KATHMANDU: One of the most auspicious festivals of Nepal, Deepawali is here and so is the time to savour delicious food items.
Deepawali, the festival of lights, is also the period during which appetizing food items are prepared and consumed. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, getting food from the market is not safe.
So, this Deepawali, prepare mouth-watering food items at home. Here is a recipe for seven food items for gracing your appetite, that you can prepare in less than half an hour.
1. Matar Paneer- Grind around 3-4 tomato, 2 green chilies, 1 tablespoon cumin seeds and make a paste. Heat the oil in a pan, cut the cottage cheese (paneer) in cubes and put them in the pan. Take the cubes out after they get golden brown and then, in the same pan, put 1 tablespoon of gram flour and cook it at a low flame. Mix it with the tomato paste. While cooking, add the essential spices like turmeric powder, salt, red chili powder, coriander powder, dried mango powder, kitchen king powder( quantity according to your taste).
After stirring the mixture, add the magical ingredient- fenugreek leaves powder to it. Cover and cook until oil separates. Add 2 tablespoon cream. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add the already cooked cottage cheese cubes to it. Cover and cook for two minutes and here is your first dish for Dipawali.
2. Rice Kheer- In a pressure cooker, put 1/4 cup soaked rice. Break the rice with your fingers. Put 1 cup milk in the cooker, cover the lid and cook for one whistle on medium flame. Remove the lid, and let the pressure release. Switch on the flame. Add one more glass of milk to the mixture and cook for 2 minutes. Add some dry fruits and sugar (according to your taste) into the mixture. Cook the kheer for five minutes on low to medium flame. Add cardamom powder and cook it again for two minutes. Your kheer is ready to serve.
3. Market-style Potato- Heat 2 cup oil in a pan for 2 minutes. Add dried spices like asafoetida, cinnamon powder, bay leaf, cumin seeds, dried whole red chili, chopped green chilies, grated ginger and cook them. Add grated tomato to the mixture and cook for 2 minutes. Add turmeric, fennel seeds powder, red chili powder, salt and dried mango powder to the mixture.
Cover and cook until oil separates. Remove the lid and add garam masala to it. Take 3-4 boiled potatoes, smash them roughly and add them to the mixture. Add one cup of water and cover the lid for 5 minutes on low to high medium flame. Once the dish is ready, add the magical ingredient fenugreek leaves powder with chopped coriander leaves. Your dish is ready but, don’t forget to serve it with one tablespoon of clarified butter.
4. Suji ka halwa- When it is Dipawali, how can one forget about the sweet dish. Take 1/4 cup of melted clarified ghee in a pan and add 1/2 cup of semolina to it. Roast until it becomes golden brown on a medium flame. Add chopped almonds, cashews, pistachio, raisins to it. Add 1/2 cup water to the pan and cook till it becomes thick. Add sugar(according to your taste). Stir until it melts. Add cardamom powder to it and it is ready to be served.
5. Special cumin rice- Take one-litre water in a pan and add one tablespoon salt to it. Take 1-1/2 cups of rice and boil them into the saltwater already on the pan. Put 1 tablespoon clarified butter in a pan and add cumin seeds, bay leaves, chopped green chilies, chopped carrot, peas, into it. Cook it for 1 minute. Add boiled rice to the mixture. Cover the lid and cook for 5 minutes. Your special rice dish is ready to eat.
6. Instant coconut barfi- In a heated pan, add desiccated coconut. Keeping the flame on low-medium, stir continuously and cook for 1 minute. Add lukewarm milk and soak saffron strand to it. Add powdered sugar to the roasted coconut, the saffron soaked milk, 1/2 powder milk powder, 2 tablespoons of fresh cream, and mix well.
After 6-7 minutes add cardamom powder to it. Mix well and turn off the flame. Take a baking tray, and grace it with butter or you can put a butter paper on it. Put the coconut mixture over it after adding dry fruits to it and let it cool. After 30 minutes, cut the cooled sweet mixture into the required cubes. Your perfect sweet dish is ready.
7. Masala poori- Take 2 cup wheat flour, add 2 tablespoon gram flour, salt, red chili powder, turmeric (according to taste). Make a dough and roll the dough balls. Fry it in hot oil and prepare the poori. Your last dish is ready.
You are ready to relish your family with the special dishes this Dipawali.
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