Like all festivals in India, Holi too has its traditional recipes, which are prepared on this occasion as part of the celebration. Indeed, the delicacies prepared on this special occasion add to the delight and excitement as they blend Maharashtrian, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Gujaratis, and many other cuisines.

Here are some Guilt Free Recipes to help you eat your heart out and enjoy the festival with great happiness!

1. Guilt Free Puran Poli
Calories: 200 per serving size
Benefits: less acidity, light to digest, tasty cereal-based roti
Best time to consume is at Lunch.

Puran Poli in Maharashtra is the most savoured sweet stuffed roti or paratha which is the heart of most traditional functions. Mostly made by chana dal, it is the most relished dish. But with changing time and calorie needs there is a great discomfort in relishing this traditional “Desi delicacy”. It is said that in this transition season digestive fire weakens so go for moong dal instead of chana dal. So here is a quick and lip-smacking fix to the traditional Puran Poli.

Moong dal Puran Poli (Guilt free)
Ingredients
For the stuffing:

• Moong dal (Yellow): 1 cup Moong Dal
• 2 cup Water
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar or organic Jaggery powder
• 1 tsp Cardamom-nutmeg, powdered.
• 1 pinch saffron

For the Covering:

• 1 cup Wheat flour
• ½ cup rice flour + semolina(fine)
• Pinch of salt, turmeric
• ½ cup milk + water
• ½ tablespoon oil

Recipe:
Dough- Take a large plate add the flour, semolina in the plate, add salt, turmeric. Start adding the milk plus water milk slowly to the flour mix to turn to soft pliable dough. Let it rest for 1-2 hours.
Stuffing: In a heavy bottom cooker, take 2-3 cups of water, wash the moong dal and add to it, give 2-3 whistles. Once the whistles are done and the cooker is cooled. Open the cooker and add the sugar/jaggery as per your liking and start the flame, on a low flame keep cooking the mixture until the cooked dal solidifies, keep stirring continuously. To test the Puran, take a small mixture in a spoon, let it cool and try to make a small ball of the same, if it solidifies it is done. Now remove from flame and add to a traditional sieve and try to sieve the Puran to give a soft, fine paste or stuffing.

Recipe:
Dough- Take a large plate add the flour, semolina in the plate, add salt, turmeric. Start adding the milk plus water milk slowly to the flour mix to turn to soft pliable dough. Let it rest for 1-2 hours.
Stuffing: In a heavy bottom cooker, take 2-3 cups of water, wash the moong dal and add to it, give 2-3 whistles. Once the whistles are done and the cooker is cooled. Open the cooker and add the sugar/jaggery as per your liking and start the flame, on a low flame keep cooking the mixture until the cooked dal solidifies, keep stirring continuously. To test the Puran, take a small mixture in a spoon, let it cool and try to make a small ball of the same, if it solidifies it is done. Now remove from flame and add to a traditional sieve and try to sieve the Puran to give a soft, fine paste or stuffing.

2. Healthy Katachi Amti
Calories per katori: 100 calories
Benefits: Less acidity, warm appetiser
Best time to consume: Lunch.

Amti is traditional Maharashtrian liquid-based Dal most cooked and relished with Rice and Puran Poli on the day of Holi. Simple yet tasty it is most relished.

Moong dal based puran and its Katachi amti
Ingredients:

• Moong dal puran (as per above recipe of Puran in Puran poli)
• Water: 2-3 cups to make liquid consistency

Home-made garam masala: Dry roasted cumin seeds, coriander seeds, 2 cloves, 1 small stock dalchini, 2 black cardamom, shahajeera seeds, 2-3 pods black pepper, fenugreek seeds. Roast them well on a non-stick and then grind them into a fine powder.

• Kokum: 2-3, radish/drumstick (optional)
• Fresh coconut: 2 tablespoons,
• Hing: ½ tsp, turmeric: ½ tsp, red chilli powder: ½ tsp, sesame seeds ½ tsp
• Fresh coriander: 2 tablespoons.

