Dive into Diwali treats

What’s Diwali without desserts? Here are some traditional sweets for you to try:

BOMBAY HALWA

INGREDIENTS: Lime juice 1 tsp, cardamom powder 1 tsp, cornflour ½ cup, sugar 1 cup, orange food colour a few drops, almonds few chopped, ghee 1/4 cup, saffron a few strands, water 1½ cup.

METHOD: In 1 cup of water, dissolve cornflour, sugar & the food colour. Cook on a slow flame till the mixture turns thick. Add cardamom powder and ghee. Now, mix saffron to ½ cup of water. Add it to the mixture and cook for a few minutes till thick. Pour on to a greased plate. Cool, cut into small pieces. Garnish with almonds.

DUMROOT HALWA

INGREDIENTS: Sweet pumpkin grated 4 cups, sugarless khova ½ kg, sugar ¼ kg, ghee 1 tbsp, saffron colour a few drops, chiroti rava ½ cup, cashew nuts & raisins 100 gm roasted in ghee.

METHOD: Add the grated pumpkin to four cups of water and cook till soft. Cool the mixture and squeeze the water. To the khoya mixture, add cardamom powder and sugar and mix well. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.Bake the mixture for 20 minutes. Later, grill it for five minutes or till golden in colour.

BESAN BURFI

INGREDIENTS: Gram flour 2 cups, cardamom powder a pinch, a few pistachios & almonds sliced, sugar 1 cup, ghee 1 cup.

METHOD: Melt ghee in a pan. Add besan and cook on a slow flame till golden in colour. Add cardamom powder, fine sugar almonds & pista. Mix well and let it cool. Now, add sugar and mix well. Spread on a greased plate to 2” thickness. Keep aside for 2 hours cut into pieces.

APPLE PEDA

INGREDIENTS: Sugarless khova ½ kg, sugar 1 cup, raspberry food colour a few drops, yellow food colour a few drops, ghee 2 tbsp.

METHOD: In a thick vessel, add sugar & khova with yellow colour. Cook on a slow flame till it becomes a halwa. Add cardamom powder & ghee. Mix well. Cool the mixture. Then divide into lemon-size balls. Brush the top with raspberry colour, and place a clove on each apple.