Gudi Padwa marks the beginning of the New Year in the month of Chaitra for the people of Maharashtra. It is celebrated with great enthusiasm and merriment and like any other festival, having mouth-watering feasts are an essential part of all the festivities. Other traditional things include sending gifts to India to your family, neighbors, and all other acquaintances to make this occasion a happier one. You can also send gifts to India sitting in USA or UK or any other country outside India for that matter because this reliable online portal helps you do just that with its efficient service. There is a whole variety of Gudi Padwa dishes that double the joy of being together with the family on New Year and let us discuss the recipes of a few of them.
Sieve maida into a bowl. Add saffron powder in ½ cup water and mix it with maida. Knead well using a little oil to make the dough soft. Keep the dough aside for 1 to 2 hours. Wash chana dal and allow it to boil in water till it becomes soft. Decant water on top. Put sugar to the cooked dal. Turn over constantly till lumps are formed. Without adding more water, grind it into a smooth paste. Before removing, put cardamom and grind some more. Puran is now ready. Make lime-sized pellets of puran and an equal number of pellets of the dough. Dust the latter with some maida and roll into small puris. Keep a pellet of puran on top of each puri. Enclose it fully with the puri by folding up the edge all around. Spread a newspaper on wooden board. Roll the poli balls on it, into puris. Keep chapati tawa on a low flame. Roast polis on both sides gently, 2 to 3 at a time. Lay the roasted puran polis on a clean piece of cloth. Serve!
In a bowl, combine rice flour, gram flour, asafoetida, chilli powder, butter and salt. Wash til seeds and add them to the flour mixture prepared. Pour water and knead to make soft dough. Heat oil in a wok. Press bits of dough through a mould. Fry the chakli in oil till it becomes brown and crispy. Drain with a perforated spoon and remove. Put it in a tissue paper for oil to be sucked from the chakli. Serve with coriander or mint chutney.
Put plain yogurt in a muslin bag and hang it up for 4-5 hrs to drain up whey. Soak saffron in milk for 30 minutes. Whisk the drained yogurt, sugar, saffron milk, and cardamom together until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Put in a dish and chill until set. Garnish with chopped and skinned pistachio and nuts.
Soak the black dried chickpeas, in enough water overnight or for 8-9 hours. In the same water, pressure cook the chickpeas till they are completely cooked. Strain and reserve the chickpea stock. Heat oil in a pan and saute sliced onions till they are translucent. Add ginger, garlic, fennel and coriander seeds, triphal and saute till the spices become aromatic. Lastly add coconut and saute till it becomes golden brown. When the mixture cools, grind to smooth paste. Again heat oil in a deep pan. Add more sliced onions, coconut masala paste and chopped tomatoes, saute for a minute. Add red chilli powder, garam masala powder and coriander powder and saute. Add cooked chickpeas. Add about 2.5 cups of water and stir. Add chopped potatoes and salt. Simmer on low to medium till the potatoes are cooked. The curry is of medium consistency and neither thick or thin. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice or puris.
Combine the raw mangoes and enough water in a deep non-stick kadhai, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 30 minutes or till they turn soft, while turning occasionally. Drain all the water, allow it to cool slightly, remove the skin of the mangoes and squeeze out the mango pulp. Transfer the pulp into a deep bowl, add the powdered sugar, cumin seeds powder, black salt, dried ginger powder and salt and mix well. Mash it thoroughly using a potato masher. Combine the raw mango mixture and 4½ cups of water in a deep bowl and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Pour equal quantities of the drink into individual glasses and serve chilled.
