Lifestyle

With Raksha Bandhan just around the corner, we all know what a struggle it is to find the perfect gift for our siblings. To acknowledge the invaluable role, they play in our lives, the gift needs to encapsulate the gratitude for the one who has loved you unconditionally for so many years. Celebrity Chef Sabyasachi Gorai, Chef Sanjyot Keer, Chef Varun Inamdar have introduced some exciting mouth-watering finger-licking recipes to make it a perfect addition to your Rakhi gifting list.

 California Walnut Barfi-Chef Sabyasachi Gorai

Ingredients: 1 cup California walnuts, ¼ cup milk, 250 g khoya or mawa, ¼ cup Sugar, 1 tablespoon ghee/clarified butter + a little extra for greasing, ½ teaspoon cardamom powder

Preparation

1. Take ½ cup of California walnuts in a bowl.
2. To this add ¼ cup of milk and let it soak for 1 hour. Thereafter, blend it into a coarse puree.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a pan and add the remaining walnuts. Sauté till golden, drain and set aside.
4. Now in the same ghee, add khoya and sugar and mix well. To this add the walnut puree and mix again.
5. Keep cooking this till it gets thick and leaves the sides.
6. Then add cardamom powder and fried walnuts and mix well.
7. Spread this on a greased plate and let it set for a few hours.
8. Slice into pieces and garnish with California walnuts.

California Walnut Cocktail Samosa with Tamarind and Coriander Chutney – Chef Sabyasachi Gorai

 Ingredients:  ½ cup maida/all-purpose flour, ½ cup wheat flour, Salt to taste, ½ tablespoon oil, 2 teaspoon sugar, Water as required

 For the stuffing: 2 teaspoons oil, ½ teaspoon coriander seeds, ½ tablespoon ginger garlic paste, 1 green chilli, 1 onion, ¼ cup peas, ½ cup chopped California walnuts, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder, Salt to taste, ¼ teaspoon garam masala, ¼ cup coriander leaves chopped, ½ teaspoon amchur/mango powder, 2 boiled potatoes

Preparations

1. For the stuffing, heat oil in a pan and add coriander seeds.
2. To this add onion, ginger garlic paste, chilli and sauté well.
3. Add peas and chopped California walnuts.
4. Add boiled potatoes followed by all the spices. Mix and cook until well done.
5. Once cooked, keep aside in a bowl and let it cool.

For the samosas

1. Put flour, wheat flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. To this add oil and knead well with water.
2. Take a small portion of the dough and roll into a thin circular sheet.
3. Using a knife, divide the circle into two halves.
4. Fold the ends to form a perfect triangle shape and fill the stuffing into it. Close the ends to prevent the stuffing from coming out.
5. Heat oil in a pan and deep-fry these until golden brown.
6. Serve with tamarind and coriander chutney.

Mango Walnut Sheera– By Chef Sanjyot Keer

Ingredients: 3/4 cup ghee, 3/4 cup semolina,1/4 cup wheat flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup Mango puree, 2 cups water (you can add more if the sheera is too dry), 1/2 cup California Walnuts

Preparations

1. Chop California Walnuts and toast them into a pan, do not overdo it.
2. Puree the mangoes to get mango pulp if using fresh mangoes.
3. Add ghee, semolina and wheat flour in a pan and start roasting on medium flame.
4. Keep roasting and stirring until the colour starts to change and you get a nice aroma.
5. Now add sugar and mango pulp and stir quickly. While mixing continuously add the water too.
6. Keep stirring to avoid lumps and add the toasted California Walnuts.
7. Cool until the ghee separates.
8. Serve immediately!

Gulaab Ki Phirni – Chef Varun Inamdar

 Ingredients: 1/4 cup basmati rice, 4 cups California walnut milk, 1/4 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons rose syrup

Garnish: Few fresh rose petals, California walnut halves

Preparation:

1. Soak the rice in water for half an hour. Drain water and pulse in a grinder till you get a grainy textured paste.
2. Bring the California walnut milk to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes. It shall also reduce and thicken slightly.
3. Add the rice paste while whisking continuously. This will help avoid lumps.
4. Bring this to a boil while whisking, and then lower the flame to a simmer. Keep stirring the mixture every couple of minutes till about 15 minutes.
5. Add sugar and mix till it dissolves. Switch off the flame and divide the mixture into two parts.
6. Mix rose syrup in one part and let the other one the way it is.
7. Transfer into earthen pots and ripple both mixtures slightly.
8. Place a California walnut half and some rose petals on top of the phirni.
9. Cool in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours or overnight.
10. Serve cold.

California Walnut Rasmalai – Chef Varun Inamdar

 Ingredients: 

For the chenna

8 cups full cream milk

1/4 cup lemon Juice

1/4 cup water

For the California walnut milk syrup

2  ½ cups California walnut milk

3 tablespoons of milk powder

1/3 cup sugar

A few drops of yellow food-grade colour

Garnish

1/8 teaspoon saffron strands

1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

A handful of California walnuts, chopped roughly

For the sugar syrup

3 cups of water

1 cup Sugar

Preparation

For the chenna

1. Boil milk in a heavy bottom pan.
2. When it boils, add in lemon juice and water mixed together. Stir and turn the flame off.
3. Strain the curdled milk using a muslin cloth and wash the milk solids under running tap water. Keep aside till they cool.
4. With the heel of your palm massage, the washed curd for 15 minutes till it is shiny and smooth. Divide into 12 balls.
5. Roll them and flatten them.

For the syrup

6. Heat sugar and water together till they start boiling, in a heavy-bottomed vessel.
7. Drop in the chenna balls. Cover with a lid and allow it to roll boil for 15 minutes.
8. Switch the flame off and allow the syrup and chenna to come down to room temperature.

For the California walnut milk syrup

9. In a heavy-bottomed pan, add California walnut milk and bring it to a boil. Add in sugar, yellow colour and milk powder. Once the sugar is dissolved, switch the flame off.

Assembly

10. Take the poached balls, press them and drain the syrup off. Transfer into the flavored California walnut milk. Garnish with saffron strands, and crushed California walnuts. Serve chilled.