Recipe and Tips to Make Traditional Sweets ( Mithai ) for Diwali at Home

1. Kaju Katli

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp ghee (for greasing)
• Silver leaf for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1. Grind the cashews into a fine powder.
2. In a pan, add sugar and water, stir until the sugar dissolves, forming a syrup.
3. Add the cashew powder to the syrup and mix well, cooking on low heat.
4. Stir continuously until it forms a dough-like consistency.
5. Transfer to a greased surface and roll it out evenly.
6. Cut into diamond shapes and garnish with silver leaf.

2. Besan Ladoo

Ingredients:

• 2 cups besan (chickpea flour)
• 1 cup ghee
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• Chopped pistachios for garnish

Instructions:

1. Heat ghee in a pan and add the besan.
2. Roast on low flame until it turns golden and releases a nutty aroma.
3. Let it cool slightly, then add powdered sugar and cardamom powder.
4. Mix well and shape the mixture into round ladoos.
5. Garnish with chopped pistachios on top.

3. Rasgulla

Ingredients:

• 1 liter milk
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp rose water

Instructions:

1. Boil milk and add lemon juice to curdle it, forming chhena (paneer).
2. Strain the chhena and wash it under cold water to remove the sourness.
3. Knead it into a smooth dough and make small balls.
4. In a pot, boil water with sugar to make the syrup.
5. Add the chhena balls to the boiling syrup and cook for 10-15 minutes until they double in size.
6. Add rose water and let them soak in the syrup.

4. Gulab Jamun

Ingredients:

• 1 cup khoya (milk solids)
• 2 tbsp maida (all-purpose flour)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup milk (as needed)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups water
• Saffron strands and chopped nuts for garnish

Instructions:

1. Mix khoya, maida, and baking soda. Add milk gradually to form a smooth dough.
2. Make small balls from the dough.
3. Deep fry the balls on low heat until golden brown.
4. Prepare sugar syrup by boiling sugar and water until slightly thick.
5. Add the fried balls to the warm syrup and let them soak.
6. Garnish with saffron and nuts.

5. Coconut Ladoo

Ingredients:

• 2 cups grated coconut
• 1 cup condensed milk
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• Extra grated coconut (for rolling)

Instructions:

1. In a pan, cook grated coconut and condensed milk on medium heat.
2. Stir until the mixture thickens and leaves the sides of the pan.
3. Add cardamom powder and mix well.
4. Let it cool slightly, then shape into small round balls.
5. Roll the ladoos in grated coconut.

6. Jalebi

Ingredients:

• 1 cup maida (all-purpose flour)
• 2 tbsp corn flour
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• Oil for frying

Instructions:

1. Make a thick batter by mixing maida, corn flour, yogurt, turmeric, and baking powder. Let it ferment for 5-6 hours.
2. Prepare sugar syrup by boiling sugar and water until slightly thick.
3. Pour the batter into a piping bag and pipe spiral shapes in hot oil.
4. Fry until crisp and golden.
5. Soak the fried jalebis in warm sugar syrup for 2-3 minutes.

7. Rava Ladoo

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rava (semolina)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup ghee
• 1/4 cup grated coconut
• 1/4 cup milk (optional)
• Raisins for garnish

Instructions:

1. Roast rava in a pan until it turns light golden.
2. Add grated coconut and mix well.
3. Add ghee and powdered sugar to the mixture, stirring until combined.
4. If needed, add milk to bind and shape the mixture into round ladoos.
5. Garnish with raisins.

8. Badam Halwa

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup ghee
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• Saffron strands and chopped almonds for garnish

Instructions:

1. Soak almonds in hot water for 1 hour, then peel and grind them into a paste.
2. In a pan, heat ghee and add the almond paste, stirring continuously.
3. Add milk and cook until the mixture thickens.
4. Add sugar and saffron strands, mixing well until ghee starts separating.
5. Garnish with chopped almonds.

9. Soan Papdi

Ingredients:

• 1 cup besan (gram flour)
• 1 cup maida (all-purpose flour)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup ghee
• 1/2 cup water
• Chopped pistachios for garnish

Instructions:

1. Roast besan and maida in ghee on low flame until golden brown.
2. Prepare sugar syrup by boiling sugar and water until one-thread consistency.
3. Add the syrup to the roasted mixture and mix well.
4. Pour onto a greased plate and spread evenly.
5. Garnish with chopped pistachios and cut into squares when slightly set.

10. Peda

Ingredients:

• 2 cups khoya (milk solids)
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• Saffron strands and chopped pistachios for garnish

Instructions:

1. Crumble and roast the khoya in a pan on low heat until soft.
2. Add powdered sugar and cardamom powder, stirring well.
3. Cook until the mixture thickens and leaves the sides of the pan.
4. Let it cool slightly, then shape into small round pedas.
5. Garnish with saffron strands and chopped pistachios.