In a heavy bottom vessel. Take the remaining puran water and 1 leftover ball of puran and add water to the mixture. Put in the heavy bottom vessel and start to boil. To this add boiled drumstick or raw radish cubes, salt and kokum. In a non-stick small pan, add oil to this, add mustard and cumin seeds, let splutter, to this add turmeric, red chilli powder, home-made garam masala, sesame seeds, fresh coconut and fresh coriander. Add this tadka to the boil dal mix and let it simmer on a slow flame. Your delicious Katachi amti (Dal) is ready to serve with the Puran poli with ghee and Rice with ghee.

3. Solkadhi or Kokum saar
Calories per katori: 50 calories
Benefits: Pittashamak, cooling appetiser
Best time to consume: Lunch/Dinner/Snack time.

Solkadhi or Kokum saar are the most relished and appetising liquid-based beverages. It is the most cooling and light to digest drink. Most relished with warm pakodas, bhajiyas and snack items.

Ingredients:

• Kokum: 10 in numbers
• Coconut water: 1 glass
• Coconut milk: 2 tablespoon
• For tadka: ghee, cumin seeds, hing, ginger, garlic, fresh coriander or mint leaves, salt: black salt to taste.

In a heavy bottom vessel boil 3-4 cups of water and bring it to a bubble. Switch off the gas and add the kokum pellets to the boiling water. Cover and keep aside for some time.

Once a light pink color starts to develop, take the mix and sieve it and remove the kokum while straining the liquid. To this cool liquid add either Coconut water or coconut milk according to your wish. In a non-stick vessel, make tadka using ghee, cumin seeds, hing, ginger and garlic. On cooling add this tadka to the Kokum mix and add salt to taste. Decorate with freshly chopped coriander and mint leaves. Serve at room temperature. Your refreshing coolant to enjoy your snacks at the Holi Party is ready.

4. Refreshing Thandai
Calories per small glass: 100 calories
Benefits: Refreshing, energising, appetising cooling drink, heavy to digest
Best time to consume: At snacks time only 1 small glass is best advised.

Ingredients:

• Cow Milk: 500ml
• Water: 1 cup
• Almonds: 6-10 soaked
• Poppy seeds: ¼ tsp
• Manukas: 5 soaked.
• Subja seeds: 1 tsp soaked.
• Rose petals (organic eatable rose petal): from 1 Rose.
• Rose water: 1 tsp
• Saffron: 4-5 strands
• Cardamom and nutmeg powder: 2 tablespoons
• Sugar: 2 tablespoons

Soak overnight almonds, poppy seeds, and manukas in a glass vessel. In a grinder take all the soaked ingredients and grind into a fine paste. Bring milk to boil in a pan and add the saffron strands. Mix well. Add sugar and simmer till the sugar melts. Grind the 3-4 rose petals to a fine powder. To give it a nice yellow tint, add the saffron strands and the water in which it was soaked, this will accentuate the taste and aroma of this drink. Add the grinded paste to the milk along with some cardamom-nutmeg powder. Mix well and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the flame and keep it at a normal room temperature. Then refrigerate it for 2 to 3 hours. Garnish it with some crushed rose petals, saffron strands and soaked sabja seeds. Serve chilled with some delicious snacks like cucumber or palak bhaji
We at Nadi Tarangini believe that natural foods are the key to maintaining good health and we always try to suggest the use of the best natural ingredients in a wholesome and natural way!!! So “Stay Desi, Eat Healthy”.

Happy Holi!! Stay safe and play safe!

Author: Mrs. Shruti Prashant Kulkarni
Research & Product Domain Expert (Atreya Innovations Pvt Ltd)
Chief Nutrition Counsellor (Germany)
Credits- Vaidya. Tejaswini Sameer Bhale
Nadi Pariksha domain expertise