Holi Special Recipe: The colours of Holi magically connect with our emotions and moods. They make us jovial and full of vigour. The same thing happens with the special foods served on Holi. Holi symbolises the victory of good over evil and on this festival, people rejoice not only with colours but different foods also to express their glee and symbolically celebrate the zest of life. Gujia wale dahi bhalle make for quite a popular Holi snack dish.

These dal dumplings are added in to thick curd with salt, cumin seed powder, red chlli powder, tamarind chutney and coriander chutney. It is best enjoyed when served chilled. Here is the recipe:

Serves: 8-10
Preparation time: 30-45 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

White urad dal: 1 cup
Moti moong dal: ¼ cup
Fresh yogurt: 1+1/2 kg
Cashew nuts: 20 (coarsely chopped)
Dry coconut: 1 cup (grated)
Raisins: 20-30
Chironji: 20
Salt: 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder: 1 tbsp
Cumin seed powder: 2 tbsp
Oil to fry
Coriander chutney: 1 cup
Tamarind chutney: 3 cups

Method

Wash white urad dal and moong dal thoroughly. Soak them separately for three hours.

Blend them separately to a fine paste in food processor and keep aside.

Transfer both dal pastes in a big broad container and whip them well together with your palm and fingers in one direction for at least 20 to 30 minutes or until the batter becomes fluffy (becomes almost double in quantity).

Heat oil in a frying pan.

In the meantime, take a clean muslin white cloth. Soak it in water and squeeze it tight. Spread this wet cloth on your palm. Pour a tablespoon full of dal batter on it. Spread it in round shape with your fingers of other hand maintaining a thickness enough to hold dry fruits inside (neither too thick nor too thin).

Now place three to four chopped pieces of cashew, two to three raisins, one chirongi and half teaspoon of grated coconut in the centre length-wise leaving some space on the edges.

Fold the batter very carefully overlapping the half semi-circular side of the paste on other half side.

Press the edges gently with your pointing finger.

Leave this dumpling in hot oil carefully, just overturn your palm over the hot oil frying pan holding the muslin cloth having the dumpling. The wet cloth will allow the dumpling to slip down in the oil as you would overturn your hand. But be very careful. If you will leave the dumpling from height, the hot oil can splash or if you would leave it from a very close distance in hot oil frying pan, you can burn your hand. Keep patience and an appropriate distance while performing this step.

Fry the dumpling flipping on both the sides until golden brown.

Repeat the process with all other dumplings.

When all dumplings are fried, soak them in normal drinking water in a big container for an hour or two.

Beat the yogurt. It is better to sieve the yogurt in a soup strainer to make it thick and fluffy.

Add salt to it.

Mix well.

After two hours, take out the dumplings from the water. Press them gently one by one in between your both palms to squeeze all water they have soaked.

Dip the squeezed dumplings in yogurt and refrigerate for an hour.

Take out from fridge at the time of serving.

Take one dumpling out at a time, serve it in a flat dish.

Pour two to three tablespoons of salted yogurt over it.

Sprinkle red chilli powder and cumin seed powder.

Pour half tablespoon of coriander chutney and one to two tablespoons of tamarind chutney on the top.

Garnish with few coriander leaves.

Serve chilled.

Serve all other dumplings in the same way.

You can garnish this dish with pomegranate also.

Preparing this Holi special recipe is simple but you require time and patience to make the perfect dumplings. Gujia wale dahi bhalle are packed with nutrients if prepared with low-fat curd. These dumplings are one of the treats you cannot say no to have on Holi.

Happy Holi!