Celebrating the birth of Krishna

If no celebration is complete without sweets then how can the birth of Lord Krishna, which is the happiest day for his devotees, remain without sweets? From makhan and mishri to shrikhand and peanut chikki all the sweets must be tried.

Today, try making the easy and delicious shrikhand at home. Take curd and hang it in a muslin cloth for 2-3 hours. Add one tablespoon warm milk, one cup powdered sugar, two teaspoon cardamom powder and a few saffron strands. To make it rich garnish with slivers of pistachios and almonds.

Also try your hand at pedhas and relive the magic of Mathura. Mix 500 grams of crushed khoya with 300 grams of powdered sugar (bura) in a pan. Heat the mix on low flame while stirring continuously. Cook till the mixture thickens and then let it cool for 10 minutes. Add crushed cardamom and food colour and mix it well.

Take a small handful of mixture and press into a cookie mould or roll it with hands. Garnish with 2-3 slices of pistachio in the center and enjoy delicious pedhas at home.
If your sweet tooth isn’t satiated try Makhane ki kheer and Magaz ki burfee. For those who are fasting don’t regret the decision as they are allowed to try Peanut chikki.

It isn’t necessary to buy it from market as it is easy to make. Take 250 grams groundnut, roast it in a pan over low heat and then keep it aside to cool and then take out its skin.
Take a frying pan, mix 150 grams sugar and add a little water and keep it to boil. When its consistency gets thick then add groundnuts in it and mix well. Take a thali, grease it and then spread the groundnut mixture in it.

Allow it to cool slightly and then cut it into pieces with a knife. Now keep the groundnut chikki aside to cool completely and then store in an airtight container to enjoy even after Janamashtami is over.

From the southern part of India, try Pori Urundai (puffed rice sweet ball), Thirukannamudham (Moong dal kheer), Cheedai (Fried rice dumplings), Kuzhi Paniyaram (gur and rice dumplings) and  Thenkuzal (Rice chakli).

For cheedai, mix rice flour, urad flour elaichi and coconut pieces in a vessel. In a kadai, add water and jaggery, slightly mix with a ladle and place on the stove. Add one teaspoon ghee to the jaggery mix. As soon as all the jaggery melts, switch off the gas and add the flour mixture. The flour will immediately absorb the water and get cooked and become a homogeneous ball. Make soft balls with hands and keep them covered for a few minutes. Roll small one inch balls and deep fry them while keeping the flame on medium low. Chef Sekar says, “There are significant mythological references to puffed rice or rice in Lord Krishna’s lifespan. Be it his meeting with his old friend Sudama or the vanavas of Pandavas in Mahabharata when Krishna satiates hunger with one grain of rice. Thus a lot of sweets are made with rice and puffed rice on Janmashtami.”

And when you make these, don’t forget to offer them to Krishna as naivedyam first.