 cup of roasted peanuts coarsely grinded
3 green chillies finely chopped
Fresh coriander leaves chopped: 2 tablespoons
Lemon juice:1 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Oil
Method
Soak sabudana in water for around three hours. Strain and mix boiled potatoes, roasted peanuts, green chillies, fresh coriander, lemon juice and salt.
After mixing all the ingredients, make small tikkis. Heat oil and fry tikkis in it. Serve with hot mint chutney or curd.
Kothimber Wadi
Ingredients
250gm besan (chickpea flour)
100gms coriander leaves
10gm ginger
10gm garlic
1gm pinch ajwain
5gm cumin seeds
5gm mustard seeds
10gm cumin powder
10gm garam masala
20gm roasted peanuts
3gm hing/asafoetida
10gm turmeric powder
Salt - To Taste
500ml oil - To Fry
15gm green chillies
Method
In a mixing bowl, make a batter of besan flour adding little water and ensure that it is free of lumps. The batter should be thick of pouring consistency.
In a pan, heat little oil for tempering, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ajwain , crushed garlic, ginger and green chilies, saute it for few seconds.
Then add asafoetida (hing), turmeric powder, jeera powder, garam masala and mix well.
Now add besan batter stirring continuously until the batter become a thick paste without forming lumps (reduce the heat if necessary).
When the batter starts thickening, add salt, chopped coriander leaves, roasted peanut powder and mix well. Add little oil and keep mixing till it forms to a thick paste.
Grease a tray and pour this mixture into the tray and spread evenly.
Cool this mixture and cut them into cubes or desired shapes.
Heat oil in a kadai for deep frying and when the oil is hot, fry the besan pieces until crispy and golden. Drain oil from the fritters and remove on paper towel.
--- Kothimber wadi recipe by Chef Nilesh Pawar, Head Chef - The Byke Group of Hotels & Resorts
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