Almond Diyas

200 gms. almonds, soaked and peeled,

120 gms of powdered sugar,

 a few drops of yellow color,

Grind the almonds to a very fine paste. Mix sugar and almond paste in a heavy pan.Cook on low flame, stirring continuously. Take care that the paste does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook till the paste begins to leave the sides. Remove from the stove and allow to cool till mixture can be handled. Divide the mixture into two equal portions. Add yellow color to half and mix well. Shape into diyas (large, flat teardrop shapes) either freehand or with help of a mold. Fill the center with the yellow mixture, smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Cover the outer surface with silver foil, or decorate as desired. Allow to dry well or refrigerate until well set.

Coconut Diyas

4 cups of desiccated coconut,

1 tin of condensed milk,

1 tsp. butter or ghee,

1/2 tsp. cardamom powder

 Pour condensed milk into a nonstick or heavy bottom pan. Add 3 1/2 cups of coconut, mix well. Cook on low heat, stirring continuously till mixture leaves side of pan. Cool till it can be shaped by hand. Grease palms with butter. Roll portions of mixture into pingpong sized balls. Shape carefully into diyas with a depression and mouth for the wick. Coat with leftover dry coconut powder to help handling. Place a thin long sliver of almond or pista at the mouth for wick. Decorate as desired. Chill to firm the shape.

Badam Katli

250 gms. almonds, soaked overnight or for at least 4 hours,

200 gms. sugar, powdered,

 a few tbsp. of milk,

 silver foil,

 a pinch of saffron,

 Peel almonds and set aside. Wash and remove any trace of brownishness. Grind to a fine paste, using as little milk as possible.In a heavy, large skillet, mix the almond paste and powdered sugar. Cook on a low flame, stirring continuously, using a large spoon or spatula. Take care that the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan.When the paste begins to leave the sides of the pan, take it off the stove. Add saffron and mix well. Grease a plate with a little ghee, pour the mixture in it, let it even out. If small lumps appear, settle the plate so that the mixture evens out. Do not use a spoon or spatula to even out the mixture.The katli can now be decorated with a silver foil. Mark out diamond shapes with a greased knife. Allow to cool. When almost cool, remove carefully with a sharp edge knife. Let it cool completely before storing in butter paper.

 Motichoor Laddu

3 cups gram flour,

2 cups water,

 4 cups sugar,

 3 tbsp rice flour,

 oil for frying.

 Mix gram flour and water to a smooth thick batter. Put water in a large bowl and keep it handy. Heat oil in a kadai and line it with a strainer that fits in neatly. Using a slotted spoon, gently tap the gram flour batter through the holes into the oil.When done, lift the strainer with the fried boondi and drop on paper towels to drain out the excess oil. Quickly dip the boondis in the bowl full of water kept ready and remove. Wipe the strainer dry, before tapping the next batch. When all the boondis are ready, bring water and sugar to a boil to obtain a syrup of soft ball consistency. Take 3 tbsp of the syrup, heat it in a thick-bottomed pan till frothy. Add the boondis and stir the mixture till it begins to leave the sides of the pan. While still warm, shape a little of the mixture into a laddu. Coat your hands with rice flour or corn flour for easier handling.

Badam Ka Seera

 1 1/2 cup of almonds, soaked overnight,

 3 cups of hot milk,

 250 gm of ghee,

 1/3 to 1/2 cup of sugar,

 Peel the almonds, wash and grind to fine paste. Heat the ghee in a heavy pan.Add paste and cook on first high then low flame, stirring continuously. Allow the paste to turn light brown in color.When the paste begins to give out a pleasant aroma, mix in the hot milk and stir with a long-handled spatula, since the mixture tends to splatter. As the mixture begins to thicken, add the sugar and cook, stirring continuously and gently till ghee begins to separate. Decorate with chopped nuts and serve hot.

Anarsa or Mitha Khaja

1 1/2 cup rice flour,

Heat water in a pan and dissolve jaggery to make well. Strain and set aside to cool.Add cardamom powder and ghee to the flour and knead the flour with jaggery water till the dough becomes stiff. Divide into 24 to 25 small portions, knead and roll it into 4" discs. Sprinkle poppy seeds on the discs. Set aside and allow them to dry a little.Deep fry in ghee till the discs turn golden yellow. Cool the khajas till these become crisper. Serve or store in an airtight container.

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