Bura na Mano.... "HOLI HAI........"

As the winds change, as summer slowly drags its foot into our lives and as the cold beautiful winter bids us a farewell, here comes HOLI...... It marks the beginning of scorching heat and maybe thats why we celebrate this festival by drenching one another. ( Thats a good explanation) The crops have been threshed, the farmers are at peace now they have enough to survive for a while, there's an air of happiness all around. Its a day when families reunite, when neighbours rejoice, people have a reason to hog on the sweets, and friends have a reason to meet.



The legend of King Hiranyakashyap is associated with this festival. This legend signifies the victory of good over evil, of devotion surpassing ambition. The king was an ambitious one, who wanted absolute power so that he would be worshipped as God. When the wish was made known, the King’s own son, Prahlad, refused to accept. Prahlad was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu, and it was only to his Lord that he gave allegiance. The proud King was enraged by Prahlad’s disobedience and decided to punish him severely. He asked his sister Holika for help. It was believed that Holika was immune to fire and would never be burnt, so the King asked Holika to sit in the centre of a bonfire with Prahlad on her lap, so that the fire could burn him alive. The bonfire was lit, and young Prahlad sat in Holika’s lap, in its centre, praying to Lord Vishnu. His devotion saved him, leaving him untouched by the flames, but Holika was burnt to ashes. To mark this legend, huge bonfires are lit on the eve of Holi, especially in Bihar and the North. Its done one night previous to the festival of Holi and is known as Holika Dahan.



Holi, being celebrated across India today is the most colourful Hindu festival but can u beleive it has a Muslim history to it as well....?


Sufi saints like Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia and Amir Khusrau in their chaste Persian hymns expressed their love for this festival. Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar's Holi ‘phags’ (songs) are relished even today.

During the Shahjahani tenure of Delhi, Holi was known as Eid-e-Gulabi (Pink Eid) or Aab-e-Pashi (Shower of Colourful Flowers). The nobles, kings and nawabs exchanged rose water bottles and sprinkled them on each other along with the frenzied drumming of the ‘nagaras’ (drums).
Many artists, especially Govardhan and Rasik, have shown Jahangir playing Holi with Noorjahan, his wife.

“Who says Holi is a Hindu festival?” Holi lasted for days during the Mughal rule during which people, irrespective of religious or social distinctions, forgot their restraints. The poorest of the poor threw colour on the emperor.

As holi knocks our doors...We realise just like any other festival in India Holi is completely incomplete without the food extravaganza. Here in India most of our celeberations include food... why most.... all of it. Holi in the northern India with the obvious excuse of splashing colours all over people and just saying... " Bura na mano.... Holi hai...." ( Pls don mind but its Holi....) also is an easy excuse for all the lovely food one can hog upon...

Some of the things that the festivities of Holi are incomplete without are ......

Thandai
Thandai as it literally means is cooling... its quintessential when it comes to holi.. loaded with dry fruits and is a sweet tasting milk based drink with a hint of spice that hits your throat at the end is a must during Holi. Be it in its sombre fashion as it is or loaded with bhaang its a favourite among all.

Bhaang is actually an intoxicant prepared by grounding the buds and leaves of Cannabis using a mortar and pestle into a green paste.
Its quite an adventure to drink this thing as many have different theories about it. The effect of the bhaang remains almost for a day. The best u can do is enjoy it a bit and then sleep off for the rest of the day atleats a 24 hours. The effect of this intoxicant is such that whatever u start off doing u do it for the rest of the time. There are people who cry for the whole day and some just cant stop laughin. Some start beleiving that they are kids while some beleive that they are lost. Its hillarious for the others to watch but to be a part of it is quite a bet.
But all said and done holi is incomplete without this cherished item.
Here is the recipe for the sombre Thandai not the one with the crazy ingredient......

Ingredients:
1 1/2 litres water
1/2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
1 tbsp. almonds
1 tbsp. watermelon seeds peeled (commercially available)
1/2 tbsp. khuskhus (poppy seeds)
1/2 tbsp. saunf (aniseed)
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
1/2 tsp. rose water (optional)
1 tsp. peppercorns whole
1/4 cup dried or fresh rose petals (gulkand variety)



Method:


Dissolve sugar in 1/2 litre of the water used.

Wash clean all other dry ingredients.

Soak in 2 cups of remaining water.

Allow all soaked items to stand for at least 2 hours.

Grind all soaked ingredients to a very fine paste.

Mix remaining water to the paste.

Place a thin muslin cloth over a large deep vessel and press through muslin with back of hands to extract the liquid into the vessel.

Add milk, sugar and rosewater to the extracted liquid.

Chill for a hour or two before serving.


This is the other essential item of Holi. I'm sure u all know that Indians cannot live without frying something. So this is this festivals fried delicacy. Gujiya or karanji( as called in Maharashtra) or Karchikaay( as in the south of India) is stuffed with dry fruits and either khoya in the North or with coconut in the South. The reason that the ingredient is different in the 2 regions is very obvious. its due to the availability. Since milk is abundant in the north its khoya thats used and the same with the coconut down south. Conveience makes everything the cause.

Gujia

Ingredients:
500 gms maida (flour)
1kg khoya ( dry reduced form of milk )
3 tbsps kismis (raisins)
200 gms almonds (cut into thin strips)
6 tbsps cooking oil. ( keep some more aside for deep frying)
200 ml water
500 gms sugar.

Method:

Mix the six tablespoons of oil with the maida.

Now add some water as required and knead into soft dough.

Set aside and cover with a damp cloth.

Fry khoya in a deep-frying pan to a light brown color.

Add sugar, almonds and kismis into the khoya and mix well.

Remove from the fire and let it cool.

Roll out the kneaded dough into a small and thick chapatti.

Fill half the chapati with the khoya mixture and seal the round, twisting the edges inwards.

Deep-fry these gujhias to a deep golden brown color on slow flame.

Take them out with a sieve type ladle and drain the oil completely.

Some prefer it just this way....

But a few like me would like it further sweet and so as soon as we remove it from the oil we dip it into a warm sugar syrup and then remove and keep aside. This gives that extra sweetness makes it a lil more juicy and also gives it a shine. Though one draw back that u cant keep these ones for too long.


Note - Makes about 40 gujhias.

Enjoy these recipes till i come up with some more of the delicacies....

Some of the text from this blog are excerpts from other sites, with due acknowledgement.