Tap a chip to add another filter, or use Clear all below.
Tap any item to find recipes that use it.
Coarse besan toasted in ghee for a long, slow half-hour, until the colour deepens from pale yellow to a warm honey-brown and the smell turns from raw to roasted-cashew. Off the heat, cooled to barely-warm, then folded with powdered sugar, cardamom and slivered pistachios. Rolled into walnut-sized balls and left to set. The result is dense, fudgy, faintly grainy - the texture is part of the charm.
Dried urad dal (white, sometimes labelled "white lentils" or "split urad") soaks overnight, then blends with ginger, green chilli and a small amount of water into a smooth thick batter. Whipped vigorously for 5 minutes to incorporate air (this is what makes the fritters light). Asafoetida and salt season; baking soda activates right before frying. Fritters drop into 175°C oil; fry for 3-4 minutes until amber. Lifted into a wide bowl of lukewarm water; soaked for 10 minutes; squeezed gently between palms to remove most water. Plated in shallow bowls; flooded with sweet salted spiced yogurt; topped with chutneys, chaat masala, pomegranate, fresh coriander, a sprinkle of crushed papri or sev for crunch.
A loose batter of plain flour, gram flour, yoghurt and water ferments 8-12 hours at room temperature (or 24 hours in the fridge), the slight tang from the yoghurt and the bubbles from the fermentation give the characteristic crisp-shattering bite. A 1-thread sugar syrup is scented with saffron, cardamom and a squeeze of lemon. The batter goes into a piping bag (or squeezy bottle); piped into hot oil in spirals from the centre outwards; fried for 30-40 seconds per side; lifted out and dropped straight into warm syrup for 30 seconds; lifted again. Eaten immediately while still hot and crisp.
Whole milk boils, then curdles with lemon juice; the curds drain to chhana (fresh paneer). The chhana kneads for 8-10 minutes until smooth and lump-free, this is what gives the dumpling its sponge. Small flattened discs poach gently in sugar syrup; they double in size. A separate pan reduces a second batch of milk by half with cardamom, saffron, almonds and sugar to a rich rabri. The squeezed dumplings float in the cool rabri to absorb the spiced milk overnight.
A nut-and-spice paste is the soul of thandai: almonds and cashews soaked soft, ground with green cardamom, fennel, white peppercorns, poppy seeds, dried rose petals and saffron, then whisked into cold sweetened milk. Strained, chilled, poured over ice. The drink reads cool and complex: sweet from the sugar and saffron, perfumed from the rose and cardamom, with a faint warmth from the fennel and pepper.